InterBel Telephone Selects VergeIO

VergeIO, Inc. announced that InterBel Telephone Cooperative Inc., a Telco provider in northwest Montana, has modernized its IT infrastructure with VergeIO’s platform.

This transformative upgrade streamlined operations and came in significantly under budget, saving nearly 45% compared to revised projections.

Faced with aging infrastructure and skyrocketing software licensing fees, InterBel sought a flexible, cost-effective solution to replace its Cisco UCS and NetApp environment. With hardware reaching end-of-life and escalating costs from traditional virtualization platforms such as VMware, the telecom provider needed a modern solution to ensure reliable, efficient customer service.

Tom Rasmussen, manager, IT, InterBel Telephone, explained: “The Broadcom acquisition of VMware hit us hard, with licensing costs jumping by 30%. It was a punch in the gut. VergeIO stood out with its simplicity, flexibility, and ability to run on the hardware we already trusted.“

The project was built on Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 servers, leveraging VergeIO’s VergeOS platform-a powerful ultra-converged infrastructure solution-for an all-flash production environment. Another node was configured using VergeIO’s ioGuardian feature for DR, providing a robust backup and failover solution that can mix SSD and HDD drives. This configuration maximized performance while ensuring scalability and cost-efficiency for the future.

Rasmussen highlighted the straightforward implementation process: “VergeIO was like reading an open book. It took under two hours to deploy in our lab, and adding nodes was seamless. Compared to the complexity of Cisco UCS and NetApp, VergeIO made the process remarkably simple.“

VergeIO deployment delivered immediate benefits, including:

• Cost Savings: Instead of exceeding their budget by 30% with VMware, InterBel completed the project using VergeIO at just 28% of their original budget – achieving an impressive 45% savings compared to VMware.
• Performance Improvements: An all-flash environment enhanced speed and reliability beyond what the legacy systems could offer.
• Streamlined Management: A single-pane-of-glass interface simplified operations for InterBel’s one-person IT team.
• Scalability: VergeOS allowed the addition of compute-only nodes and flexible storage options for future growth.

Yan Ness, CEO, VergeIO, commented: “We are thrilled to support InterBel in achieving their infrastructure goals. Our ultra-converged platform is designed to simplify IT operations and deliver exceptional value, enabling organizations like InterBel to focus on delivering superior services to their customers.“

Today, InterBel is poised for continued growth and operational excellence. VergeIO’s UCI ensures that their IT environment remains scalable and ready to meet the evolving demands of their telecom services.