Renew support or modernise the infrastructure?
A strategic decision that Bechtle turned into a competitive advantage.
How it all began.
This project was launched to address the challenges of an international organisation operating in Portugal, with around 200 IT seats. Its local infrastructure was built on three Dell PowerEdge R640 servers and a Dell EMC VMware vSphere Essentials Plus environment, both acquired in 2020.
As the five‑year support contract approached its end, the company faced a critical strategic choice—extend the existing support or seize the opportunity to modernise the entire infrastructure.
The need to ensure operational continuity, security and room for future growth ultimately paved the way for a broader transformation project.
The challenges.
The IT team was facing limitations across three critical areas:
- Insufficient data protection and recovery, with no automated backup processes in place.
- Performance and resilience constraints that fell short of the requirements for business‑critical applications.
- Readiness for Microsoft Dynamics 365, which demanded a modern, scalable technology foundation that was simple to manage.
What we delivered.
In mid‑2023, we began designing a comprehensive infrastructure solution, which was rolled out progressively and fully implemented by 2025.
Hyperconverged solution.
To ensure high performance, scalability and simplified management, a hyperconverged cluster was deployed, consisting of three Dell VxRail VP760 systems.
Backup solution.
To provide advanced data protection, efficient retention and immutability capabilities, the solution includes:
- One Dell PowerProtect Data Manager instance.
- Two Dell PowerProtect DD6400 systems, distributed between the primary data centre and the disaster recovery site.
- Related software for data protection, deduplication and centralised management
Disaster recovery.
To ensure rapid recovery and continuous data protection in the event of a failure, one Dell RecoverPoint for VMs licence was implemented, enabling continuous replication between sites.
Networking.
High-performance connectivity to support the new hyperconverged environment and critical traffic, consisting of two Dell EMC S5224F-ON switches.
Physical infrastructure.
Data centre reinforcement to accommodate and protect the entire new technical environment:
- 1 Dell PowerEdge R660xs server.
- 2 APC NetShelter SX 42U racks.
- 4 APC PDUs for power distribution in the racks.
Physical infrastructure.
Data centre reinforcement to accommodate and protect the entire new technical environment:
- 1 Dell PowerEdge R660xs server.
- 2 APC NetShelter SX 42U racks.
- 4 APC PDUs for power distribution in the racks.
Networking.
High-performance connectivity to support the new hyperconverged environment and critical traffic, consisting of two Dell EMC S5224F-ON switches.
The results.
Bechtle played a central role from the very outset of the project, carrying out a detailed assessment of the organisation’s requirements and defining the ideal architecture to ensure performance, security and future growth.
Based on this analysis, and in close partnership with Dell Technologies, we designed a comprehensive solution that brings together hyperconverged infrastructure, backup and disaster recovery within a modern, resilient platform.
We supported the customer throughout every stage of the implementation. Technical delivery—including installation, configuration, project management and post‑implementation support—was carried out by Dell Technologies‑certified specialists, ensuring full compliance and a high‑quality outcome.
This close collaboration resulted in a robust, scalable solution, fully prepared to support the organisation’s business‑critical applications for years to come.
Benefits of the Dell VxRail hyperconverged solution.
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Operational simplicity.
Dell VxRail integrates natively with VMware, enabling compute, storage and virtualisation to be managed from a single console. This close integration significantly reduces day‑to‑day complexity and delivers a smoother, more efficient management experience.
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Performance and efficiency.
With vSAN embedded directly in the ESXi kernel, VxRail provides faster access to storage and optimised resource utilisation. The result is consistent performance, well suited to critical workloads and demanding environments.
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Seamless scalability.
The infrastructure can scale easily through the addition of new nodes to the cluster, without service disruption. Automated, Dell Technologies‑validated updates ensure the environment remains optimised and fully supported at all times.
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Enhanced security.
Security is built into every layer of the solution, from firmware through to the hypervisor. Technologies such as TPM, Intel TXT and digital signatures help protect the platform and safeguard the integrity of both firmware and software.
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Artificial intelligence and automation.
By leveraging AI and machine learning capabilities, VxRail delivers intelligent monitoring, anomaly detection and automated recommendations, enabling a more stable, predictable and resilient operation.
Benefits of the Dell PowerProtect and Data Domain backup solution.
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Fast backups and instant recovery.
The combination of Dell PowerProtect and Data Domain delivers high‑performance backups and enables multiple virtual machines to be recovered instantly, directly from the appliance. This ensures business continuity even in critical or high‑pressure scenarios.
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Efficiency and resource optimisation.
Advanced deduplication significantly reduces storage requirements, lowering space, power and maintenance costs. At the same time, it allows large volumes of data to be retained efficiently and sustainably.
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Data protection and integrity.
With Data Invulnerability Architecture (DIA), continuous verification and native encryption, the solution ensures data remains consistent, intact and protected against corruption, system failures and cyberthreats.
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Multicloud integration.
The solution integrates natively with AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, supporting long‑term retention, cloud backups and hybrid scenarios without the need for additional hardware.
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Centralised management.
Automated protection policies can be applied, workloads monitored and the entire backup environment managed from a modern, SaaS‑based interface, simplifying operations and improving visibility.
Benefits of the Disaster Recovery (DR) solution.
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Guaranteed resilience and business continuity.
Deduplicated replication between the primary data centre and the disaster recovery site enables rapid recovery in the event of a failure. The DR infrastructure was designed to mirror the production environment, ensuring predictability, consistency and operational efficiency.
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Integrated operations.
With PowerProtect Data Manager deployed at the DR site as well, management remains consistent across environments. This simplifies day‑to‑day operations and ensures uniform data protection policies throughout the infrastructure.
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Unified visibility.
CloudIQ provides a single, centralised view of all Dell systems, accessible via a web browser or mobile app. With no local installation required, it enables continuous, proactive monitoring of the entire infrastructure.
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Predictive analytics and planning.
Powered by AI and machine learning, CloudIQ anticipates capacity requirements, detects anomalous behaviour and identifies workloads competing for resources. This insight supports more effective planning and ongoing optimisation.
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Operational efficiency.
Through automated notifications, centralised updates and integration with tools such as ServiceNow, Slack and Microsoft Teams, CloudIQ reduces incident resolution times and boosts overall IT team productivity.
Looking ahead.
This project highlights the importance of a modern, well‑designed infrastructure. By combining Dell Technologies’ solutions with Bechtle’s specialist consultancy, the organisation has gained a solid foundation for growth and innovation. We are ready to support the next steps in its transformation journey.