This New York-based payroll and human resources management company serves businesses across the U.S. and in Northern Europe. With more than 50 years of experience, the company is now the leading provider of integrated human capital management solutions.

THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE

This provider of human capital management solutions had matured in automation and configuration management to the point where it didn’t need the functionality of its current Cisco UCS solution. The company wanted to reach a higher level of DevOps CI/CD pipeline maturity, and its engineers wanted deeper integration with their infrastructure-as-code journey. The company required a new server platform that seamlessly aligns with its operational framework while offering robust API development and integration functionalities.

THE SOLUTION

HPE Synergy
HPE Synergy is a software-defined infrastructure for hybrid cloud environments. With HPE Synergy, companies can deploy an efficient and agile infrastructure for managing compute, storage, and networking. Synergy enables companies to accelerate their automation and development processes.

Mainline Professional IT Services
Mainline provided the HPE Synergy expertise needed to mediate between the company and HPE. Mainline facilitated solution deployment testing in a laboratory environment, allowing staff to experience its rapid online setup while engineers could assess its functionality.

THE RESULTS

HPE Synergy appealed to the Payroll Management Company because it gained API-development and integration capabilities with the solution. Using Synergy Blades as infrastructure for its multiple data centers, the company was able to simplify deployment and realize versatility across server platforms. The company trusted the Synergy server platform because it had previous experience with HPE.

The Senior Manager of Platform Engineering at the Payroll Management Company stated, “When we moved to HPE, there was nothing in the way. We moved past the capabilities in the Cisco platform. By moving to the HPE platform, we could take full advantage of our capabilities to engineer.”

With the HPE platform, the Payroll Management Company was reducing its CapEx and OpEx because it no longer paid port fees. Annual cost savings meant the company could move into alignment with its standard 5-year depreciation schedule.

Deploying HPE Synergy is a streamlined and straightforward process, yet the true magic lies in the innovative capabilities the Payroll Management Company has unlocked with the platform. The HPE Synergy Platform operates entirely on APIs, devoid of proprietary elements in the stack. This empowers engineers within the company to access the stack via APIs and customize its functionality to suit their needs.​

After implementing the Synergy platform, it seamlessly supported the company’s operations, management, and engineering functions. This enabled the company to efficiently conduct firmware and software updates while focusing on operational tasks through streamlined coding processes. 

The company runs Windows and Linux on VMware ESX, including for its Oracle database, and they maintain a large RedHat OpenShift containerized solution. About the solution, the Payroll Management Company said, “We feel good being with HPE as a choice not only because of what they’ve done with the Synergy platform — going in the direction we are going in with open API – but HPE has evolved further than our previous vendor.” 

During the engagement, the company benefited from Mainline’s expertise as an HPE Platinum Partner. “Another part of the experience with the transition to HPE was leaning on the expertise of Mainline to give us a view into the technology. Being able to lean on that expertise makes us feel confident that we are making the right decisions.” Mainline could fill any resource and skills gaps between the company and HPE.  

The Senior Manager of Platform Engineering went on to say, “Once we started looking for alternatives, Mainline was willing to look at anything that would add business value. We were able to get loaner gear for the lab to see how to get it online. It was unbelievably quick to get it online. The engineers were in there kicking the tires. Mainline made it a really great experience for us.” 

In the future, the company may adopt additional technologies from HPE, such as GreenLake as-a-Service solutions, as HPE consistently demonstrates expertise and innovation in its evolution as a leading vendor. The company has shifted a substantial portion of its IT budget to Mainline due to the established trust between them. Mainline consistently delivers proposals that align closely with the company’s needs, offering accuracy, thoroughness, and prompt resolution of any issues that arise. Dave Flanagan, the Mainline Account Executive, is regarded as an invaluable member of the client’s team, further solidifying the partnership.