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Server Migration
Russell Investment Group is a global leader in multi-manager investing, offering goal-oriented investors a full range of tailored solutions. Faced with an aging infrastructure, Russell needed to migrate to newer technology for its server operating system and messaging. It decided to upgrade to Windows 2003 and turned to CGI to use its Global Delivery Model in order to handle the migration remotely.
The Challenge
Russell’s complex infrastructure consisted of half of the organization running on two different Microsoft servers, which supported more than 2,000 desktops across the globe. Russell was seeking to standardize server configurations to reduce the total cost of ownership and the number of servers in its environment.
CGI was charged with leading all of the project stages. Given the number of servers slotted for migration, Russell needed to automate the process without having to send technicians on site.
As a financial services company, Russell must adhere to strict regulations governing document control, versioning, audit trail and archiving. CGI had to ensure that all of these functions were operating flawlessly in the migrated system. User acceptance testing would be crucial for system applications, but coordination of an extensive training initiative can be daunting when the project is being managed off site.
How CGI Helped
CGI took steps to ensure that project team members in Quebec City, Regina and Tacoma (Washington) worked closely together. CGI sustained the project’s momentum and handled project aspects that were better resolved through face-to-face communication. The CGI team then set about automating the entire installation process. In all, more than 400 applications were migrated by the CGI project team.
Finally, user acceptance testing was approached in a highly structured and rigorous fashion. Coordinators ensured that users tested the applications and that their acceptance was secured before the project proceeded into the production environment.
The Results
Within an eight-month period, the CGI team migrated 200 servers across 14 sites in nine different time zones. Russell’s upgrade to Windows 2003 technology assured the client of the following:
- A 20% reduction in the number of servers
- An efficient, automated, cost-saving next-generation platform
The bottom line: CGI’s dedication and attention to detail prove that remote server migration is not only cost-effective and efficient, but can be achieved without disruption.
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