Global Travel Company Modernizes Legacy Infrastructure with Red Hat OpenStack, Migrating 800+ VMs
Client Overview
A global travel company manages technology operations for high-end resorts across multiple destinations. As a prominent player in the luxury hospitality industry, their infrastructure supports critical operations that deliver exceptional guest experiences across their international locations.
The Challenge
The company faced mounting pressure to modernize their aging infrastructure while maintaining the high-performance requirements of their luxury hospitality operations. With over 800 virtual machines running on CentOS 6 spread across two Canadian data centers, they needed a solution that would:
- Modernize their legacy infrastructure without disrupting operations
- Consolidate and streamline their VM management
- Provide a foundation for future scalability
- Enable more efficient resource utilization
The 11-month project timeline faced additional complexity when the CIO changed mid-project, requiring careful change management and stakeholder alignment.
The Solution
After careful evaluation, the client chose to implement Red Hat OpenStack as their platform solution. Shadow-Soft was selected as the implementation partner to guide the transformation, bringing our deep expertise in Red Hat technologies and complex infrastructure modernization.
Our comprehensive approach included:
- Full infrastructure assessment and design
- Implementation of Red Hat OpenStack
- Migration of 800+ VMs from CentOS to Red Hat
- Team upskilling through Red Hat Training
- Development of Day 2 operations processes
- Establishment of long-term operational support
Implementation Process
Architecture Design Phase
- Conducted a thorough review of existing hardware and software requirements
- Developed initial deployment plan aligned with business objectives
- Validated all requirements for successful deployment
- Created detailed architecture documentation
OpenStack Deployment
- Executed initial deployment with comprehensive testing
- Developed automation code using Terraform and Ansible
- Created detailed deployment and configuration documentation
- Implemented best practices for hybrid cloud operations
Application Migration
- Pilot Phase
- Collaborated on application prototype migrations
- Tested and refined migration processes
- Developed automated migration workflows
- Documented successful migration patterns
- Full Migration Phase
- Worked alongside the client team for systematic migrations
- Provided real-time troubleshooting support
- Created documentation for common migration scenarios
- Ensured minimal disruption to business operations
Day 2 Operations Development
- Established ITSM request to VM provisioning workflows
- Implemented comprehensive monitoring for OpenStack resources
- Created platform upgrade planning procedures
- Developed operational runbooks and documentation
Key Features
- Modernized infrastructure platform based on Red Hat OpenStack
- Automated deployment and management capabilities
- Streamlined VM provisioning and management
- Enhanced monitoring and observability
- Improved resource utilization across data centers
- Standardized operational procedures
Implementation Challenges
The project faced several significant challenges:
- Large-scale migration of 800+ VMs running critical operations
- Geographic complexity with two Canadian data centers
- Leadership change mid-project requiring additional stakeholder management
- Need for extensive team training and knowledge transfer
We addressed these challenges through:
- Careful planning and phased implementation approach
- Comprehensive training and documentation
- Regular stakeholder communication and alignment
- Flexible project management methodology
Tools Used
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- HashiCorp Terraform
- Red Hat Ansible
- Red Hat Training and Certification Programs
Results
The implementation delivered significant improvements to the client's infrastructure:
Technical Achievements
- Successfully consolidated entire CentOS deployment into Red Hat OpenStack
- Modernized two Canadian data centers
- Established automated deployment and management capabilities
- Created standardized operational procedures
Business Impact
- Improved infrastructure reliability and performance
- Enhanced operational efficiency through automation
- Reduced management complexity
- Strengthened security posture
- Established a foundation for future growth
Future Roadmap
The success of this implementation has opened new opportunities for continued modernization:
- Exploration of Red Hat OpenShift for container orchestration
- Ongoing Day 2 operations support through Shadow-Soft
- Continued team upskilling and certification
- Further automation and optimization initiatives
The engagement demonstrates how effective partnership between Shadow-Soft and the client delivered not just a technical transformation, but a foundation for continued innovation in luxury hospitality operations.