Fleet Management Firm Gains Cost-Effective DR for Apache Kafka

A leading vehicle fleet management service provider faced challenges with its existing data management infrastructure. The company employed Apache Kafka for data ingest and Hadoop for back-end data management.  However, the lack of disaster recovery capabilities within the Hadoop framework prompted the organization to seek a more robust solution for their growing needs.

Storage challenges

1. Limited Disaster Recovery Capability: The existing Hadoop-based data management system lacked the essential disaster recovery capabilities, exposing the company to potential data loss and operational disruptions.
2. Future-Proofing with S3 API: Recognizing the S3 API as the future standard for data management, the firm sought a solution built on this protocol to ensure compatibility with emerging technologies and seamless integration with other applications.
3. Budget Constraints: While considering a transition to the public cloud, the company faced budget constraints that ruled out traditional cloud solutions. IBM’s Cloud Object Storage, another option explored, was deemed overly complex and challenging to manage.

Cloudian solution

After thorough evaluation, the fleet management firm chose Cloudian HyperStore to address their data management challenges. The decision was based on several key factors:

1. Ease of Implementation: Cloudian HyperStore worked seamlessly from the start, meeting the immediate needs of the firm. An IT manager at the company expressed satisfaction, stating, “We chose Cloudian because it worked first time. Cloudian is a specialist in private cloud, and HyperStore is easy to use.”
2. Specialization in Private Cloud: Cloudian’s expertise in private cloud solutions aligned with the firm’s requirements, ensuring a tailored and efficient data management system.
3. Proven Interoperability with Apache Kafka: A significant advantage of Cloudian HyperStore was its proven interoperability with Apache Kafka, an open-source distributed event streaming platform widely used in the industry. This capability provided a seamless integration for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, and data integration.

Implementation

The Cloudian deployment spanned two locations, with six Cloudian HyperStore Model 1614 appliances in each data center, for a total capacity of 2PB raw. With this configuration, the firm could continuously replicate data across sites using Cloudian’s integrated data management features. This setup ensured robust disaster recovery capabilities, mitigating the risk of data loss and system downtime.

Results

1. Reliable and Scalable Storage for Kafka Workload: Cloudian HyperStore delivered reliable and scalable storage for the firm’s Apache Kafka workload, supporting high-performance data pipelines and analytics.
2. Ongoing Expansion: With the initial success of the Cloudian deployment, the firm is now in the process of expanding its use cases and capacity deployed. Cloudian’s flexibility allows the organization to adapt to evolving data management needs seamlessly.

Conclusion

By choosing Cloudian HyperStore, the vehicle fleet management service provider successfully addressed its data management challenges, ensuring data integrity, scalability, and disaster recovery capabilities. The firm now stands ready to embrace future technologies and expand its operational capabilities with confidence.

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