— CASE STUDY
Case Study: SignaTouch - Datacenter as a Service (DaaS)
AT A GLANCE
Client: SignaTouch
Industry: Datacenter-as-a-Service (DaaS)
Locations: Indianapolis, Coral Springs, and Mumbai (India)
Problem: continuous availability and bandwidth issues causing development delays; traditional hosting providers are out of reach due to associated costs of service
Solution Provider: Volico Hosting
Services: Colocation (Rack space, power, and bandwidth)
Benefits:
• The bandwidth and environment issues were completely eliminated
• The company performs without interruptions
• Reliable, expandable data center services at a reasonable price point and convenient location
• Maximum protection against hurricane damage
CLIENT PROFILE
SignaTouch is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider that assists healthcare and education organizations in improving the process workflow through mobile signature capture. The company has domestic and international offices and is headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida.
CHALLENGE
Prior to moving to Volico, SignaTouch experienced continuous availability and bandwidth issues, causing development delays. In the past, finding a DaaS hosting provider that met the company’s requirements was cost prohibitive, creating a ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ environment.
CEO Robert Masterson explains: “We faced development issues with the larger portion of the development staff in Mumbai, India, and other members based in the US. We needed a hosting provider that could provide rack expandability, high bandwidth, and a secure, convenient location with Tier 4 facilities in the southern half of Florida at a reasonable price point.”
The team at SignaTouch analyzed the issues that needed to be fixed and began their search for a potential hosting partner. Finding the best fit was a crucial decision, and was approached the same way Signatouch does everything – thoroughly and with strong attention to detail. The team did not stop with just an online search, they continued the process with face-to-face interviews and walking the premises at potential candidate sites.
They found Volico in the list of Florida hosting providers online, went onsite, and signed the contract. Commitment to data security evident from multiple certifications (SSAE 16, SAS 70, SOC2 Type II, PCI, and NIST) is what made Volico Data Center Hosting stand out to SignaTouch, as the company operates in both education and healthcare markets. Volico’s compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which helps ensure the privacy of individuals’ health information, contributed to cementing the choice. Mr. Masterson continues: “We considered a data center facility in Boca as well as data centers in Tampa and Orlando. We generally found the South Florida-based solutions to be high priced because of hurricane-related aspects. In addition, other locations (than Volico) did not provide the same level of convenience or have the same level of security that Volico offered. When we saw the facility in Deerfield, we stopped looking. Volico Deerfield facility is RIGHT on the fiber lines; it is a Tier 4 facility and has a great location for minimal hurricane and flood impacts.”
SOLUTION
The transition to Volico Data Center was extremely smooth and satisfying SignaTouch requirements. Volico’s professional engineers assisted when needed and monitored the process to ensure its optimal completion. Mr. Masterson adds: “Volico support is outstanding, and working with the Volico staff has been GREAT.
All of Volico’s staff have been extremely helpful and knowledgeable in Data Center operations, something that newbies to the Data Center world would find advantageous. They have a broad depth of working knowledge in Storage Solutions, VMware implementations, Zen, and we don’t have to look far when we need additional resource assistance. An added benefit of using Volico is that they are more than just a hosting facility and offer a large resource pool on an ‘as needed‘ basis. Now at SignaTouch, we can increase or decrease our bandwidth, purchase extra compute power, add storage services, and so forth at the drop of a hat.”
RESULTS
Volico’s Datacenter as a service (DaaS) solutions helped to eliminate the bandwidth and environment issues the development team at SignaTouch experienced on a regular basis. As a result, the company and its employees can function and perform as expected.
Mr. Masterson comments: “We would absolutely recommend Volico to anybody in a South Florida area who is looking to migrate from a premised based solution to a Data Center environment. We haven’t had a hiccup since we started working with Volico and are very thankful for that.”
With Volico’s uninterrupted service; comes peace of mind. As the CEO of SignaTouch points out, location does matter when your business is located in hurricane-prone South Florida. “High ground and secluded setting make Volico facility ideally positioned for maximum survivability in the hurricane-prone environment. I don’t have to worry about floods or any other damage.”
Its accessibility by transportation adds to the equation. “Most people don’t consider the location of a hosting provider to be a major factor. I think it’s a mistake. Things happen and on occasion, you have to go and physically visit a facility.
You can’t expect things to go smoothly all the time. This consideration made me choose Volico. They are close and very conveniently located near all major highway arteries for any business based in Broward County and Palm Beach counties of South Florida.”