Interactive partners with Hollard Insurance to deliver a complex data centre migration
Interactive, one of Australia’s leading IT service providers, has partnered with Hollard Insurance, one of the country’s largest general insurers, to migrate hundreds of virtual machines to a new data centre, over a single weekend.
Hollard Insurance underwrites a broad range of insurance products including motor, home, contents, business and pet insurance, through partnerships with some of Australia’s biggest consumer brands and broker businesses.
When the incumbent managed services provider (MSP) decided to close its private cloud, Hollard faced executing a large-scale data migration under a strict timeline. However, the initial engagement quickly expanded in complexity. The migration involved moving hundreds of virtual servers to a new data centre in one weekend, with a mix of generations of IT systems and platforms.
Larry Neimann, Head of Technology Operations at Hollard, said Interactive’s cloud team initially partnered with Hollard to identify opportunities for consolidation, migration and remediation across its platforms.
Interactive performed some IT discovery work for us which provided clarity around the challenges and requirements of our environment. Once our MSP announced it was discontinuing its cloud services, it was clear we needed the support of experienced engineers, architects and technicians. Interactive worked diligently alongside us at every turn, offering support throughout the project. - Larry Neimann, Head of Technology Operations at Hollard
Together, Interactive and Hollard applied a framework of rigorous testing and scenario planning to help expedite the migration with minimal business disruption. In addition, Interactive’s specialised experts in Microsoft Azure VMware Services (AVS), working together with Hollard’s Technology team, resolved technical challenges and guided Hollard through the framework, with Hollard remaining responsible for decisions around timing. All core operations were functioning on the Monday following the weekend migration.
“Up until Friday morning, there was still a fair amount of anxiety on both sides, however, given the preparation and testing already completed, we made the call to go ahead. By Saturday afternoon, we knew it was going well,” said Neimann. “Ultimately, Interactive didn’t just deliver a technical solution; it provided the strategic partnership and expertise to navigate a complex migration under tight deadlines. When no one notices that anything has changed, we know it means the migration was a success.”
Brad Wells, Director of Enterprise Sales at Interactive, said the planning and open communication between Hollard and Interactive was key to success.
“In today’s digital environment, strong partnerships and resilient networks are critical to success. With Hollard Insurance, we shifted from a staggered pace to a fast-moving approach, thanks to Hollard’s decisiveness to move forward. The successful data centre migration speaks volumes to the collaborative relationship between Hollard and Interactive.”
