Purchasing Power Reduces Application and Reporting Run Times by Over 85 Percent Using AutoCache

AutoCache fast virtual cache software triples Purchasing Power’s virtual machine density and improves application performance

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Proximal Data, the leading provider of server-side caching solutions specifically designed for virtualized environments, today announced that Purchasing Power, the premier provider of purchase programs for employees, has selected Proximal Data’s AutoCache® software to improve application performance and report processing in virtualized environments. Purchasing Power was able to triple the virtual machine (VM) density on its databases and reduce run times for its SAS data analytics program and its monthly financial reporting by 85 percent.

“AutoCache was the only product we found with the features we needed and was the only solution that was both cost-effective and transparent to our existing systems and application environments.”

Purchasing Power had been experiencing issues with the processing time for its monthly reports, particularly a financial report that took 36.5 hours to run. The report also required keeping other virtual machines out of the system while it ran, since it consumed all the host resources. The company needed a solution that would support its Linux® operating system without having to use agents, improve its application performance and availability, and reduce latency, all without having to upgrade its back-end NetApp® SAN hardware.

“The need to improve the report processing performance, as well as other issues, led us to discussions about caching at the server level,” said Brian DaPrano, manager of systems and security at Purchasing Power. “AutoCache was the only product we found with the features we needed and was the only solution that was both cost-effective and transparent to our existing systems and application environments.”

Purchasing Power chose AutoCache not only for its compatibility with existing hardware and software but also for its ability to be flash device-agnostic, working with PCIe cards and SSDs, including Intel’s 910 400GB PCIe card in its existing test configuration. AutoCache proved to be easy to implement and use while delivering significant results almost immediately after Purchasing Power’s AutoCache evaluation began.

Utilizing AutoCache, Purchasing Power tripled the virtual machine density on its databases and reduced the original run time by 85 percent for its SAS data analytics program. Furthermore, the monthly financial report that took 36.5 hours to run now takes only 6.5 hours, even while running concurrent operations, including backup, with multiple VMs on the same host. AutoCache eliminated the need to move VMs when running the monthly financial report and improved the performance of each VM in the process, all without any change to Purchasing Power’s internal processes or procedures.

“AutoCache performs with an amazing cache hit rate,” said DaPrano. “Everything we tested with AutoCache has benefited. We had a major software upgrade and, thanks to AutoCache, the time to perform that upgrade was cut by eight hours. Without question, we would recommend AutoCache to everyone. This product just works.”

Implementing AutoCache took Purchasing Power only a matter of hours, so in no time the company had fully deployed the software in its environment and on a test server used for trying different software.

Proximal Data’s channel partner, Condre Storage, provided the transactional logistics support and services necessary to efficiently deliver the AutoCache software to Purchasing Power.

“By partnering with Proximal Data to supply AutoCache to customers and resellers, we are offering a complete solution that uniquely improves the efficiency of our customers’ data centers,” said Dennis Maetzold, president at Condre Storage. “Customers get an enormous return on their investment as a result of AutoCache’s ability to deliver greater VM performance with higher throughput and lower latency.”

Purchasing Power’s future plans for AutoCache include deploying it to most of their virtual hosts in the next year and deploying it in their test environment to resolve any issues there as well.

To view the Purchasing Power case study, go to http://www.proximaldata.com/product/resources/Proximal_Data_Purchasing_Power_Case_Study.php.

Additional Resources

Proximal Data AutoCache Data Sheet

Proximal Data AutoCache White Paper

Proximal Data AutoCache Tutorial

About Purchasing Power LLC

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Purchasing Power LLC was founded in 2001 and offers customers an alternative to purchase a variety of name-brand products and services and pay for them over 12 months through payroll deduction. Purchasing Power differentiates itself from traditional e-commerce retailers through its unique payment plan value proposition, strategic benefit broker partnerships, internal marketing expertise and superior customer service. Purchasing Power is a Rockbridge Growth Equity LLC company. The company has serviced more than 800,000 orders for employees of companies and organizations, including Fortune 500 and government agencies. For more information, visit www.PurchasingPower.com.

About Proximal Data

Proximal Data is the leading provider of server-side caching solutions specifically designed for virtualized environments. Proximal Data’s AutoCache software can dramatically increase virtual machine density by eliminating I/O bottlenecks with adaptive I/O caching. When coupled with PCIe flash cards or SSDs from our partners, Proximal Data’s fast virtual cache significantly improves the efficiency and performance of virtualized servers without disrupting IT operations or processes. www.proximaldata.com.