ZIIC keeps it simple with HP

Saudi conglomerate Zamil Industrial Investment Company (ZIIC) has selected technology from HP to consolidate its IT infrastructure with a custom-built storage system.

In a multi-million dollar deal, HP will consolidate ZIIC’s data centre environment, using its HP Enterprise and Management solution, which includes servers, software, StorageWorks systems and related services.

ZIIC said it was looking to simplify its operations and also to reduce its operating costs. The firm said it short-listed a number of undisclosed suppliers for the contract, but opted for HP because of its long-standing relationship with the firm and because of HP’s solid reputation.

“We looked for the vendor that can support us and give us the best technology and HP is one of the best,” Zaki Sabbagh, ZIIC’s chief information officer, told IT Weekly.

“Our objective is to standardise,” Sabbagh said. “We want to reduce the complexity; we don’t want to get into multiple platforms and multiple technologies and dealing with more than one vendor. Everything is now integrated together. We were looking to work with an international provider on data technology. HP could match the issues and provides very good support,” he claimed.

The fact that ZIIC was “able to reach an acceptable cost” for the multi-million dollar deal with HP also influenced its decision, Sabbagh acknowledged.

The two companies worked together to devise the HP StorageWorks solution to specifically suit ZIIC’s multiple requirements, HP said in the statement announcing the deal.

“Global market dynamics are reaching Saudi Arabia and futuristic companies like ZIIC realise that business success depends on deploying the latest technologies and aligning them with business strategies to derive maximum value. This has been the IT vision at ZIIC, and the HP solution has been designed and implemented with this in mind,” said Samer Karawi, marketing manager, Enterprise and Corporate Communication, HP Middle East.

Previously, ZIIC’s operating environment was dependent on hardware, and it had to buy separate servers but it will now be able to run all its operations on one system.

ZIIC has also been able to incorporate the latest technologies into its data centre including virtualisation offerings, which allow different IT resources across storage systems, servers, networks, and entire data centres to be pooled together.

At a press conference to dicsuss the deal, Karawi acknolwedged that it was “a multi-million dollar investment” for ZIIC, although he did not disclose the exact amount.

HP and ZIIC, an international manufacturing and fabrication group, have been working together for more than 15 years.

The IT service organisation of the Dammam-based conglomerate is responsible for all IT requirements of ZIIC, including those of Zamil Air Conditioners, Zamil Steel and Zamil Glass Industries, some of the main sector businesses of the group.

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