Virtualisation hems in costs

Asos plans to offer a virtual catwalk to its site

Online fashion business Asos has opted for server virtualisation to keep down the cost of a major IT upgrade to improve site functionality and availability.

Asos has purchased 10 HP blade servers and VMware software, but said that without virtualisation the total bill would have been “substantially more”. The hardware spend on standalone servers alone would have been an estimated £600,000, according to Asos enterprise architect Simon Hamblin.

Other drivers for the decision included the company’s plans to introduce new features to its web site ­ which will include a catwalk for men’s clothes and 360-degree viewing of shoes and bags ­ and the need for a highly scalable and flexible infrastructure.

“Scalability is absolutely crucial for us,” said Hamblin. “If we double or treble our development team, we need a suitable solution, and the virtualised servers are easier to manage, upgrade and support when compared with standalone machines,” he said.

The company uses the Scrum project management development methodology for many of its projects, including regular upgrades to its electronic point-of-sale systems.

Asos said it faced difficulties related to completing projects on time under the previous setup. But the company hopes that the new virtualised structure will help ensure efficiency and eliminate risks.

“With the servers, the development team can get on with delivering new features to the web without risking any interruption to the live e-commerce site,” said Hamblin.

Service levels and cost-per-unit performance were boosted through the rollout of a new warehouse management system, which contributed to a “substantial” reduction in average costs, said Asos.

The clothes retailer also stuck with HP for storage, buying an HP EVA 6100 storage array and storage area network fabric.

On its most recent financial results, it emerged that Asos decided not to pay a dividend to its shareholders but chose to invest in improving warehouse and back-office systems.