Over the past 6 months, we've been heavily focused internally on migrating all our software and data to new hardware. This process was successfully completed last month. vPlan is now running on new 'hardware'.

We won't delve into too much technical detail, but because it's one of our top priorities, we'll give you a brief insight into our infrastructure. To begin with, let's briefly explain the difference between hardware and software.

Hardware vs. Software Hardware refers to physical devices and is tangible—you can hold it in your hand. Software, on the other hand, is virtual and intangible. For example, a monitor and a mouse are examples of hardware, while your Word application and vPlan are examples of software. However, hardware and software are inseparable. Hardware requires software to perform tasks, and software cannot execute anything without hardware.

What do we mean by 'iron'? When we refer to hardware within vPlan, we're not talking about a monitor or a keyboard. We're talking about the material housed in a data center. We call this 'iron'. Iron includes:

• Servers
• Storage
• Switches

The lifespan of a server

At vPlan, an efficient and solid infrastructure is vital. The application must be available as much as possible and perform well. Therefore, it is one of our highest priorities.

Just like a car, hardware also has a certain lifespan. The average technical lifespan of a server is typically considered to be around 5 years, but they can often still perform well for 7 to 10 years. From a fiscal point of view, the lifespan is shorter. Maintenance costs often rise significantly after 3 years, as continuously moving parts wear out, such as hard drives or fans. Also, warranties typically last for 3 years.

At vPlan, we adhere to a lifespan of 3 years for several reasons, but the main one is technology. Over the course of 3 years, various technologies are developed or newly introduced, allowing us to easily improve the performance of the hardware without incurring significant additional costs.

Our project

This year, it was time for replacement. Preparations began over a year in advance. In mid-2019, we made carefully considered choices for the new material to be purchased. In January 2020, our hardware arrived. The servers were first pre-installed at our office.

After the pre-installation, all hardware was safely transported to our data center in Hengelo in mid-March. In the data center, all hardware was placed and connected in our racks (cabinets). The data center meets the highest standards and quality requirements.

Ultimately, the migration took place. Servers were installed step by step, and all data was transferred. Of course, the most important aspect was all customer data from vPlan. This crucial migration was carried out within a pre-announced service window (over a weekend) of 6 hours. Ultimately, customers were without vPlan for only 6 hours.

Future-proof

With our new hardware, we can ensure our growth and implement performance improvements. The 'engine' is just as important as the front end of vPlan.

We monitor everything in various dashboards and receive automatic notifications for any anomalies. This allows us to quickly respond to any issues or take preventive measures.

And for now? We will continue to innovate, but as far as the hardware is concerned, we're good for another 3 years!