AngelTrack builds a resilient, scalable IT framework in the private cloud to enable faster response times for EMS and fire services
This EMS and fire services software provider reduced technical debt by half using SDCC Business and enhanced performance by 34% to support its growing customer base.
Industry
Technology, SaaS & ISV
Challenge
AngelTrack needed to modernize its IT infrastructure due to a growing customer base and its desire to phase out some technologies.
Outcome Rackspace transitioned AngelTrack from a managed Hyper-V environment to a modern SDDC platform, improving disaster recovery, enhancing security and optimizing cost efficiency. Solutions Rackspace SDDC Solutions, Rackspace Elastic Engineering, Managed Services for Private Cloud Platforms VMwareCustomer
AngelTrack is a cloud-based software suite designed to streamline EMS and Fire services operations, integrating dispatch, billing, and fleet management.
As the first pure-cloud vertical stack, AngelTrack demonstrated that operating every aspect of an EMS or fire operation within a web browser is not only possible but also effective. Built specifically for these critical services, the platform centralizes essential operational functions, providing real-time data flow and analytics to improve response times and operational efficiency.
“SDDC is the optimal choice because we can directly perform all necessary deployment, management and tweaking, plus any quick application-level interventions, sending all outlier issues to Rackspace.”
Situation
AngelTrack’s IT infrastructure initially relied on a robust Hyper-V cluster running Windows Server 2016, SQL Server 2017 and Cisco ASA firewalls. This configuration allowed AngelTrack to self-manage web servers while leveraging SQL Server expertise from Rackspace Technology. As the demands of AngelTrack’s growing customer base evolved, it became clear that an even more scalable, modern infrastructure was needed to support expanded disaster recovery capabilities and handle the increased load.
After a detailed assessment of AngelTrack’s infrastructure needs, the Rackspace team recommended Rackspace SDDC Business to provide a flexible, self-managed environment that aligned with AngelTrack’s requirements. The Rackspace SDDC Business platform was an ideal solution because it allowed AngelTrack to retain control over VM configurations and database management while benefiting from expert oversight for complex configurations and security.
“For a company our size, IT is a part-time job which we cover with dual-purpose employees. This works perfectly with SDDC because Rackspace gives us on-premises expertise for emergencies. Ultimately, it feels like SDDC was designed just for us.”
Solution
Rackspace Technology provisioned the Rackspace SDDC Business infrastructure, setting up VMware ESXi hypervisors, managing vSphere configurations and clustering SQL Server 2022 for optimal performance and failover capabilities.
“The new cluster is blazingly fast, especially SQL Server, which now has a comfortable excess of memory, reducing its CPU utilization 67% by eliminating the thrashing in the procedure cache,” explains Christopher Hanka, CEO, AngelTrack Software.
Once the infrastructure was configured, Rackspace transferred operational control to AngelTrack’s team, allowing it to implement application-specific configurations. This phased approach ensured that the established Hyper-V cluster continued serving customers seamlessly while enabling a gradual transition to the new SDDC environment.
“Out of a sense of responsibility, we refused to outsource that project,” recalls Hanka. “Rackspace set up a secure VPN for us to transfer customer data one database at a time, avoiding dependencies between clusters.”
Throughout the transition, the Rackspace Elastic Engineering team provided crucial support via weekly knowledge-transfer sessions. These in-depth sessions covered VMware vSphere configuration, Palo Alto Pan-OS firewall optimization and advanced configuration strategies.
The knowledge transfer sessions were highly beneficial, helping AngelTrack overcome the initial intimidation of navigating new systems, refine configuration decisions and alleviate any remaining concerns. Additionally, they provided AngelTrack with a deep understanding of the subtle capabilities of deployment, enabling them to leverage all the methods and abilities at their disposal.
The support enabled AngelTrack’s employees to fully leverage Rackspace SDDC Business’ high availability (HA), cost control and enhanced security features, equipping them with the expertise needed for independent management.
“SDDC superimposes a shared-responsibility framework on top of VMware, exposing a subset of change authority to the customer, and reserving the rest to Rackspace by means of support calls or tickets,” explains Hanka. “We still enjoy all of VMware’s capabilities. With SDDC we receive a carveout of VMware’s config, monitoring and reporting functions within a set of guardrails for in-house people to use without going through Rackspace.”
Outcome
Rackspace SDDC Business provided AngelTrack with a robust, self-managed IT framework that built upon the solid Hyper-V infrastructure with enhanced scalability, disaster recovery and data security capabilities.
Proactive support and technical expertise from Rackspace Technology enabled AngelTrack to successfully transition to a modern infrastructure, cutting its technical debt by half and improving overall performance. Following the migration, average roundtrip times for complex requests decreased from 251 milliseconds to 165 milliseconds — a 34% improvement — due to SQL Server’s optimized memory allocation and updated CPU resources.
AngelTrack’s updated infrastructure will include an even more resilient disaster recovery framework, made possible by SDDC Flex, that incorporates VMware’s replication and failover capabilities to support continuity as customer demand grows. The platform enables AngelTrack to control operational expenses through efficient VM utilization and precise resource allocation, effectively reducing overhead while increasing capacity. This transformation demonstrates AngelTrack’s commitment to operational excellence and resilience while providing a scalable foundation that supports its critical work in EMS and fire services.
About Rackspace Technology
Rackspace Technology is the multicloud solutions expert. We combine our expertise with the world’s leading technologies — across applications, data and security — to deliver end-to-end solutions. We have a proven record of advising customers based on their business challenges, designing solutions that scale, building and managing those solutions, and optimising returns into the future.
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