As a prestigious private university in Nairobi, Kenya, the institution has earned a reputation for excellence in business, IT, law, hospitality, and accounting programmes. With a growing student population and expanding academic offerings, the university faced significant ICT challenges. Application performance was slow, infrastructure capacity was limited, and disaster recovery measures were insufficient. Recognising the need for a modern, resilient IT backbone, the university partnered with Black Box to undertake a comprehensive infrastructure transformation.
The ICT team was struggling with sluggish application response, particularly during enrolment and examination periods, causing delays and affecting productivity. The existing server and storage infrastructure could not keep pace with growing demands, restricting deployment of new applications and scaling of existing ones. Disaster recovery was limited, exposing critical data and applications to potential loss. Multiple vendors and fragmented systems made integration difficult, and budget constraints demanded a solution that was both effective and cost-efficient. Managing the ageing infrastructure consumed significant resources, leaving little room for strategic IT initiatives.
Black Box implemented a full-scale infrastructure modernisation, including installation and configuration of servers, storage systems, and network switches. VMware was upgraded from version 6.5 to 8.0, providing improved performance, enhanced security, and new features. Storage connectivity was upgraded to 16G Fibre Channel and server connectivity to 10G Ethernet, boosting data transfer speeds and reducing latency. Firmware upgrades ensured optimal equipment performance, while remote access capabilities enabled the ICT team to monitor and manage systems from anywhere. Data replication to a remote site established a robust disaster recovery strategy, ensuring critical applications and data remained protected.
Following the upgrade, application response times improved significantly, enabling smoother operations across all departments. Expanded storage capacity supported the deployment of new academic applications and services. Disaster recovery measures were strengthened, reducing the risk of downtime and data loss. The ICT team benefited from remote management capabilities, streamlining operations and allowing focus on strategic initiatives.
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The university chose Black Box for its expertise in delivering comprehensive, tailored IT solutions. By combining deep technical knowledge with strategic insight, Black Box provided a modern, high-performance infrastructure that enhanced operational efficiency and resilience. This partnership ensured the university could maintain its leadership in education while confidently scaling its digital and academic offerings.
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Industry: Education
Solution: Data Center
