Migration to VMC on AWS
Clear Channel Outdoor, a global advertising giant, operates in 31 countries with more than 450,000 displays. They facilitate brand engagement through traditional and digital formats in various environments.
Overview
THE CHALLENGE
Clear Channel Outdoor needed a strategy for getting out of VMC, modernizing applications, and implementing DevOps for a modern, efficient, effective and optimized database in AWS.
THE SOLUTION
Ollion created a new production environment for Clear Channel Outdoor, migrating their top applications and setting up AWS services. This hybrid environment on AWS and VMware ensures efficient utilization of resources and prevents penalties from iHeartMedia. Beyond the initial project, Clear Channel Outdoor has extended their collaboration with Ollion for ongoing services and guidance.
THE OUTCOME
Clear Channel Outdoor can focus on business growth and profitability, while Ollion handles monitoring, operating, tools and security in the cloud.
The challenge
Before anything else, Clear Channel Outdoor needed to find the right partner to guide their migration from iHeartMedia data centers into VMC on AWS. As one of the only cloud advisors with both an AWS Competency designation and VMware Master Services Competency in VMC on AWS, Ollion was a perfect fit.
We gave them three partner references to consult with, and after speaking with the first two, Clear Channel Outdoor decided to move forward with Ollion. Tackling the complicated migration to VMC on AWS in the time allotted required a level of cloud expertise that Clear Channel Outdoor did not have internally. Their team was mostly familiar with on-prem environments, so Clear Channel Outdoor needed to understand the complexities of migration and security in VMC on AWS. What they believed was a simple lift and shift required a new production environment to meet best practices and security standards.
Even though Clear Channel Outdoor wanted to go straight into AWS, which would have been easier and less expensive, they had to use VMC on AWS because of the pre-purchased spend by iHeartMedia. Following migration, Clear Channel Outdoor needed managed services to maintain stable operability and security. Long-term, Clear Channel Outdoor needed a strategy for getting out of VMC, modernizing applications and implementing DevOps for a modern, efficient, effective and optimized database in AWS.
The solution
First, Ollion built a production environment according to best practices and migrated Clear Channel Outdoor's two most lucrative applications into that environment.
We also set up their AWS platform so Clear Channel Outdoor could take advantage of AWS services in the new ecosystem. It was a true hybrid AWS and VMware on AWS environment, as opposed to their previous VMware-only infrastructure.
A unique partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor
The Clear Channel Outdoor team worked alongside Ollion so we could increase their knowledge and skills running in VMC on AWS. Based on our success and their level of satisfaction, Clear Channel Outdoor extended their Ollion engagement to include managed cloud services (MCS). This wasn't a standard MCS foundation, but rather MCS for the VMC environment on AWS, as well as native AWS – something very few to no other companies provide.
Today, Ollion continues to work with Clear Channel Outdoor on DevOps, application modernization, migration of the production environment to native AWS and out of VMC, optimization, billing, application management, and DBA support.
The outcome
In the iHeartMedia data centers, Clear Channel Outdoor was paying high fees to iHeartMedia for managed services.
With Ollion, Clear Channel Outdoor was able to swiftly exit the data centers, eliminating exorbitant fees and avoiding financial penalties for not meeting the exit timeline. Ollion completed the migration ahead of schedule, easing Clear Channel Outdoor during the tricky transition and contributing to profitability.
Unlike many cloud partners, Ollion continued the partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor, focusing on their comfort, security and capabilities within the challenging AWS on VMC environment. Barely a year into the partnership, Ollion transformed Clear Channel Outdoor's culture through DevOps, aided in application modernization, migrated applications into AWS native, de-risked operations and security with MCS, and continually modernized and optimized databases for increased business value and profitability.
AWS transition for enhanced business growth and profitability
The Clear Channel Outdoor internal team enhanced their AWS knowledge through collaboration with Ollion experts, allowing them to focus on business growth and profitability while Ollion manages monitoring, operations, tools and security in the cloud. Ollion is currently assisting Clear Channel Outdoor in moving entirely out of VMC and into native AWS to reduce costs. The aim is to strengthen the relationship with Clear Channel Outdoor for maximum profitability within the cloud.
