Having virtualised its infrastructure back in 2007, Cairn Housing is now extending its IT services by generating income from hosting other housing providers’ data on its VMware servers. In conjunction with Castle Computer Services, Cairn is already hosting data for Abbeyfield Housing Association and expects to add several more housing providers during 2011.
Rory Gaffney, head of IT, Cairn Housing Association, said, “We have worked closely with Castle to achieve significant efficiencies since introducing VMware virtual servers in 2007. We have moved from thirteen servers to three, running over twenty virtual machines. As a result, power costs have also been dramatically reduced because there are fewer servers to power and cool.
“The flexibility and robustness of the virtual environment means that we can offer secure hosting services to other housing providers at competitive rates. It’s a win/win situation because the income is offset against our own IT costs and the other associations benefit from high-quality, secure hosting at an affordable price.”
