VMware vSphere Infrastructure Upgrade & Data Center Modernization

vSphere 8.0 Deployment with New Compute, Storage, Networking, and Integrated Backup for Maryland Health Department

This Maryland-based county health department required a comprehensive modernization of its virtual infrastructure to improve the security, stability, and supportability of mission-critical applications. The existing VMware environment had fallen out of mainstream support, increasing operational risk and limiting access to critical updates and security patches. Additionally, aging hardware, fragmented storage, and legacy backup systems created inefficiencies and potential vulnerabilities. To address these challenges, the organization prioritized a full VMware vSphere upgrade to a modern, fully supported platform.

Data Networks delivered a complete vSphere 8.0 upgrade and infrastructure refresh, replacing legacy systems with a high-performance, scalable, and resilient architecture. The solution included new compute, storage, networking, and data protection components, all designed to work seamlessly together while minimizing disruption to daily operations.

The VMware vSphere upgrade began with the deployment of two new Dell PowerEdge R450 servers, configured as VMware vSphere 8.0 hosts and clustered for high availability. These systems were paired with a new Dell ME5012 iSCSI SAN, providing centralized shared storage for the cluster. To support both LAN and storage traffic, Data Networks installed two Juniper EX4100T switches in a redundant configuration, ensuring reliable connectivity and improved network performance across the environment.

In parallel, a new Dell PowerEdge R750 server was deployed at a secondary site to serve as a standalone “lifeboat” system. This server was configured with VMware vSphere 8.0 and designed to support backup, replication, and disaster recovery operations. A new instance of Veeam Backup and Replication version 12 was deployed as a virtual machine on this system, enabling modernized data protection and streamlined management.

As part of the VMware vSphere cluster deployment, Data Networks configured vCenter, integrated all hosts, and established shared storage connectivity with the ME5012 SAN. Advanced configuration tasks included network setup, storage presentation, and deployment of Dell OpenManage integration for enhanced monitoring and lifecycle management.

Once the new infrastructure was fully operational, Data Networks executed a carefully planned migration of all workloads. This included transitioning ten virtual machines from the legacy cluster to the new environment, as well as migrating workloads from the previous remote backup server to the new R750 lifeboat system. All migrations were performed with a focus on minimizing downtime and maintaining service continuity.

Following migration, the team conducted thorough validation to confirm system performance, workload availability, and backup functionality. Legacy systems and unsupported services were decommissioned to reduce risk and simplify the environment.

The project concluded with knowledge transfer sessions and delivery of detailed documentation, enabling the organization’s IT team to effectively manage the upgraded infrastructure. As a result, the health department now benefits from a secure, fully supported, and highly available VMware vSphere infrastructure, providing improved performance, enhanced data protection, and a scalable platform for future growth.

Tags: SLG, local, government, healthcare, data center, datacenter