SAS Eases Global Server Management with End-to-End Avocent Solution

DSView 3 software remotely handles 99 percent of server console management for 3,000 servers worldwide

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Feb. 27, 2008 – Avocent Corporation (Nasdaq: AVCT) today announced SAS, the leader in business intelligence software and solutions, has streamlined its global IT management by deploying Avocent data center solutions. Implementation of DSR® switches with integrated DSView® 3 management software allows SAS IT to manage the company’s 3,000 global servers from any location through a single interface. With Avocent, SAS has improved system administrator productivity by 20 percent and reduced the average response time to server inquiries and requests by 35 percent.

“Avocent is the only company that has addressed console access and power management as a whole,” said Dan Marx, IT engineer at SAS. “They have a complete, unified solution for global remote server management.”

As Marx surveyed the solutions landscape in search of an integrated, digital infrastructure management solution, he found the lack of standards presented a serious problem. IT vendors all use different out-of-band service processors with varying console access methods, and using separate server access management platforms for each standard and method can be complex and time consuming. What Marx needed was a single management platform that could address SAS’ entire server infrastructure, regardless of which standards the various components operated on. “As a global company, we’re committed to delivering standardized IT solutions that can scale and be used across geographies. Avocent was clearly making an effort to provide a total solution, pulling together IPMI (Intelligent Management Platform Interface), power management, digital switching and management software. They were in lock step with our vision for global server management,” said Marx. IPMI resides on a chip separate from a server’s operating system to provide access for power cycling a server when the OS is not operating. IPMI also provides server health data such as temperature, voltage and fan speed.

With Avocent’s digital infrastructure management solution, 99 percent of server console activities at SAS are now handled remotely through one interface: Avocent DSView 3 software. “It allows IT people like me to multitask and be more productive,” said Marx. “Instead of standing in front of a console waiting for compute tasks to be executed, I can now perform those tasks from my desktop while answering e-mails or making phone calls.” A server administrator can begin a staging project from the console desktop application, start a build, and then log in from home later that night to keep the build process moving forward. “Before, we’d often have to stay late at work to get the job done. Avocent’s DSView 3 software has significantly increased both IT productivity and staff satisfaction with the flexibility it gives them to do their work more efficiently,” said Marx.

Remote server access has also improved the security of SAS company data. With Avocent switches, significantly fewer people are physically touching the servers and Marx can control who gets virtual access. “With DSView 3, we can select the servers that a particular team gets to access – for example, creating a custom desktop view for that group and access to the servers that support that department,” said Marx. “Everyone gets much quicker and easier access to servers through IP, but we also maintain control of what they see. The benefits are significant.”

“Worldwide leaders such as SAS understand that IT innovation is imperative to maintaining a competitive edge in today’s global economy,” said Dave Perry, executive vice president and general manager of Avocent. “We’ve worked with SAS over a number of years to deliver solutions that have continually improved its global infrastructure. Implementing Avocent DSR switches with DSView 3 software has made the management of its worldwide network of servers easier, more cost-effective, efficient and secure.”

About Avocent Corporation
Avocent delivers IT infrastructure management solutions that reduce operating costs, simplify management and increase the availability of critical, "always on" IT environments via integrated, centralized in-band and out-of-band hardware and software. Additional information is available at: www.avocent.com.

Avocent, the Avocent logo, DSR and DSView are trademarks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.