Case Study: Exabeam's Data Center Migration

The seamless transition to Exabeam’s new data center location, led by Evocative, resulted in significant cost savings, a revamped network architecture, easy onsite management, and always-on remote access.

September 11, 2023

The Seamless Transition of Exabeam’s Data Center Migration

Exabeam was thrown a curveball when their former data center partner decided to eliminate the colocation site, which they were using to host their Quality Assurance (QA) environment that replicates their on-premises customer footprints and represents a significant aspect of their operations—comprising their data center.

Even though they were given a year to complete the move, Exabeam decided to expedite the contract termination and establish operations in a new location as quickly and efficiently as possible. The team saw this as an opportunity to garner potential cost savings by downsizing the overall footprint. The decision to opt for a consolidated move with Evocative over a third-party contract reduced the burden on the Exabeam team. It proved to be a cost-effective and operationally sound decision, which would result in 35% cost savings.

“Evocative architected everything from the ground up. I was thoroughly impressed. What Evocative did was non-trivial.”

Tyler Farrar, Chief Information Security Officer, Exabeam

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About Exabeam

Founded in 2013 with headquarters in Foster City, California

Pioneered user and entity behavior analytics

Cloud-first global cybersecurity company

The colocation site is used for Exabeam's QA lab

Consolidated hundreds of servers to less than 200 servers

Consolidated nearly 20 racks down to less than 10 racks

Consolidated more than 20 switches to less than 10 switches

Meticulous Planning for a Flawless Transition

The looming closure of their colocation site gave Exabeam a year to scout for new partners, factoring in remote access capabilities and
remote hands services connected to travel requirements for members who needed physical access to the data center for certain activities. Pursuing a partner capable of handling the complexities of this move influenced their choice.

Evocative stood out with its proven experience and deep understanding of the transition process. Evocative demonstrated knowledge about what should be relocated, how it should be set up, and how to maintain consistency with the former data center operations to ensure a fast migration with minimum downtime. And, when it was time for the move, Evocative exhibited tremendous flexibility with the move dates, guaranteeing a seamless shift to the new data center.

On the Move: Exabeam’s Data Center Shift

Overall, Evocative’s quick and efficient execution was impressive. When moving out of the former data center and into the new Evocative colocation site, the process was flawlessly executed by Evocative with swift precision.

The Evocative team completed the racking, stacking, cabling, and decommissioning within a week, leading to a successful exit from the former data center.

Evocative also facilitated the post-move IP Transit Connection to the new facility by providing the IP block to Exabeam well in advance of the move. This gave the Exabeam team time to prepare for the pre-move firewall configurations to ensure everything was ready to operate when the power to the new site was switched on. On this note, even the prompt and resourceful handling of power requirements ensured uninterrupted operations.

“All we had to do was plug in our IP Transit Connection, and we were online maybe within 20 minutes of getting in that environment, maybe a little faster. That was super helpful.”

Tyler Farrar, Chief Information Security Officer, Exabeam

Applying the Finishing Touches to a Consolidated Environment

“I’ve Seen Pictures From The Team Showing The Cabling Looking Like A Work Of Art.”

Tyler Farrar, Chief Information Security Officer, Exabeam

Looking at its original footprint versus where it wanted it to be, the team at Exabeam began the transition with a clear vision: to decrease its total footprint by decommissioning and deprecating a large number of servers.

Exabeam also sought to refresh its overall networking approach, implementing new gear to streamline and enhance remote management activities. Evocative’s detailed and timely labeling process contributed to a seamless and efficient re-establishment in the new data center.

The most notable and impactful change realized during this transition was the modification of Exabeam’s switching architecture, which consolidated more than 20 switches to below 10, reducing cost complexity in gear management and maintenance. Additionally, nearly 20 racks of servers were consolidated to less than 10 racks. Concerning all of the decommissioned equipment, Evocative played a vital role in this process, aiding in decommissioning old data center servers and ensuring their proper disposal in line with e-waste regulations.

A Day-to-Day View for the Future

Post implementation, everything has been smooth sailing for the Exabeam team. The response was swift and effective for the few instances where assistance was needed. As one example, the front desk was even helpful, promptly procuring a new power cable.

Constant access and dedicated space for uninterrupted work made the process more manageable during the extended hours, where one
Exabeam team member spent up to 12 hours on the last day of the transition to ensure everything was working correctly. The option to connect remotely to the equipment in the data center was another critical aspect of this move by eliminating the need always to be onsite and instead be able to work from home.

“The support team was excellent. They made our lives easier. I felt like we were taken care of —like a billion dollar customer”

Tyler Farrar, Chief Information Security Officer, Exabeam

Looking ahead, the Exabeam team intends to take advantage of the Evocative remote hands service, which will come in handy for some onsite tasks, given that the primary Exabeam data center technician is located three hours away from the colocation center. Thanks to meticulous documentation and labeling, detailed instructions can be provided for efficient troubleshooting, saving considerable time.
To learn more about how Evocative’s data center solutions are purpose built with a wide range of colocation power, space, and support options to help you accelerate your hybrid cloud and edge computing strategies, be sure to visit: https://evocative.com/data-centers/

We invite you to visit one of the Evocative state-of-the-art data centers in a strategically located metro area near you—schedule a tour today.

“We’ve had zero issues. It’s been quiet. Quiet is good.”

Tyler Farrar, Chief Information Security Officer, Exabeam

About Evocative

Your Digital Ecosystem Starts Here

Evocative is a global leader in Internet Infrastructure, providing enterprise-class data center, interconnection, and bare metal solutions that enable exceptional digital experiences. Evocative’s global footprint includes interconnected data centers and Points of Presence across strategically located metros in North America, Europe, and Asia regions. Through organic growth and strategic acquisition, the company continues to expand its presence to power enterprise workloads at the edge. Evocative is dedicated to helping drive digital businesses forward, now and in the decades to come. To learn more, visit evocative.com.