Managed Cloud Hosting Provider Reduces Troubleshooting Time While Increasing Lab Productivity and Reliability with NETSCOUT and Quali

Automated Lab Environments expand remote lab access and increase overall efficiency

PROBLEM

A Texas-based managed cloud hosting provider and full-stack hardware consulting company needed to upgrade test lab hardware and software due to several issues that were slowing their testing process. 

Up to 70% of their time was spent verifying the setup, leaving only 30% of their time for testing due to obsolete, unsupported network switches and buggy lab and testbed automation software. 

Their lab contained more than 100 routers and switches. Since their lab equipment required manual patching, they had to spend a lot of time troubleshooting cable connections. 

In addition to the extensive time required for verification and troubleshooting, the company needed to provide remote access to the test lab for an increasing number of remote employees because of the pandemic.  

SOLUTION

To speed the testing process and increase reliability, the company chose NETSCOUT’s layer 1, L1, switches because of the flexibility they provide for expanding their lab footprint and capabilities. Quali’s CloudShell infrastructure automation platform was the most attractive platform for them because scripting can be done in Python, and it has a more intuitive API than other solutions. Quali’s CloudShell in combination NETSCOUT’s L1 switches resulted in a “wire once” scenario for their networking equipment which reduced the need for manual patching. 

OUTCOMES

Monthly Since implementing NETSCOUT L1 switches and Quali’s CloudShell, the                        company has:

• Achieved a significant reduction in man hours and increased productivity.
• Eliminated the need for manual patching reduced points of failure and increased reliability.
• Reduced the time needed for troubleshooting cables.
• Provided remote access via self service to the environments necessary to run their extensive testing process.
• The NETSCOUT/Quali solution resulted in more stable and reliable physical connectivity between devices in the topology and reduced overall time prepping the lab.