Cluster Computing:

ArboNed SELECTS CLUSTERING TECHNOLOGY FROM HP AND ORACLE

HP and Oracle Corporation announced that ArboNed, a Dutch-based provider of health and workplace services, has deployed a new centralized IT infrastructure based on an HP Superdome server cluster running Oracle9i Database with Real Application Clusters. HP and Oracle's integrated solution, implementation and support services enable ArboNed to provide employees and clients with unprecedented availability to services and information and the option to move towards offering a complete range of Web-based services in the future.

ArboNed offers advisory health and workplace services for organizations looking to improve working practices and comply with Arbolaw, which regulates health and safety requirements for Dutch employers. ArboNed partners with employers, their employees and other stakeholders to drive down chronic worker absenteeism and comply with the policies and procedures provided by the Dutch Institute for Work and Company-related Issues. As the first Dutch arboservice provider to employ the Internet as a service-delivery medium, ArboNed has experienced major growth.

ArboNed's decision to install an HP and Oracle clustered solution, after evaluating a number of vendor solutions, was primarily driven by the need to shift from a decentralized to a centralized IT infrastructure. Clustered HP Superdome servers running HP-UX and Oracle9i Database with Real Application Clusters deliver the scalability, performance, availability and reliability ArboNed requires as it looks to shift its business focus to Web-based service offerings. HP and Oracle's industry-leading clustering expertise and experience, combined with their strong industry alliance, offers customers proven, integrated solutions from products through to support.

"In an increasingly competitive environment, and with expected new legislation that will accelerate market change, our goal is to distinguish ArboNed from the competition and to be agile enough to manage the impact of change on our business," said Hans Bisschop, financial and information technology director, ArboNed. "Together, HP and Oracle delivered a complete solution from products through to deployment, allowing us to leverage the benefits of their clustering technology for our data centre. By deploying a more dynamic, centralized infrastructure we are able to introduce Web-based services that are robust, reliable and available and will provide a solid platform that will help us react rapidly and effectively to changing business requirements."

ArboNed's implementation has involved switching from a decentralized client/server environment, based on IBM AIX servers with customised Lotus Notes and Domino applications, to a centralized Oracle9i Database environment with Real Application Clusters, Oracle E-Business Suite, and Oracle Application Server including Oracle portal and business intelligence capabilities. ArboNed is running these applications on two HP Superdome servers running HP-UX, an HP StorageWorks storage area network with two HP StorageWorks XP128 disk arrays, and an HP Server rp8400 disaster recovery environment.

ArboNed doubled capacity to support its future plans for growth, including both the software and hardware that make up the company's solution. The HP Superdome server provided significantly improved performance in excess of 100 percent. In addition, the HP and Oracle clustered system provided ArboNed with the capability to simply add server capacity as required, met the requirement of 99.99 percent availability, and delivered improved and simplified systems management.

Working with HP and Oracle, ArboNed can now streamline complex collaborative processes and effectively engage diverse stakeholders, including employees and their employers, insurers and third-party treatment providers. By implementing an infrastructure that has enabled it to react quickly and effectively to market changes, and to consolidate its IT, ArboNed has been able to introduce new services and reduce total cost of ownership.

"Working with HP and Oracle has enabled us to transform our business, shifting to a model where the Internet is an important communication and transaction medium," said Bisschop. "Based on the powerful combination of HP Superdome servers and Oracle's database clustering technology, we can now manage client relationships and information flow more effectively with our centralized data centre."

ArboNed also entrusts its mission-critical server infrastructure to HP and Oracle, which provide 24x7 Mission Critical Services (MCS) to fulfill the optimal level of support for ArboNed's infrastructure. MCS provides technical expertise through an integrated combination of proactive services, fast problem resolution, coordinated proactive support and seamless reactive support to meet the demands of ArboNed's computing environment, which cannot afford downtime.

ArboNed currently serves an estimated 60,000 employers and their combined workforce of 1.5 million people. Working with HP and Oracle is expected to enable ArboNed to continually innovate and expand its services.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $71.3 billion. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.