Case Study

Reggie Dupré founded Dupré Transport in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1980 as a specialized hauler of bulk liquid commodities. Today, Dupré Logistics, LLC, consists of three major business groups: Site & Private Fleet Services, Strategic Capacity Services and Energy Distribution Services. The privately owned company operates almost 400 trucks, employs more than 1,000 team members in its operations and has established a network of 2,000 preferred carriers. Dupré maintains hubs near major metropolitan areas, serves all of the contiguous 48 states and parts of Canada and Mexico, and produces more than $130 million in revenue each year. When it came time for Dupré to replace its aging optical storage system, the logical choice was the Imation InfiniVault Active Archive Storage Appliance.

The SituationReggie Dupré founded Dupré Transport in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1980 as a specialized hauler of bulk liquid commodities. Today, Dupré Logistics, LLC, consists of three major business groups: Site & Private Fleet Services, Strategic Capacity Services and Energy Distribution Services. The privately owned company operates almost 400 trucks, employs more than 1,000 team members in its operations and has established a network of 2,000 preferred carriers. Dupré maintains hubs near major metropolitan areas, serves all of the contiguous 48 states and parts of Canada and Mexico, and produces more than $130 million in revenue each year. When it came time for Dupré to replace its aging optical storage system, the logical choice was the Imation InfiniVault.

The Challenge Dupré needed to replace its aging optical system with a solution that had the ability to set variable retention periods for both federally mandated Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations and self-imposed corporate policies. While a long-term retention system was necessary to satisfy government regulated DOT retention policies, other data was maintained for much shorter periods of time. The ability to reclaim storage space once data reached its retention lifespan would also be ideal—something that was not an option with the optical system.

In addition, the company needed a storage system that had Write Once Read Many (WORM) capabilities to assure the integrity of the data. “If a customer ever has a problem with one of our images we can swear that it can’t be altered,” explains Suffern.

Accounting data and images archived with Imation InfiniVault™ Active Archive Storage Appliance

AT-A-GLANCE

Industry:Transportation

Application: Optical Replacement

Tape Archive

Software: Real Vision Software, Inc.

Benefits Realized: Optical replacement with reliable, tiered archive; data integrity verification; reclaimed storage space.

Imation Enterprises Corp., 1 Imation Way, Oakdale, MN 55128.3414 USA Ph: 651.704.4000 Fax: 651.537.4675 www.imation.com © Imation Corp. Imation, the Imation logo and InfiniVault are trademarks of Imation Corp and its affiliates. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. (03.05.12)

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The SolutionThe primary reason Dupré purchased the Imation InfiniVault was for optical replacement. However, the company is realizing a number of additional benefits associated with its decision to invest in Imation’s technology. With the InfiniVault, Dupré is able to set variable retention periods and reclaim storage space once those periods have elapsed.

Suffern admits, “One of the biggest benefits we saw with the Imation InfiniVault was its hardware/software combination. Once the images reached their five-year length, with optical you had to take the cartridges out and replace them with new ones. With the InfiniVault, you can reuse the storage once your retention period has expired. The InfiniVault storage system will reclaim that storage space back automatically.”

Dupré found that an additional advantage of the InfiniVault was its ability to connect to a backup server at a separate location, either through the LAN or WAN. Since the previous optical system was physically attached to part of a local AS/400, other systems were unable to access it. With the InfiniVault attached as a NAS, other office locations can now access all the document images from both the local and backup systems.

Since implementing the InfiniVault, Dupré’s document images have been migrated from the IBM 3995 and the company continues to use Real Vision Software to write new content to the InfiniVault. The InfiniVault’s universal compatibility provided a seamless transition to the company’s new storage solution and will efficiently handle the speed increase of the company’s new IBM POWER7. Dupré plans to install a backup system and use the InfiniVault to hold archives for specific retention periods. The company also plans to replicate data to an additional InfiniVault system situated at a remote location for disaster recovery purposes.

Suffern has only praise for the Imation InfiniVault. “I like the way the drives were able to be removed, taken offsite if needed. I liked the ability for it to replicate data to another system at a different location and that it supports WORM technology. I think the Imation InfiniVault is very unique. We did look at other options to replace our optical system, but nothing else was a viable alternative until the InfiniVault.”

Questions? Contact us at:Phone: 651-704-7777Website: www.scalablestorage.com

“ With the InfiniVault, you can reuse the storage once your retention period has expired. The InfiniVault storage system will reclaim that storage space back automatically.

”—Stuart Suffern

Director of Information Services, Dupré Logistics, LLC