City of Hasselt chooses future-proof backup environment

When the City of Hasselt’s existing backup environment began to reach its limits, the city looked for a partner to guide them toward a high-performing, future-oriented solution. They found that partner in AXI. Thanks to a well-thought-out approach, reliable HPE and Veeam technology, and a strong focus on security, the City of Hasselt now has a robust, layered on-premises backup environment that is built to withstand the future.

The City of Hasselt manages an extensive ICT infrastructure that is essential to delivering smooth services to both citizens and employees. This infrastructure is hosted across two in-house data centers.

The challenge: outdated infrastructure and limited retention

The City of Hasselt’s existing backup environment was due for replacement after eight years. “We noticed that we could no longer guarantee our retention periods. The equipment was simply outdated,” says Yves Vandenbergh, Head of Infrastructure. At the same time, the bar was set high: more capacity, better performance, layered security, and the ability to keep everything on-premises.

Cost structure also played an important role. The City of Hasselt did not want solutions with variable costs, but a clear and predictable pricing model they could rely on. And above all: a partner who truly understood them.

The solution: well-thought-out configuration and maximum control

AXI came out on top in a VITO mini-competition with a clear end-to-end solution. “The way AXI designed the preliminary phase really stood out,” says Vandenbergh. “They thought along with us, provided a clear plan of approach, and delivered a solution that fully met our technical requirements, all within budget.”

All components were installed on-premises, spread across the two data centers. "We deliberately opted for on-premises again," says Kristof Lenaers, Systems Engineer. "This way, we avoid complex data privacy assessments (DPIAs) and keep everything in-house, including disaster recovery. Moreover, our data centers are sized to host everything ourselves."

Results: robust security, easy management and ready for the future

The new solution makes a world of difference for the team. “We now have a backup environment with layered security, fully separated from the production network — both physically and at the network level,” says Lenaers. “You simply can’t access the backup environment just like that. And with immutable storage, we’re also better protected against ransomware.”

Operational management has also improved: thanks to the team’s existing knowledge of Veeam, the learning curve was limited, while new components such as Veeam ONE and the Orchestrator provide additional insight and flexibility. “We can now respond much faster to incidents and have better visibility into data usage and storage evolution,” Vandenbergh explains.

Another major advantage is scalability: “The solution is future-proof. We can expand whenever needed and also take five-year backups, which is crucial for us,” Lenaers adds.

Collaboration and support: a reliable relationship

The City of Hasselt also signed a Tier 2 SLA with AXI, including unlimited incident support during business hours and two annual remote audits. AXI also coordinates all communication between software and hardware suppliers. "For us, AXI is the single point of contact. That's important, because as a small customer, we don't want to get lost in a tangle of support channels," says Vandenbergh.

Despite a minor initial challenge with the network integration, which was quickly resolved, the City of Hasselt looks back on a smooth implementation. "AXI responded well to our feedback. We feel heard as customers, and that makes all the difference."