Poperinge chooses high-performance, future-proof server environment

When the existing server and storage infrastructure of the city of Poperinge reached the end of its service life, the city went in search of a sustainable and reliable solution. In AXI, Poperinge found a partner that contributed technical expertise, provided proactive advice, and developed a future-proof on-premises environment.

Poperinge, a bustling town in the Westhoek region with around 20,000 inhabitants, has more than 450 employees who use digital applications on a daily basis: from municipal services and the residential care center to after-school childcare, art education, and museum operations. “Our IT actually runs 24 hours a day,” says Bram Louwagie, Head of Information and ICT. “We support a wide range of services, so continuity is crucial for us.”

The challenge: outdated infrastructure and limited flexibility

After five years of loyal service, Poperinge's server and storage environment was in need of renewal. The existing setup offered too little flexibility and made maintenance during working hours almost impossible.

“Our previous environment theoretically allowed us to update one host while the other hosts took over the work, but in practice this often went wrong,” explains Bram Louwagie. “As soon as we brought a server back online, it caused background processes that slowed down the entire cluster. So we could only perform maintenance in the evening or at night. We definitely wanted to improve that.”

In addition, the infrastructure was centralized in one location, which limited operational reliability. Poperinge wanted more redundancy, better performance, and a longer lifespan.

The solution: a distributed, robust server environment

AXI proposed a completely revamped, on-premise server environment based on Dell technology and an active-active data center architecture spread across three locations: two operational sites and a third location where a witness server runs.

The city has its own fiber optic network between the most important buildings, enabling a high-performance, distributed setup. The new infrastructure includes modern servers, UPS systems, and a revamped backup environment.

“The hardware itself is not the most important thing for me,” says Bram Louwagie. “What counts is the way AXI thinks along with us about architecture and software integration. They have really developed a solution that was technically sound and future-proof.”

The decision to go on-premise was a conscious one. Although cloud migration is often a topic of discussion in the public sector, it did not seem like the right move for Poperinge at this time.

“We have the in-house expertise to manage our environment ourselves,” says Bram Louwagie. “In addition, many of our supplier applications do not yet run optimally in the cloud. That may change in seven years' time, but today, on-premise is the most obvious choice.”

The new environment was also designed for a lifespan of seven years, instead of the usual five. This gives the city breathing space and reduces the total cost of ownership.

“What counts is the way AXI thinks along with us about architecture and software integration. They really developed a solution that was technically sound and future-proof.”

Bram Louwagie, Information and ICT Department, Poperinge

A well-thought-out pre-sales process

Before the upgrade, Poperinge deliberately entered the market, evaluating several potential suppliers. “We wanted a partner who looked beyond the quote,” says Louwagie. The AXI pre-sales process was therefore a decisive factor. In the preliminary phase, AXI paid a lot of attention to the right architecture and dimensioning, so that the solution was both technically and economically sound. That gave Poperinge confidence.”

“AXI convinced us with their technical knowledge and their plan of action,” says Louwagie. “They really thought along with us and gave clear arguments for why they made certain choices or didn't.”

The collaboration: transparent and solution-oriented

The implementation went according to plan and within the set deadline. “AXI had a clear step-by-step plan and a clear timeline,” says Louwagie. After delivery, Poperinge opted for an ad hoc support model, whereby the internal team manages the system itself and calls on AXI when necessary.

The benefits of the new setup are now becoming apparent. “The most important difference is that we can now perform updates during working hours,” says Louwagie. “That makes a huge difference in efficiency. And performance is simply stable. That's exactly what we wanted: an environment that runs reliably without us having to constantly monitor it.”

“Today, we are opting for a stable and secure on-premise infrastructure,” says Louwagie. “But we are not closing the door on new technology. We are closely following developments in cloud, AI, and data processing, with a view to what really adds value for our city and our residents.”