Client story Modernizing Retail IT: The Beauty of Growth

Facts at a glance

Client:

A major beauty retailer in the United States, operating more than 1,300 stores and a growing eCommerce presence, required a scalable and resilient IT infrastructure to support its extensive operations.

Client industry:

Retail

Challenge:

Client needed to modernize VMware infrastructure across 13+ sites. Goals included integration of software for seamless ops, automation, disaster recovery, and to improve visibility, security, and planning.

Outcomes

Client gained a new infrastructure that supports future growth, improves resilience, and operational efficiency with a standardized, scalable VCF platform.

Solution:

Cloud, Disaster Recovery (DR), Managed Services, Microsoft Azure, Migration, Modern Infrastructure

Insight provided:

• VCF MultiSite Architecture design and deploymentv
• Cloud DR Design (AVS or GCVE) with HCX
• NSX-T Network Virtualization implementation
• Aria Suite Deployment for monitoring and automation
• Operational Enablement through workshops and documentation

Key takeaways:

• Standardized infrastructure: Achieved a consistent, scalable VCF platform across all 13+ sites.
• Improved resilience: Enabled robust cloud-based disaster recovery with optimized RTO/RPO.
• Operational efficiency: Implemented automated workflows, proactive monitoring, and capacity optimization.
• Enhanced security: Realized improved network security and visibility through NSX-T microsegmentation.
• Future-ready: Established a flexible foundation to support continued growth and innovation.

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Building a future-ready foundation

This leading beauty retailer sought to transform its IT backbone, moving from a disparate system to a unified, high-performance infrastructure. The goal was clear: create a resilient, automated, and secure platform capable of supporting rapid business growth and an expanding omnichannel customer experience.

Discovery and design

Insight’s approach began with extensive discovery workshops to thoroughly understand the client’s business and technical requirements, current VMware infrastructure, network, and DR environments. This led to the design of a comprehensive VCF architecture for management and workload clusters across more than 13 sites. A detailed DR landing zone in Azure VMware Solution (AVS) or Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE) was planned, including an HCX service mesh and interconnects. Additionally, NSX-T routing, segmentation, and stateful services were designed, and Aria Operations, Log Insight, Network Insights, and Automation were integrated.

Deployment

The deployment phase involved implementing the VCF management cluster and integrating workload clusters across all locations.

NSX-T, HCX, and the DR environment were configured according to the design. Aria Suite was deployed for monitoring, automation, and network insights, and vCenter servers were migrated into the VCF environment. Automation blueprints and a self-service portal were also built. The engagement concluded with operational workshops for VCF and Aria, knowledge transfer, documentation, best practice guides, DR testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and final cutover.