Cummins – Another Satisfied Customer

Cummins recently released the following video which highlights their use of High Performance Computing to more efficiently bring new products to development and how X-ISS ManagedHPC service is critical in helping them reach their objectives.

For more about Cummins visit them at www.cummins.com.

For more information on DellEMC High Performance Computing solutions go to www.dellemc.com/solutions/high-performance-computing/.

Let us help you reach your full HPC potential. See our offerings at x-iss.com.

Companies Benefit from ManagedHPC

Through our Tier-1 OEM partner, ManagedHPC was selected as the preferred remote cluster management solution by the North American manufacturing arm of a world leader in the design, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of motorized recreational vehicles and powersports engines. ManagedHPC is also the chosen solution for the North American research & design headquarters of a global supplier of automobile seats and interiors.

ManagedHPC as OEM’s Cluster Management Solution

A Tier-1 OEM was looking to provide incremental value-add to its HPC customers by offering a cost-effective means of managing and maximizing uptime of their compute environments. Knowing that a large number of customers were struggling with finding and hiring HPC system administrators, the OEM decided to offer a service to address that need. After an extensive vetting process, X-ISS was selected as the sole-source back-end provider to deliver the OEM’s offering via our ManagedHPC Remote Cluster Management Service.

X-ISS Helps University of Wisconsin Focus on Supporting Researchers

At the University of Wisconsin, the Engineering Department did not have the time to hire and train a person to administer the complex HPC cluster required for research. Only a small handful of candidates who applied for the position were qualified to administer the system.

The University of Wisconsin contacted X-ISS to do software upgrades and installations along with system management.

Benefits

Freedom to focus on research instead of HPC administration
On-site installation and set-up
Turnkey outsource system management service
Secure remote system monitoring
Proactive reporting process
X-ISS professionals available 24/7

In the world of high performance computing (HPC), the gap is growing between organizations utilizing cluster computing systems and the supply of experienced and qualified system administrators. The HPC systems of today are extremely powerful and flexible, but are also complex to install, manage and maintain.

Using cluster computing, researchers across a range of scientific fields, from astronomy to genomics, can develop model experiments using programs created to utilize large amounts of data for designing high-resolution displays, intricate analysis and detailed simulations. Frequently, the scientists working with HPC clusters for research need to also administer the system. But when research scientists have to become computer scientists, time is lost and used inefficiently, productivity drops and the level of frustration rises as more time is spent managing the HPC.

“The major architectural trends in high performance computing—from single-system-image serves to distributed clusters, and from single-core to multi-core processors—have combined to make effective system administration a much different, much more complicated challenge than it used to be,” said Addison Snell, CEO of Intersect360 Research, a consulting firm focused on the HPC industry. “To achieve optimal performance and utilization can require significant expertise in a wide array of middleware options. This has led to a shortage of qualified system administration talent for HPC markets.”

X-ISS is an answer to this shortage of experienced HPC talent. With its outsourcing management service ManagedHPC, X-ISS gives its clients the freedom to focus on their research, while leaving the HPC system in the hands of competent administrators. Using a unique methodology, customers incorporating ManagedHPC receive on-site installation and setup, turnkey outsource system management service, secure remote system monitoring, a proactive reporting process and the professional X-ISS team available any time of day or night.

At the University of Wisconsin, scientific research in the fields of bioengineering requires the most sophisticated software and computer programs. Whether its biomechanics, cell or tissue engineering, or biomedical research, the university didn’t have the time to hire and train a person to administer the complex HPC cluster required for research. Additionally, only a small handful of the candidates that inquired about the position were even qualified. Instead, the university contacted X-ISS to do software upgrades and installations along with system management.

“As part of this significant investment into the Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin, we were able to procure a 142-node cluster computer from Dell and funding for a cluster system administrator,” said David Crass, Director of Research Computing at the University of Wisconsin. “X-ISS has been able to handle getting the system up and running, software installations, and proactively handle technical issues so we could focus on working with the Engineering staff on specific code needs and department usage of this shared resource. It has allowed us to focus our attention where it was most needed.”

With an increase in HPC use, demand for X-ISS services will also increase. In addition to ManagedHPC, X-ISS has DecisionHPC, a Web-based monitoring and analytics software package to help customers maximize productivity, assist with future computing resource needs and align HPC resources with organizational goals.

With a focus on responsiveness, expertise and professionalism, X-ISS helps organizations implement cost savings solutions; increase efficiency to keep the research staff focused on operations; increase utilization by maximizing cluster capacity; increase top-line revenue to perform analysis in a shorter amount of time, leading to faster business decisions; and obtain peace of mind by knowing X-ISS is backed by more than 10 years of experience and success.

Download this case study: UWM.CaseStudy7

Tony Sabatino, Vice President, GX Technology

“The X-ISS team members have continuously performed in a very professional manner during all the work they have done for us over the last 10 years.”

Andre Herzog, BRP

“[X-ISS] has done excellent work for us and we really appreciate it.”

Nick Bernitsas, GXT

“What’s unique about X-ISS is their quality and responsiveness. They are there 24/7 for us.”

Stuart Noah, Senior Programmer/Analyst at Major west coast research hospital

“With a limited staff to support our researchers, X-ISS provides us with the staffing and expertise that we need to build and maintain High Performance computing solutions. X-ISS helps us in our continuing efforts to make a meaningful contribution to healthcare and biological science.”

David Crass, University of Wisconsin Director of Research Computing

“After an extensive search for [a cluster administrator], we only received a small handful of candidates, of which only a few were qualified. We didn’t have the timeframe to hire and train the right person for the job, which is where X-ISS and its ManagedHPC program came into play. X-ISS has been able to handle getting the system up and running, software installations, and proactively handle technical issues so we could focus on working with the Engineering staff …. It has allowed us to focus our attention where it was most needed.”