Pariveda Migrates GameStop Retail Data Center to AWS
GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), a global family of specialty retail brands that makes the most popular technologies affordable and simple, today reported the successful migration of its domestic retail data center operation to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
GameStop enlisted the help of Pariveda Solutions, an AWS Partner Network (APN) Premier Consulting Partner, to architect and lead the data center migration, automate cloud infrastructure and software deployments, and transform team processes with DevOps. GameStop made the decision to migrate its domestic retail data center after a prior successful migration of its international retail systems proved that AWS would better support GameStop business goals with flexible, cost effective infrastructure.
When migration planning began, GameStop IT reviewed its retail systems portfolio and identified opportunities to improve the effectiveness of its teams through emerging technologies and practices. The GameStop domestic systems portfolio included strategic investments in Microsoft Windows and Microsoft SQL Server, but many of the installed systems were on older versions and limited GameStop’s ability to use the latest Microsoft operating system and database features. Therefore, as part of its move to AWS, GameStop decided to deploy the latest version of the Windows operating system and upgrade its SQL Server database management fleet to Microsoft SQL Server 2016.
The Microsoft upgrade plan was significant in scope. “Normally, an effort to upgrade GameStop’s database systems would constitute its own project.” said John Schoonover, Director of Enterprise Technology. “Through collaboration, deliberate planning, and Pariveda’s expertise, our team quickly evaluated and upgraded to Microsoft SQL 2016 on AWS.” The team installed, configured, and confirmed key systems and processes in a matter of weeks.
The upgrade effort required identifying edge cases and validating compatibility across an array of custom and commercial applications. As part of the cloud migration process, the team developed AWS CloudFormation templates to deploy Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances and used Chef and PowerShell to automate the configuration of SQL Server 2016 clusters. The result was an automated AWS DevOps process for managing Microsoft workloads.
The collaborative process between GameStop and Pariveda Solutions equipped GameStop with the knowledge to modernize its operation and innovate rapidly on its migration journey to the cloud.
About GameStop Corp.
GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer. GameStop operates more than 7,500 stores across 14 countries. The company’s consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com; http://www.Kongregate.com/, a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer® magazine, the world’s leading print and digital video game publication; and ThinkGeek, www.thinkgeek.com, the premier retailer for the global geek community featuring exclusive and unique video game and pop culture products. Our Technology Brands segment includes 1,552 Simply Mac, Spring Mobile AT&T and Cricket stores. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, sells the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones and offers Apple certified warranty and repair services. Spring Mobile, www.springmobile.com, sells all of AT&T’s products and services, including DIRECTV and offers pre-paid wireless services, devices, and related accessories through its Cricket branded stores in select markets in the U.S.
General information about GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website. Follow @GameStop and @GameStopCorp on Twitter and find GameStop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GameStop.
About Pariveda Solutions
Pariveda Solutions, Inc. is a leading management consulting firm specializing in improving our clients’ performance. We are complex problem solvers who provide strategic consulting services and custom application development solutions for mobility, cloud computing, data, portals and collaboration, CRM, custom software, enterprise integration and user experience needs of our clients.
