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Pioneer Energy >> A HighVail and Red Hat ® Case Study
A full service approach delivers more to one of
Canada’s largest fuel retailers.
Client
>> Pioneer Energy
Founded in 1956, Pioneer Energy is a privately-owned network of 145 independently operated gasoline/convenience
retail locations across the province of Ontario and, most recently, as a leading reseller of household and
commercial bulk fuels in Northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Pioneer continues to expand its
offerings and reach.
Pioneer is recognized as a leader in the fuel and convenience store categories in Canada.
“Pioneer is no different than any other company today, our services need to run 24/7.”
Greg Wills, Systems Administrator
BUSINESS CHALLENGES >>
Growth and limited resources
With a small IT team, finding a partner with knowledgeable, experienced and certified resources was important to Pioneer.
Members of the IT team were also looking for the flexibility to manage technology remotely as well as onsite at the company’s
Burlington, Ontario head office.
“Pioneer is no different than any other company today, our services need to run 24/7.” shares Greg Wills, Systems Administrator.
Working in a Linux environment with primarily Red Hat® servers, the IT team supports all technology needs. Pioneer looked to
Red Hat® for guidance and support when they were assessing virtual environments.
Pioneer’s IT Director Dale Sinstead shares, “For pre-sale support, Red Hat® suggested HighVail. We entered into a proof-of-concept
and HighVail provided the onsite resources we needed to set-up the environment, troubleshoot and familiarize our team with
how to manage it.”
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A HighVail and Red Hat ® Case Study
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PIONEER RESULTS >>
Pioneer Energy
Better performance and a future-ready virtual environment
Partnering closely with Pioneer’s IT team throughout the proof-of-concept phase, HighVail’s experts ensured a transfer of knowledge
for the initial set up and configuration of the Red Hat® Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) environment. A few initial challenges with
Pioneer’s existing storage were assessed and corrected.
Environment parameters were defined and built out by HighVail’s resources. After success with the proof-of-concept, the Pioneer
IT team switched seamlessly to production. HighVail’s recommendations to reconfigure the existing storage environment helped
the IT team deliver better performance on day one with the new infrastructure.
HighVail was engaged to review the new environment and give the configuration what is commonly referred to as a ‘sanity check’.
“The HighVail solution was seamless,” Dale Sinstead, IT Director shares, “They are very easy to work with and get a hold of. HighVail
helped us manage all of the subscriptions. Their experts helped with knowledge transfer and configuration of all components.”
“It’s great to have a business partner that doesn’t have any secrets…they deliver a full service response.”
Dale Sinstead, IT Director
After running RHEV successfully for a number of months, the IT team turned again to HighVail for further advice. Due to unprecedented
data growth, Pioneer found itself close to exceeding the storage capacity in their virtual environment.
Anticipating continued growth, HighVail created a RHEV upgrade strategy that delivered storage migration features in the newest
release of RHEV, increased flexibility, functionality and agility amongst their systems. Assisting in the upgrade and storage expansion
processes, HighVail helped the Pioneer IT team enable their business with cost-effective technology.
Within their marketplace, Pioneer continues to differentiate their retail locations with exceptional, grassroots customer service.
Competing in an environment with few products and very public pricing, Pioneer doesn’t manufacture fuel or control margins.
Fuel prices can change overnight, Dale Sinstead says, “All it takes is a big event like Hurricane Katrina, a fire or a war and our
margins are gone. We’re continually diversifying our business to retain our leadership position.
According to Dale Sinstead, for Pioneer, “As an independent retailer, we have limited resources. We are always focused on costeffective solutions.” The Red Hat ® hypervisor solution seamlessly integrated with existing infrastructure, improved Pioneer’s total
cost of ownership and helped to reduce overall costs.
Dale Sinstead confirms, “With continued growth, resources are always a concern, and a reason why partnership with HighVail
makes sense.” Greg Wills shares, “HighVail guides us through everything that needs to be done…they give us as little or as much
help as we need.” “HighVail has been amazing…it’s great to have a business partner that doesn’t have any secrets…they deliver
a full service response,” says Dale Sinstead.
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A HighVail and Red Hat ® Case Study
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PARTNERS FOR
THE LONG HAUL >>
Pioneer Energy
HighVail’s full service approach
Building upon this successful infrastructure upgrade, HighVail’s partnership with Pioneer continues to evolve. Dale Sinstead, IT
Director, shares, “…we recently delivered tablets to our regional business managers, the people who work directly with Pioneer’s
retailers.” HighVail experts are supporting Pioneer as they integrate mobility into their technology offerings.
Collaborating with Pioneer’s IT team on new projects and assignments, HighVail experts continue to deliver advice and services
that empower Pioneer’s IT team to enable their business with technology.
HighVail President and CEO Bradley Brodkin shares, “We are proud to be a trusted advisor to Pioneer Energy and deliver infrastructure
and integration services that meet their needs today as well as anticipate future requirements. Our knowledgeable professionals are
certified experts for each and every product and service we recommend.”
“HighVail consistently shows their commitment to Red Hat® through their continued investments and skillful
approach to delivering the full Red Hat® Solution stack to our clients.”
Greg Mezo, Sales Manager
Red Hat ®
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