Previously, each of the company's 5,100 stores ran two servers. A Unix box, running a six-year old version of SCO Unix, supported each store's POS terminals and kiosks. The second server, running Windows 2000 Server handled connectivity with company headquarters and served as a workstation for store employees.
In late 2003, according to
ServerIQ, an upcoming lease expiration on the Windows-based server hardware motivated company management to make some quick decisions about an upgrade strategy. After evaluating three alternatives...
- Upgrade to a newer version of SCO Unix
- Move to an Open Source platform based on Red Hat Linux
- Eliminate the second server and standardize the entire infrastructure on the Windows platform
...the company chose Windows.
ServerIQ quotes Ron Cook, Chief Technology Officer at RadioShack. "With the old infrastructure, we had two servers in each store for managing store functions and for sending POS and other data back to corporate headquarters. It was a complex and costly setup to maintain, both in terms of hardware maintenance and system management. With Windows Server System, we'll be able to support each store with a single server, reducing by half the number of systems that have to be maintained and administered."
Read the full case study
here.
Related stories:
