Sheetz seeks centralized store support

A regional convenience retailer is migrating to a virtual store technology platform.

Sheetz is standardizing its store systems on StorMagic SvSAN virtual storage area network (SAN) software. The retailer intends to virtualize and add high availability to in-store solutions at hundreds of its convenience store locations. By deploying the new hyperconverged edge solution, Sheetz has been able to minimize hardware sprawl, simplify support and administration, provide a platform for in-store technological innovation, and improve enterprise resiliency. 

Sheetz previously used a collection of single-function, workstation-class devices to provide various in-store technical services. It selected SvSAN to simplify the underlying infrastructure and management of store-level applications and activities including system orchestration, credit processing, loyalty management, and its proprietary kitchen management application suite. Each store contains a two-node cluster comprised of Dell servers, VMware vSphere hypervisors, and StorMagic SvSAN standard edition. 

Sheetz performed its initial proof-of-concept and extended pilot of 10 locations over 10 months, in order to get comfortable with the solution and the process to convert stores. The retailer has found the virtual system fits well in stores where no IT staff is present to administer and address failures associated with physical infrastructure.

“Sheetz has been able to centrally manage multiple in-store applications quickly and affordably and drastically reduce the number of hardware failures with StorMagic,” said Scott Robertson, universal endpoint unit manager, Sheetz. “Once we decided to deploy company-wide, we were able to deploy to over 100 stores within a two-month period.  Thanks to some automated processes and the relatively seamless conversions, we’ve escalated the timeline to standardize on SvSAN across all of our convenience stores.”

Sheetz operates over 600 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.