Case Study

Case Study
Industry: Retail
Edith Meyer Wedding Cakes
Unique cakes with fresh organic ingredients
Why Edith Meyer chose
ReadyNAS
The Company
Edith Meyer began making wedding cakes when a close friend handed her a picture torn out of
Elegant Bride magazine and asked her to recreate the cake. A high tech executive by day, Edith
crafted her version of the cake after getting some tips from the original designer. The cake was
a hit and the business was born. After retiring from the high tech world, Edith now averages
about 80 to 100 cakes per year. Edith’s designs range from traditional to whimsical and all are
custom to each couple and handmade with the finest organic ingredients.
Hardware RAID
Ease of Use
Small Chassis
Quiet Operation
Low Power Consumption
The Environment
Windows® XP Client
Linux Voodoo Client
GB Switch
SonicWall® Firewall Router
The Challenge
Although flour and sugar are the most obvious ingredients of a small business like Edith Meyer
Wedding Cakes, data also plays an important role. From recipes and digital photos of each
original creation to client information, billing and contracts, Edith Meyer relies on the survival
and safety of their data. The risk of losing that data is why Edith Meyer decided to make the leap
from single USB hard drive storage to Network Attached Storage (NAS).
Edith Meyer was looking for active storage with the added safety of RAID (Redundant Array of
Independent or Inexpensive Disks). RAID was very important to them because the device was
commissioned to not only as a central repository for all of the data, but as the primary backup
location.
“I was really looking for hardware RAID—single drive storage carries with it too much risk of
failure and with RAID you have that extra insurance that if one drive fails, you can still rebuild all
of the data,” says Drew Meyer, Edith’s husband and business partner.
The other features that were important to Edith Meyer were product ease-of-use, low noise and
low power consumption.
About Edith Meyer
Wedding Cakes
Located in Santa Cruz , California , Edith Meyer
Wedding Cakes is a boutique bakery that
specializes in custom wedding cakes. Their
reputation was built on quality, attention to
detail and their commitment to fresh, organic
ingredients. Each cake is made custom for
each couple and is a reflection of their
individual style.
Edith Meyer Wedding Cakes
www.edithmeyer.com
Santa Cruz, California
&DVH6WXG\ (GLWK0H\HU:HGGLQJ&DNHV
7KH
6ROXWLRQ
70
5HDG\1$6 08
6XPPDU\
%XLOWLQ+DUGZDUH5$,'
:KHQFKRRVLQJ5HDG\1$619RYHUWKHRWKHUVWRUDJHRSWLRQVRQWKHPDUNHWWKHQXPEHURQH
IDFWRUZDVORZFRVWKDUGZDUH5$,',QWKHSDVW5$,'KDVEHHQUHVHUYHGIRUKLJKHQGVHUYHUVDQG
HQWHUSULVHVROXWLRQVWKHUHIRUHPDQ\VPDOOEXVLQHVVHVXVHG&''9'86%KDUGGULYHVRUMXVW
GHVNWRSVDQGQRWHERRNVWRVWRUHWKHLUGDWD(DFKRQHRIWKHVHFDUULHVZLWKLWHLWKHUDODUJHWLPH
VDFULILFH RU KLJK ULVN RI VLQJOH GLVN IDLOXUH $GGLWLRQDOO\ ZKHQ FRQVLGHULQJ 5$,' LW FDQ EH
DFKLHYHGE\KDUGZDUHRUYLDWKHRSHUDWLQJV\VWHP6RIWZDUH5$,'WHQGVWREHOHVVH[SHQVLYHEXW
WLHV XS WKH RSHUDWLQJ V\VWHP DQG LPSDFWV SHUIRUPDQFH &RQYHUVHO\ KDUGZDUH 5$,' DIIRUGV
EHWWHUSHUIRUPDQFHDQGKLJKHUUHOLDELOLW\LQFDVHRIIDLOXUH5HDG\1$619ZDVDFRVWHIIHFWLYH
ZD\ IRU (GLWK 0H\HU WR JHW GDWD UHGXQGDQF\ ZLWKRXW WKH SHUIRUPDQFH GHWULPHQW RI VRIWZDUH
5$,'
´:H DUH XVLQJ ,QIUDQW·V RZQ ;5$,' WHFKQRORJ\ ZKLFK EDVLFDOO\ WRRN FDUH RI WKH 5$,'
FRQILJXUDWLRQIRUXV:LWKIRXU*%GULYHVZHDUHFXUUHQWO\UXQQLQJWKHHTXLYDOHQWWR5$,'
EXW ZH KDYH WKH DELOLW\ WR H[SDQG WKH YROXPHV DXWRPDWLFDOO\ LI ZH JR XS LQ GULYH VL]H
:LWKRXW ;5$,' \RX DUH UHVLJQHG WR VWLFNLQJ ZLWK WKH GULYH VL]H \RX VWDUWHG ZLWKµ QRWHG
0H\HU
4XLHW(DV\WR8VHDQG(QYLURQPHQWDOO\)ULHQGO\
(GLWK 0H\HU :HGGLQJ &DNHV NQHZ
WKH\ ZDQWHG D 1HWZRUN $WWDFKHG
6WRUDJH DSSOLDQFH WR FHQWUDOO\ VWRUH
DQG VDIHJXDUG WKH YDOXDEOH GDWD RI
WKHLU JURZLQJ EXVLQHVV $IWHU
FDUHIXOO\ HYDOXDWLQJ DOO RI WKH
VROXWLRQV WKDW ILW WKHLU VPDOO EXGJHW
WKH\ FKRVH 5HDG\1$6 19 IRU LWV
FRPELQDWLRQ RI D VLPSOLILHG VHW XS
7KHWKUHHDGGLWLRQDOUHDVRQVZK\(GLWK0H\HUFKRVH5HDG\1$619ZHUHHDVHRIXVHORZQRLVH
DQGORZSRZHUFRQVXPSWLRQ5HDG\1$619FDQEHFRQILJXUHGZLWKPLQLPDOHIIRUW7KHVHWXS
ZL]DUGWDNHV\RXWKURXJKGHSOR\PHQWYHU\TXLFNO\³H[SODLQLQJ\RXURSWLRQVDV\RXJR³DQGWKH
HDV\ ZHE EURZVHU LQWHUIDFH PDNHV PDQDJLQJ LW D VQDS $GGLWLRQDOO\ 5HDG\1$6 KDV EXLOWLQ
V\VWHP PRQLWRULQJ DQG HPDLO DOHUWV 7KHVH DXWRDOHUWV JLYH \RX WKH SHDFH RI PLQG WKDW LI
VRPHWKLQJJRHVZURQJ\RXZLOOEHQRWLILHGLPPHGLDWHO\
DXWRPDWHG 5$,' PDQDJHPHQW DQG
:LWKUHJDUGVWRQRLVHDQGSRZHUFRQVXPSWLRQ(GLWK0H\HUZDVKDSS\WROHDUQWKDW5HDG\1$6
RSHUDWHVYHU\TXLHWO\DQGZKHQSODFHGLQWKHLUTXLHWRIILFHWKHKXPRIWKHFRROLQJIDQLVEDUHO\
QRWLFHDEOH
VWRUDJH FDSDFLW\ E\ FKDQJLQJ WR
´:H QHHGHG VRPHWKLQJ YHU\ TXLHW EHFDXVH RXU RIILFH LV LQ RXU KRPH :H ZHUH SOHDVDQWO\
VXUSULVHGE\LWVFRROLQGXVWULDOGHVLJQDQGLWVWLQ\FKDVVLV³LWVWDQGVRQO\DIHZLQFKHVWDOOHU
WKDQWKHFRIIHHFXSRQP\GHVNµVD\V0H\HU
JURZV 7KH H[SDQGDELOLW\ RI ;5$,'
5HDG\1$6DOVRLQFOXGHVDSRZHUVDYLQJPRGHWKDWDORZV\RXWRFDQVFKHGXOHWKHVWDUWXSDQG
VKXWGRZQRIWKHDSSOLDQFHGHOLYHULQJFRQVHUYDWLRQWRRXUHQYLURQPHQWDOO\FRQVFLRXVFXVWRPHUV
ZKLOHPDLQWDLQLQJWKHLQWHJULW\RIWKH
´7KDW·VVRPHWKLQJZHDUHUHDOO\KDSS\DERXW²WKHDXWRPDWLFWLPHUIRUSRZHULQJRQDQGRII
,W SRZHUV LWVHOI XS DW HLJKW LQ WKH PRUQLQJ DQG SRZHUV GRZQ DW HOHYHQ LQ WKH HYHQLQJ ,W
SUHYHQWVWKHZHDUDQGWHDURQWKHGULYHVDQGDOVRVDYHVHQHUJ\µ
ZLQQLQJEXVLQHVVWRROOLNH5HDG\1$6
:HDUHSDVVLRQDWHDERXWGHOLYHULQJDVWHDGIDVW1$6VROXWLRQ'HOLYHULQJLWWRXQLTXHDQGFUHDWLYH
VPDOOEXVLQHVVHVOLNH(GLWK0H\HULVMXVWWKHLFLQJRQWKHFDNH
RZQDZDUGZLQQLQJFUHDWLRQV
*UHDW$PHULFD3DUNZD\
6DQWD&ODUD‡&$‡ 86$
1(7*($5ZZZ1(7*($5FRP
HQHUJ\
HIILFLHQF\
$GGLWLRQDOO\
EHFDXVH (GLWK 0H\HU LV UXQQLQJ
;5$,' WKH\ FDQ LQFUHDVH WKHLU
KLJKHUFDSDFLW\ GULYHV DV WKHLU GDWD
ZLOO PDQDJH WKH GHWDLOV IRU WKHP
GDWD :LWK WKH KHOS RI DQ DZDUG
(GLWK0H\HUFDQIRFXVRQFUDIWLQJKHU
‹1(7*($5,QF1(7*($5WKH1(7*($5ORJR&RQQHFWZLWK,QQRYDWLRQ(YHU\ERG\·VFRQQHFWLQJ
WKH*HDU*X\ORJR,QWHOOL)L3UR6DIH5DQJH0D[5HDG\1$66PDUW:L]DUGDQG;5$,'DUHWUDGHPDUNV
RUUHJLVWHUHGWUDGHPDUNVRI1(7*($5,QFDQGLWVVXEVLGLDULHVLQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVDQGRURWKHU
FRXQWULHV0LFURVRIWDQG:LQGRZVDUHWUDGHPDUNVRUUHJLVWHUHGWUDGHPDUNVRI0LFURVRIW&RUSRUDWLRQLQ
WKH8QLWHG6WDWHVDQGRURWKHUFRXQWULHV2WKHUEUDQGDQGSURGXFWQDPHVDUHWUDGHPDUNVRUUHJLVWHUHG
WUDGHPDUNVRIWKHLUUHVSHFWLYHKROGHUV,QIRUPDWLRQLVVXEMHFWWRFKDQJHZLWKRXWQRWLFH$OOULJKWV
UHVHUYHG3URGXFWLVVXEMHFWWRDOLPLWHGZDUUDQW\DQGDFWXDOSURGXFWSHUIRUPDQFHPD\YDU\GXHWRUHDO
ZRUOGRSHUDWLQJFRQGLWLRQV