Linden Lab Success Story

Challenge
Scale capacity and keep costs down for two data centers and thousands of servers.

How Silicon Mechanics Helps
With tailored server configurations, flexible processes and highly responsive customer service.

Benefits
Linden Lab gets pre-racked, pre-cabled servers that precisely match their requirements, and the company's IT staff can count on immediate responses to any issues that arise.

Building a New World Three Racks at a Time

Silicon Mechanics is helping Linden Lab turn virtual reality into real world success with about 500 custom-configured servers per month — and uniquely flexible and responsive support.

The boundaries between the real world and virtual reality are crumbling, thanks in part to Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life. In six years, the company's 3D online world has grown to accommodate more than 7 million "residents" and thousands of organizations. Many of those organizations are fictional, but real-world companies have also purchased land and built facilities; real universities have created learning centers; and Sweden (yes, the real Sweden) has even built an "in-world" embassy.

Ian Wilkes
Director of Operations
Linden Lab

Meeting the Demands of a Virtual World — and a Real Company

At the heart of this virtual revolution are two data centers housing more than 3,500 servers, each of which supports 64 virtual acres. Since Linden Lab's revenue comes from selling virtual real estate to real people, success requires ever-increasing compute power. The company currently adds about 3 racks (123 servers) per week, and they rely on Silicon Mechanics to help them do it efficiently and cost-effectively. According to Ian Wilkes, Director of Operations for Linden Lab, "We've been working with Silicon Mechanics since 2001, and they've always been flexible and responsive. We needed lower power consumption to cut costs. They helped us achieve that. We wanted pre-racked and pre-cabled systems. They adapted their processes. We wanted them to work directly with our new data centers. No problem."

Choice, Flexibility and Great Pricing

Silicon Mechanics specializes in rackmount servers and offers dozens of models, along with consistently low prices that are never padded with unwanted add-ons. According to Wilkes, that's one of the great advantages of working with Silicon Mechanics: "I know I can count on low costs and straightforward pricing models. There's no sales pressure and I don't have to haggle to get the best deal."

In addition to its standard server models, Silicon Mechanics delivers best-fit configurations for virtually any customer need. "Buy from a major server OEM and you have just a few choices," says Jon Lewis, Executive VP of Sales for Silicon Mechanics. "We customize systems and services to match specific requirements. That delivers better value for a lot of companies."

Jon Lewis
Executive Vice President, Sales
Silicon Mechanics

A Focus on People and Technology

Silicon Mechanics has grown rapidly itself, and has taken great pains to remain agile and responsive. Red tape is kept to a bare minimum and communication channels are always open. "Our customers are doing great things with our servers. Our production guys make a point of understanding their business models, so they can share their enthusiasm and deliver better systems and support," says Lewis.

One aspect of that support is making sure systems are checked and rechecked before they go out the door. Another is responding quickly to customer issues. "Whenever we've had a problem, they've dealt with it," says Wilkes. That kind of responsiveness is just business as usual for Silicon Mechanics. If an employee can't answer a customer's question on the spot, he or she takes personal responsibility for quickly finding someone who can.

Every Customer a Top Priority

When Linden Lab first approached Silicon Mechanics, they needed just a few servers — now they need hundreds every month. That's one reason Silicon Mechanics treats every customer as a major customer, and every order as mission-critical. According to Lewis, "We work in a field where today's start-up may be tomorrow's global success story — just like Linden Lab. Supporting every customer with great service gives us the opportunity to keep growing right along with them."

In a world where computing power is a driving force behind technical, economic and cultural change, that's a formula for success. It has helped Silicon Mechanics sustain a long, mutually beneficial relationship with Linden Lab. And it will continue to be the foundation underlying all of Silicon Mechanics' relationships. "Sure, it's about good business," says Lewis, "but it's also about good people. We value our customers. Why would we ever give them anything but our best effort?"