Zumasys Signs Managed Unix Hosting Contract with The Sieck Company Leading Wholesale Florist Consolidates Ten Pick Systems with a Single IBM AIX Server

Zumasys, a leading provider of IT solutions for small and medium businesses, today announced the implementation of a hosted IBM AIX environment for The Sieck Company, an 89-year-old wholesale florist based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Sieck Company utilizes Zumasys’ Unix Hosting Services to run the company’s Pick-based floral ordering system which handles peak holiday sales volume for more than 2,500 retail florists spread across 8 states from Richmond, Virginia to the Canadian border.

The Sieck Company consolidated ten stand-alone accounting systems to a co-location facility managed by Zumasys to leverage the IT provider’s expertise in legacy application hosting and business continuity. Zumasys managed the entire process including the development of a fully functional test environment, the conversion of the customer’s legacy QIC ¼" tape media and porting the application to D3 AIX, a powerful multi-dimensional database from Raining Data.

With nearly 350 users relying on the system, Zumasys had to build a highly redundant environment to deliver the uptime and performance demanded by The Sieck Company. The system is accessed over the Internet using a combination of three protocols: Telnet over VPN, AccuTerm SSH and Citrix Presentation Server allowing the company to operate through virtually any power or weather-related issue, or natural disaster. Zumasys provided on-site professional services and support, resulting in a smooth site-by-site cutover that was completed within just 30 days, in time for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, two of the busiest sales days of the year for Sieck.

"Zumasys’ hosting experience with multi-value databases and their relationship with IBM provided us with a solution designed specifically for our environment. We reviewed several other options but Zumasys offered a managed hosting package that was the best fit for us," said Will Sieck, Partner with the The Sieck Company. "Our floral ordering system must be available especially during peak holiday seasons and Zumasys provides solid infrastructure and support services to make that a reality."

"The Sieck Company is known for excellent customer service and we are proud to keep their ERP system running through sleet and snow, including the recent winter storm that hit the East Coast on Valentine’s Day" said Paul Giobbi, President of Zumasys. "By consolidating in our hardened co-location facility and leveraging multiple access protocols, The Sieck Company effectively web-enabled their application allowing them to service customers through virtually any situation, which is very compelling."