Unikal Case Study – A strategic migration that drives efficiency and operational continuity
A relocation executed in 10 hours, with no service interruptions or incidents
The challenge
Unikal was in a phase of growth and integration of several companies and technologies within the group. Maintaining two data centers implied operational complexity, greater maintenance effort, and risk in service continuity, both for internal and external clients. The solution was to unify its data centers and migrate all its servers without causing interruptions in critical services.
The solution
Adam provided rack hosting, interconnection and progressive migration of communications, as well as consulting and technical support throughout the entire process. In addition, with the collaboration of partner Open Up, a safe and efficient physical transfer of the equipment was guaranteed, minimizing risks and ensuring operational continuity in each phase of the project.
Unikal is a company created to add capacities and enhance technological specialization. It defines itself as a “specialist of specialists”, integrating the best companies in the ICT sector to combine knowledge, experience, and quality in the provision of services. This collaborative model allows it to offer highly specialized solutions adapted to each technological need, driving innovation and operational excellence in all its projects.
The group, in constant growth and backed by Ufenau Capital Partners as a reference partner, advances with a clear strategy of European expansion. Each “wave” of its PartnerSEA ecosystem strengthens its objective of becoming a reference in specialization in the European IT market.
From the Iberian Peninsula, Unikal projects its knowledge and capabilities toward Europe, consolidating itself as a center of excellence in IT services, capable of automating, simplifying, and making technology accessible to companies of any size.
Five business lines, one global vision
Unikal structures its activity into five business lines that comprehensively cover the current technology ecosystem: Business Management Solutions, focused on enterprise management software (ERP) solutions with leading technologies such as SAP and Business Central; Cloud, Systems & Networking, the largest division, dedicated to the management of cloud infrastructures, networks, and associated services with the highest standards of availability, security, and scalability; Data Solutions, specialized in advanced data processing, analysis, and management; Digital Transformation, aimed at driving technological modernization processes in organizations; and Cybersecurity, focused on the comprehensive protection of critical environments and systems.
Thanks to this diversified structure, Unikal manages to offer transversal technological coverage, adapted both to the Enterprise market and the SME segment, with verticalized solutions for specific sectors, without giving up its multi-client and multi-sector character. As highlighted by Aarón Anciones, IT Operations Director, this breadth of specialization allows the company to address a very wide range of technological needs, from the implementation of management systems to the hosting and maintenance of critical infrastructures in large-capacity cloud environments, where they currently manage petabytes of information with the highest standards of performance and security.
Solid growth that maintains the essence of closeness
As of today, Unikal has around one thousand employees and annual turnover close to 140 million euros, with forecasts to reach 250 million and double its workforce by 2028. The company operates in almost all cities of the peninsula and maintains a portfolio of more than 2,000 active clients.
Despite its growth, the company preserves the DNA of closeness and flexibility that has characterized it since its origins, prioritizing personalized attention and working with small, highly specialized teams, which constitutes one of its main differentiators against competitors with a more rigid structure.
A path toward efficiency: the alliance with Adam is consolidated and grows
In its process of growth and consolidation, Unikal faced a key challenge: the coexistence of multiple data centers that increased operational complexity and maintenance effort. It was necessary to unify infrastructures and guarantee service continuity without affecting system availability, a project that always gave them “a lot of vertigo” but which they could no longer postpone, comments Mª Dolors Almazán, Technical Director of Unikal.
With a consolidated relationship as technology partners, Unikal trusted Adam Data Center again for its reliability, closeness, and ability to act as a strategic partner. From Adam, we offered a comprehensive, efficient, and scalable solution that combined housing, interconnection, technical support, and specialized consulting to accompany each phase of the project, which lasted ten months of intense work.
In addition, in collaboration with partner Open Up, the physical transfer of equipment was planned ensuring maximum security and an interruption-free execution.
“Adam understood from the first moment what we needed: a safe, planned migration with the minimum impact on service. […] At every step we felt that we spoke the same technical language”
Aarón Anciones, IT Operations Director
Planning and precision: the migration and relocation in two phases
The first phase of the process, focused on communications, lasted four to five months and consisted of the progressive transfer of clients’ accesses and IPs to the new Adam infrastructures. This strategy allowed the services to remain operational throughout the process, guaranteeing continuity and avoiding critical interruptions.
A temporary interconnection line between both data centers was implemented, which made it possible for network configurations and firewalls to function identically before and after the change, without affecting the traffic of the more than two thousand managed clients.
Once the communications phase was completed, the physical migration of the equipment was carried out—an operation of high sensitivity that required exhaustive preparation. During the two previous months, the technical teams of Open Up performed a full audit, designed an origin-destination layout to precisely locate each device, and planned the network wiring to minimize any risk of error.
The relocation was executed in a single night, within barely ten hours, during which all systems were shut down, transported, and reinstalled. Thanks to the use of specialized portable racks, which absorb vibrations and eliminate the need for individual dismantling and packing, the move was carried out with full safety and efficiency.
The result was an immediate and incident-free start-up: all equipment booted correctly and the services were available from the following dawn. The coordination between the different teams—networking, infrastructure, and support—allowed a flawless execution, validating the robustness of the plan and the effectiveness of the support.
“In ten hours we had all the machines up and running again and all the services available. […] It has been a success, both for the absence of incidents and the tranquillity with which we could face it”
Mª Dolors Almazán, Technical Director
Results that consolidate a relationship of trust
The migration represented a turning point for Unikal. The consolidation of infrastructures in Adam allowed simplifying IT management, optimizing the technical team’s operations, and reinforcing service resilience. The incorporation of new racks in the Adam environment has facilitated a more stable and efficient infrastructure for Unikal, tangibly improving daily operations and system response.
“We have received positive feedback from clients, especially in relation to communications and response times; we have really noticed an improvement in service,” summarizes Almazán.
Beyond technological advances, the project highlighted the high level of coordination and professionalism of all the teams involved. Open Up played a fundamental role in the audit, documentation, origin-destination design, and relocation phases so that there was no error in cabling.
The detailed planning and clarity of procedures—from preparation to final start-up—ensured a flawless execution, even in the most sensitive environments where maintaining 24/7 service without interruptions was critical.
The success of the project also consolidated the relationship of trust and collaboration between Unikal and Adam. After years of postponing migration due to its complexity, Adam’s experience, technical support, and comprehensive vision were key to making viable a process that initially seemed unapproachable. For Unikal, Adam has become a reference partner, not only for the quality of its infrastructure, but for its response capacity and operational closeness.
“From the beginning, Adam made us see that the project was possible and accompanied us at all times, not only in infrastructure, but also in incident resolution and future planning”
Mª Dolors Almazán, Technical Director
Toward a future of shared growth
With the infrastructure already consolidated and the critical services hosted in Adam Data Center, Unikal now has a solid technological base on which to continue its strategy of expansion and specialization in the European market. The project has not only meant a substantial improvement in the stability and efficiency of its systems, but has also consolidated a long-term collaboration based on mutual trust and operational excellence.
The success of the migration confirmed the joint capacity to face large-complexity growth projects, such as the simultaneous integration of cloud services for multiple clients, a process that for years had seemed unapproachable. Today, both companies share the same vision: to move toward a sustainable, automated, and growth-ready technological model.
This project not only marks a technical milestone, but also the beginning of a relationship that will continue driving innovation, trust, and excellence in IT services.
“In Adam we have found a data center and services that work, but above all we have found closeness: when a problem arises, we pick up the phone and there’s someone who answers, who advises and gets involved.”
Aarón Anciones, IT Operations Director
“The migration was just the first step; now we have a solid base to continue developing new projects together with Adam.”
Mª Dolors Almazán, Technical Director
The importance of a planned migration
A migration of IT infrastructure of this magnitude is not measured in speed, but in precision. The Unikal case demonstrates how rigorous planning, supported by audits, technical documentation, and prior simulations, is key to executing a relocation without service impact.
During the ten months of preparation, Adam accompanied Unikal in defining each step: from communications migration to the physical layout of racks. This methodical approach allowed reducing risks, anticipating incidents, and achieving that, in barely one night, the entire infrastructure was operational.
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