Sauber Motorsport AG Drives Success with Seagate Lyve Cloud

Sauber Motorsport AG, which operates Alfa Romeo F1 Team -Stake, is on a mission to make it to the top of the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula 1 racing. The team needed a data storage solution to keep up with its pioneering technology and current systems. Seagate® Lyve™ Cloud— with Veeam as their backup solution— offered easy integration, lightning speed, and cost savings to help them reach their goal.

• Clear TCO. A consistent capacity-based pricing model offers predictable costs for mass data storage. 
• Enhanced Efficiency. An 80% increase in storage provision helped the team increase the effectiveness of the storage allocation and management process. 
• Reduced Costs. The cloud cut cooling costs by 33% without a large, temperature-regulated, on-premises data center. 
• Increased Data Capacity. The team experienced over a 200% storage gain to prepare for future data needs. 

Pioneering the Future of Formula 1 Racing

The Sauber Group has two primary operations: Sauber Motorsport AG, which is responsible for operating and managing Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, and Sauber Technologies AG, which provides advanced engineering, design, and manufacturing services to third-party clients across industries. The two companies work closely together and share expertise—utilizing the skills of more than 500 passionate employees based in Hinwil, Switzerland—across their internal and external projects. For 30 years, Sauber Motorsports has been a major player in Formula 1, fielding competitive cars and attracting a loyal fan base. Their commitment to teamwork and excellence has made them a consistent success.

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Using Cutting-edge Technology to Reach the Top

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake finished the 2022 year in position six out of 10, which was a great success. Sauber Motorsport AG made it a goal to finish in a higher position the following year, and leadership had their sights set on the future. The team used the latest technology to enhance their cars, drivers, and techniques to get there. Their ambition was clear: they wanted to be at the top.

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A Mountain of Data to Store and Leverage

As Sauber Motorsport continued to enhance its technology to empower its drivers, its data storage couldn’t keep up. It had an on-premises data center and storage capacity was a challenge.

The company’s main issue was implementing a secure, flexible, expandable, and cost-effective data storage solution. Security was critical, so they needed multi-factor authentication (MFA) to the service platform and option to have the data storage immutable.

Over the past couple of years, data analysis and data collection have grown exponentially. More data must be collected and analyzed with each new car enhancement and upgrade. Plus, the technology, such as driving simulators, required fast access to data. The on-premises solutions struggled to keep up.

The traditional data storage model meant Sauber’s IT team could not remain as agile and reactive as they needed in order to advance to the top. They wanted a storage solution that allowed them to react quickly regardless of future business needs. Even with the top software and tools around, their data storage continued to slow them down, and they experienced shorter retention data periods due to a lack of available storage.

Sauber had a cloud provider that failed to meet their expectations and came with significant pricing concerns.In addition to its high up-front cost, the provider had hidden fees, like upload and download transfer rates.

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Storage that Makes Data as Fast as the Cars

Sauber decided that cloud storage was the best solution for their current goals. They invested in the newest, cutting-edge technology to realize their ambition of leading F1 and needed an agile and flexible data solution to keep up with their goal of winning. The cloud could provide them with the capacity for data analysis, data simulations, and data points from the racetrack and technical teams. As Thomas Hartmann, head of Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake – Sauber Group’s IT department stated, they needed to “make the data as fast as the car.”

To get their racers to the top, leadership invested in the technology to make it a reality. For example, racing simulations have become a critical tool to help drivers improve their techniques and learn tracks quickly, among other benefits. As technology continues to evolve, Sauber wants to ensure they can bring on cutting-edge resources That help improve driving results.

Because the team built impressive software and worked closely with 500 employees and various tech partners, they didn’t want a complete overhaul of their current systems. Instead, they looked for a cloud partner that could easily integrate with the existing set up. Leadership wanted a new way to store their data but needed a partner with a transparent total cost of ownership (TCO). Many cloud providers offer confusing and expensive contracts that make budgeting nearly impossible. 

Almost right away, leadership knew Seagate Lyve Cloud was the right solution for Sauber. The vendor-agnostic flexibility meant they could easily integrate the storage with their current technology. Transparent pricing was another strong reason they chose Seagate. 

“The flat rate pricing model was a strong advantage for me,” said Hartmann, “Nobody else had it, and it makes it easy for us to calculate the total cost of ownership.”

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake worked directly with Seagate to implement its backup solution. Using Veaam, the team configures and manages the offsite backup data transfer and retention to the Lyve Cloud. Seagate had recently built a European branch that now accommodates the company’s needs, so the team stores their data closer to operations. 

The collaboration between Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake and Seagate made the process smooth. The team got answers when they needed them and expert help from Seagate. 

Aziz Rajab, Project Manager at Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, stated, “Really, working together and the support we get on Seagate services is key. If there is anything we need, we always get an answer. If not right on the phone call, then we get it within a day or set timeframe. The support and services we receive from the Seagate team are great.”

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake reported that Lyve Cloud was easy to set up and use from the start. 

“We were able to use the service within a very short time frame,” said Hartmann. “Once operating in a productive environment, the service is stable and running as expected, without any interruptions.”

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Leveraging Data at the Speed of Racing

With the right data storage system, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake has the data speed needed to keep up with their cars. The team uses Lyve Cloud to offsite backup their metro cluster environment. This includes NetApp Compute and storage, and their main business applications, like Dassault 3DExperience and SAP.

“We are faster than ever in delivering IT services,” says Hartmann, meaning their cars can be faster on the track. “It’s really key that we can respond ‘fast’ to any needs.” 

Most importantly, the team is now ready to take on the future of racing and keep climbing to the top. They currently average 280TB of usage per month in Lyve Cloud. The team anticipates that the amount used will increase as additional data is stored on Lyve Cloud.

Because they no longer rely on on-premises data centers for the majority of their data storage, the team has saved money by transitioning to Lyve Cloud and Veeam.

• 280TB of usage per month in Lyve Cloud.
• Over 200% storage capacity gain
• 33% reduction in data cooling cost
• 80% faster storage provisioning

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