Sheetz, StorMagic rollout is done remotely and without needing a hardware upgrade.
Convenience store and gas station chain Sheetz announced it is replacing VMware across its network of more than 830 retail locations with StorMagic’s SvHCI hyperconverged infrastructure platform, marking one of the larger publicly announced migrations away from VMware.
The rollout is already well underway. According to StorMagic, Sheetz has completed migrations at more than 600 stores and is averaging roughly 200 store conversions per month. At that rate, the company is on track to finish the project in about four months.
The migration is being carried out entirely remotely, eliminating the need for hardware upgrades or on-site IT visits. This lets the chain continue using its existing Dell PowerEdge R440 and R450 servers.
The two companies have a relationship dating back to 2020, when Sheetz first deployed StorMagic’s SvSAN software as the hyperconverged storage layer with VMware across hundreds of store locations to virtualize critical in-store application. The setup supported mission-critical applications such as payment processing, loyalty programs, kitchen management and store operations.
The new deployment replaces VMware entirely with StorMagic’s integrated SvHCI virtualization stack, simplifying infrastructure while reducing software complexity and operating costs.
By employing existing hardware and managing migrations remotely, Sheetz expects to minimize disruption while standardizing virtualization across its nationwide footprint. StorMagic said the completed platform will provide a highly available infrastructure for business-critical in-store applications while extending the useful life of existing server hardware.
“Our initial rollout proved StorMagic could deliver the resilience and centralized management needed across a large, distributed retail environment,” said Gary Sliver, director of platform engineering at Sheetz in a statement.
“StorMagic worked to understand our needs and requirements, to include a 24/7/365 operating environment, and ultimately delivered a product and plan that is allowing us to migrate hundreds of locations from VMware quickly and with minimal downtime, without requiring hardware replacements or having to send technicians to every site. This project is proof that large-scale edge migrations don’t have to be disruptive, drawn-out or scary affairs.”
