Vexcel is an international company that specializes in aerial imagery and geospatial data. Since its founding in 1992, it has grown into a global organization with technical and operational teams spread across five continents. Vexcel designs and builds its own UltraCam camera systems, used by mapping agencies and commercial partners worldwide to produce high quality ortho, oblique, 3D and multispectral images.
The Vexcel Data Program collects and refreshes imagery in over 40 countries, delivers accurate and consistent data products that include elevation models, textured 3D meshes and AI based insights. These are used by customers in insurance, utilities, telecom, government and infrastructure to support tasks like property analysis, asset monitoring, smart city planning and post disaster response.
By combining camera technology, global aerial collection, and scalable data services, Vexcel delivers high quality location data used across more than 40 countries. Their imagery supports elevation models, textured 3D meshes, and AI powered insights that help customers in sectors like insurance, utilities, telecom, and government make better decisions about property, infrastructure, and risk.
As Vexcel’s data footprint expanded, so did demands on their storage platform. They used Ceph in different ways: as an object store, block storage for virtualization, and a caching layer for image processing.
While Ceph was successfully implemented, deeper in house expertise was still needed to fully optimize its use. Daily operational challenges consistently highlighted the need for additional support.
Without a clear and consistent operational structure in place, the team had limited visibility into system responses under pressure, further complicating long term planning, resource allocation, and decision making.
Vexcel sought support to better understand their environment, strengthen internal capabilities, and build the knowledge and structure needed to move forward confidently and sustainably as their platform continued to grow.
Vexcel partnered with 42on to build internal knowledge and confidence around Ceph, enabling the team to take ownership of day to day operations without relying on external vendors. 42on provided targeted consultancy focused on stabilizing the initial deployment, resolving critical storage issues, and establishing clear operational practices that the team could maintain and scale independently.
A more structured way of working was introduced, including regular planning sessions to review cluster performance, prepare for future scaling needs, and coordinate ongoing software updates. 42on also advised on hardware selection and architecture design, helping Vexcel make informed, cost effective decisions and avoid unnecessary infrastructure investments over time.
Vexcel transitioned from a reactive setup to a stable environment. The team now works with scheduled reviews and clear plans for updates, focusing on long-term priorities.
The partnership improved understanding of Ceph, making the team more confident and in control, reducing reliance on guesswork.
With a structured approach, Vexcel can now address issues proactively, saving time and reducing complexity in managing their platform.
After three years, Vexcel sees the partnership as a turning point, evolving from a search for help to a long-term collaboration supporting growth.
42on supports Ceph teams with the complete operation of Ceph clusters by providing Consultancy, Training, Emergency Assistance, and Managed Services.
Why choose 42on as your partner for your open source infrastructure?
42on's passion for open source, particularly Ceph, is not just a statement but a core ethos. Actively engaged in the Ceph and related open source communities, our contributions to GitHub, tech blogs and events showcase our enthusiastic involvement
We avoid vendor lock-in and work together with clients that use open source or subscribed Ceph. This vendor-agnostic approach ensures clients have the freedom to choose their preferred vendor while benefiting from 42on's expert support and guidance.
We understand that every business has unique needs. Therefore, we provide a range of services that allow you to customize your level of control. You can choose to maintain complete control or delegate tasks as you see fit.
