Executive Summary

Paragon Micro delivered the technical design, solution build, and implementation of a new Hyper Converged Infrastructure environment for the 412th Communications Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base.

The engagement replaced an aging three-tier architecture of disparate servers and storage systems with a secure, scalable, and encrypted HCI platform. The solution was delivered without technical deviation and aligned to federal security and compliance requirements.

Mission Challenge

The 412th Communications Squadron required replacement of legacy servers and storage that had reached the end of life and end of support.

The modernization effort required:

• Consolidation of a three-tier architecture
• Secure data at rest and in transit encryption
• Integration with the existing Air Force network environment
• Scalable architecture for future growth
• TAA-compliant equipment
• Streamlined licensing management
• Strict program management and reporting discipline

The solution had to support mission-critical communications and computing requirements while modernizing core infrastructure.

Technical Architecture Delivered

The deployed Hyper Converged Infrastructure consisted of:

• Fifteen HPE VSAN-ready nodes
• Cisco 93180YC top-of-the-rack switches
• Two APC racks with PDUs
• Thales CipherTrust appliances
• Veritas 5240 riser Ethernet cards
• Complete cabling and connectivity integration

The solution was designed to fit within two 42U racks and fully integrate compute, storage, networking, and encryption.

Software included:

• VMware vSphere
• VMware vSAN
• VMware vROPs Advanced licensing

An external Thales CipherTrust K160 KMIP solution served as the key manager for VSAN encryption.

The environment provided encryption for data at rest and in transit, in compliance with FIPS 140-2 requirements.

Project Management and Execution

Paragon Micro managed a complex solution containing 114 order line items.

Program management responsibilities included:

• Project initialization and kickoff meetings
• Stakeholder coordination
• Vendor and OEM ordering
• Shipment coordination and reporting
• Installation scheduling
• Contractual reporting and metric development
• Compliance verification
• Vendor discrepancy resolution
• Training coordination

Paragon served as the single point of contact for the Government and OEM partners, streamlining communication and execution.

Performance Metrics

Operational Impact

• Replaced end-of-life infrastructure
• Consolidated three-tier architecture into HCI
• Simplified licensing management
• Improved scalability and workload management
• Enhanced security posture with encrypted data at rest and in transit

The modernization positioned the 412th Communications Squadron for secure and scalable future growth.

Why This Matters

Base communications infrastructure demands security, resiliency, and a disciplined approach to modernization.

This engagement reflects Paragon’s capability to modernize mission-critical Air Force infrastructure through secure, scalable, and compliant HCI deployments.