diff --git a/src/content/customers/en/semax.md b/src/content/customers/en/semax.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..73ca5b73 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/customers/en/semax.md @@ -0,0 +1,110 @@ +--- +title: Deploying Zabbix Monitoring on OpenShift +company: Semax +logo: ../../assets/customers/semax.svg +pubDate: 2025-11-21 +results: + - Deployed Zabbix on existing OpenShift cluster + - Configured monitoring for Kubernetes workloads and external databases + - Optimized operational costs by reusing existing Prometheus infrastructure + - Enabled operations team for independent Zabbix management +quote: "" +authorName: "" +authorTitle: "" +authorImage: "" +--- + +## Customer + +[Semax AG](https://semax.ch/) was founded in 2011 and is based in Cham, +Switzerland. The company operates as a specialized system integrator for +intelligent metering systems in the Swiss energy sector. As a system integrator, +Semax provides comprehensive services spanning the entire smart metering +ecosystem, from meter parameterization and communication infrastructure to +head-end system integration and digitalization of metering processes. The +company offers Software-as-a-Service or on-site installations, emphasizing +compliance with Swiss legal requirements and data security standards. + +## Background + +Semax operates an OpenShift cluster managed by VSHN, which included Prometheus +for metrics collection as part of the standard cloud-native monitoring stack. +While this setup worked well for cloud-native workloads, the company needed to +deploy Zabbix as an additional monitoring solution for specific requirements: +monitoring external databases and providing a traditional monitoring interface +familiar to their operations team. + +The company faced several key challenges: + +**Limited In-House Expertise**: Semax lacked the internal knowledge to +effectively implement Zabbix in a cloud-native environment and integrate it with +their existing OpenShift infrastructure. + +**Infrastructure Efficiency**: A standard Zabbix deployment using the Kubernetes +API integration would create a parallel monitoring system, collecting the same +metrics twice and significantly increasing operational complexity and resource +consumption. + +**Sustainable Operations**: The solution needed to be maintainable by Semax's +operations team without requiring deep Zabbix expertise for day-to-day +management. + +## Project Goal + +The goal of the project was to deploy Zabbix monitoring on Semax's existing +OpenShift cluster while integrating it intelligently with the already +established Prometheus-based monitoring infrastructure. Specific objectives +included configuring Zabbix server on the OpenShift cluster, enabling the team +to monitor their OpenShift workloads and external databases, and ensuring the +operations team could independently manage and operate the Zabbix deployment. A +key requirement was to avoid unnecessary infrastructure duplication and keep +operational costs optimized by reusing existing monitoring components where +possible. + +## bespinian's Role + +bespinian played a key role in the following areas: + +### Planning and Architecture + +We began by thoroughly assessing Semax's existing infrastructure and +understanding the business drivers behind the Zabbix initiative. This broader +perspective allowed us to align with the customer's actual needs rather than +simply installing another piece of software. We evaluated the already installed +tools and determined that OpenShift's built-in Helm release management +capabilities would work well for this use case, providing a simple solution with +room for future improvements such as migration to a full GitOps setup. + +### Intelligent Infrastructure Reuse + +Rather than using Zabbix's Kubernetes API integration—which would have created a +second, parallel metrics collection system—we configured Zabbix to leverage the +existing Prometheus infrastructure. We set up Zabbix to query Prometheus +directly using PromQL, allowing us to select only the specific metrics needed in +Zabbix. This architectural decision balanced monitoring capability with +infrastructure simplicity, avoiding unnecessary resource consumption and +configuration drift. + +### Implementation and Configuration + +We deployed Zabbix server on the OpenShift cluster using Helm, integrating it +seamlessly with OpenShift's native platform features. The configuration +addressed Semax's specific operational requirements, including monitoring for +Kubernetes workloads and external databases. Throughout the implementation, we +designed the setup to be maintainable by the customer's team while following +monitoring best practices. + +### Knowledge Transfer Workshop + +To ensure the Semax operations team could effectively manage the PromQL-based +metrics collection, we conducted a comprehensive workshop. The hands-on training +covered practical Zabbix usage, including creating and customizing widgets, +configuring discovery rules for automated monitoring of dynamic infrastructure, +and applying fundamental monitoring practices. This training empowered the team +to extend the monitoring configuration as their needs evolved. + +## Technologies Used + +- **Infrastructure**: Red Hat OpenShift +- **Deployment**: Helm / OpenShift Platform +- **Monitoring**: Zabbix / Prometheus / Node Exporter diff --git a/src/pages/rss.xml.ts b/src/pages/rss.xml.ts index 4b3fdfc5..8e786b73 100644 --- a/src/pages/rss.xml.ts +++ b/src/pages/rss.xml.ts @@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export async function GET(context: { site: string }) { title: story.data.title, link: `/en/customers/${story.id}`, pubDate: story.data.pubDate, - description: story.data.description, + description: story.data.quote, })), );