What is our primary use case?
Today, my main use case for RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is image storage server applications, where the operation uses it to archive imaging exams performed in hospitals and care points of the company. We use an application from a provider called PACS Aurora, a provider called Pixel. This application stores the entire history of patients who are company clients and makes it easier for doctors to make diagnoses in the operation by viewing the exams that are performed on equipment and stored on these servers.
For the doctors, RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is somewhat transparent because it is a container platform that works as an invisible infrastructure layer with high availability. In my scenario, that is in hospitals and clinics in the diagnostics network, and the impact is reflected directly in the criticality of the work, in the speed of diagnoses, and in the security of patient data.
What I consider relevant about my main use case for RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is the critical availability in a 24/7 operation. RedHat guarantees continuous uptime for databases in the healthcare segment. We use the Oracle 19c database and PostgreSQL to store the electronic medical records and patient images, and to provide agility in PACS and RIS. The high throughput and system stability speed up the loading of large volumes of images.
Regarding security and protection under the LGPD (Brazilian data protection law), the advanced native security features that RedHat has, such as SELinux, protect medical records and sensitive patient data against attacks and unauthorized access. For updates without downtime, the use of real-time kernel patching allows us to apply security updates on servers without needing to reboot the system or take services offline. This way, we keep the operation running and do not cause impact for our customers at the edge.
How has it helped my organization?
The positive impact that RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers has had on my organization is mainly reflected in three pillars. The first is a drastic reduction in downtime: with live kernel patching, we are able to perform all our security updates while keeping application stability and functionality. The second is efficiency and standardization: automation via Ansible and standardized management of the infrastructure simplify the deployment of new services and databases, thus reducing manual effort by the operations team. The third is security and continuity without bottlenecks: native security with SELinux and the reliability of corporate support ensure that mission-critical systems continue to operate 24/7 in a protected and predictable way. The main impact was the drastic reduction in planned outages and an overall efficiency gain.
The main metrics that highlight the impact on the operation are the reduction of 90 to 100% of maintenance windows and the increase to 99.99% availability in server uptime. We keep the servers running and the application working without interruptions. This does not cause any loss to the operation; on the contrary, it ensures reliability by keeping the system up, guaranteeing that all deliveries are made on time. We also gained 40 to 50% in efficiency in deployment management, because environment standardization and automation of routines via organized repositories reduced time and expenses with infrastructure tasks that were previously done manually.
What is most valuable?
The best features that RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers offers, in my opinion, are live kernel patching, which is the ability to apply critical security fixes to the kernel without needing to reboot the servers, and integrated security with SELinux and OpenSCAP. SELinux is enabled by default, providing mandatory access control (MAC), and the compliance tools make it easier to keep the infrastructure in line with regulatory standards. For management and automation, the Cockpit dashboard makes server administration via web interface easier, and the native integration with Ansible allows us to automate configurations and repetitive routines at scale.
For lifecycle stability and repositories, long-term support with a lifecycle of up to ten years per version, combined with the ease of managing packages and certified updates, brings enormous predictability to the operation.
For me, the best features of RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers are live kernel patching, which allows us to update safely without rebooting the server, and native SELinux, which guarantees a very strong data protection layer. The ease of automation and the extreme stability of the system over several years are also significant.
Regarding the AI features of RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers, I evaluate its governance and security positively because data sovereignty and privacy make it possible to deploy models on-premises and in private cloud, ensuring that sensitive information does not leak to APIs or third parties. For access control, the native integration of OpenShift AI with RBAC and SELinux ensures that only authorized profiles access the data.
In lifecycle management, the environment allows versioning of datasets, pipelines, and models, guaranteeing auditability over AI, including understanding why it made a certain decision and which version of the code was in production.
Regarding the accuracy and reliability of the results of RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers, I see it as very positive because it allows me to manage the entire lifecycle of models as containers with strict dataset versioning. This ensures consistent and reproducible results, without unexpected deviations in the production environment.
For reliability and automation, AI focused on automation generates playbooks based on code certified by RedHat, which guarantees predictable syntax and prevents incorrect or unverified commands from entering the infrastructure.
For reliable infrastructure, the accuracy of AI models depends on high processing capacity without interruption. Running AI on RedHat guarantees continuous 99.99% uptime, predictable latency for real-time inferences, and excellent resource management for hardware.
What needs improvement?
Regarding how RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers could be improved, I believe there are some points that could be enhanced, such as reducing the complexity and cost of licensing. The subscription model and socket counting can be complex and have a high cost for expanding smaller development environments. The learning curve could also be simplified: although security is impeccable, solving SELinux troubleshooting issues in advanced scenarios requires a considerable amount of diagnostic time for those who are just starting out. Documentation and the unified migration interface could be improved as well. The process of transitioning between major versions, such as from RedHat 8 to 9, has evolved a lot with Leapp, but it could still have tools such as simpler visual wizards and less dependency on manual scripts and customized scenarios.
For me, the main improvement points in RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers are mainly the cost of the subscription model, which can be high when scaling new environments, and the complexity of configuring SELinux, which requires more time for the team to analyze errors when advanced blocks occur.
I believe that RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers, to be a 10, would need to address what I mentioned in the previous answer. That would be broader documentation in the sense of providing tools with more visual and simple assistance, with less dependence on scripts, and reducing cost complexity. Some subscription and socket counting models can have a high cost for expansions of smaller development environments.
I believe I have mentioned all the improvement suggestions I think are viable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers for about eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is very stable. That was one of the reasons we chose to migrate our entire operation from Windows to RedHat.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is one of its biggest strengths. It works on three main fronts. The first is vertical scalability, supporting large-scale architectures with large numbers of CPU sockets. The second is horizontal and multicloud scalability, where the container platform facilitates auto-scaling. The third is scale management with automation, where automation via Ansible allows provisioning, configuring, and updating hundreds of servers and nodes simultaneously with playbooks, standardizing and avoiding operational bottlenecks as the environment grows.
How are customer service and support?
Support for RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is one of the main pillars for the value delivered by the corporate subscription, providing specialized 24/7 support for critical severity cases. It has proactive support with RedHat Insights. The platform includes Insights, an AI and automation-based analytics tool that analyzes the infrastructure in real time and alerts proactively about security vulnerabilities. The customer portal with its knowledge base offers extremely detailed, reliable, and constantly updated official documentation, technical troubleshooting articles, and problem-solving guides.
The long support lifecycle, with extended support of up to 10 years for major versions, ensures continuous support, bug fixes, and security updates even for legacy mission-critical systems. RedHat support is excellent and truly corporate. For critical tickets, the response time is very fast and the support is provided by highly qualified engineers. In addition, RedHat Insights helps proactively identify vulnerabilities and system issues before they affect operations, and there is also an impeccable knowledge base.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Windows Server initially, and I migrated to RedHat in a challenging project for several reasons, including availability without needing reboots, performance and resource efficiency, advanced security, predictable costs without client-based licensing, and a native environment for containers and AI.
What was our ROI?
I achieved 99.99% availability of server uptime, ensuring several updates without needing to stop the application. I also achieved a 40 to 50% reduction in development time with the help of AI, a drastic reduction in human error rate, generation of routines based on certified standards, and continuous security validation. I achieved a 90% reduction in downtime for maintenance, which refers to kernel updates, since we do not need to shut down the environment. The most significant results were nearly 100% service availability, with no interference in the database, and a 50% reduction in the time spent to create and test new automations with AI support.
What other advice do I have?
RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is deployed in my organization locally, on-premises.
We also have servers in the cloud; however, the vast majority is on-premises.
We use AWS for those servers that are not on-premises.
The advice I would give to others who are thinking about using RedHat 9 with support by ProComputers is to invest in the team's security skills with SELinux. Do not disable SELinux in production. Instead of disabling it, learn to work with it. RedHat is a perfect tool for any corporate environment because it delivers several improvements, standardization, tools, and features that are required nowadays in daily corporate environments.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?