How Topgolf Replaced VMware and Modernized Its Gaming Infrastructure

Toptracer pushes around 40 TB of network data per day from cameras at a typical 102-bay venue. That volume creates significant bandwidth, latency, and traffic-distribution challenges across the infrastructure.

“Toptracer pushes around 40 TB of network data per day from cameras in a typical 102-bay venue. That’s a lot of bandwidth, and the VergeIO team helped us solve latency and path issues for that traffic to more effectively distribute the load across the nodes in the cluster,” he said.

Why Topgolf Chose VergeOS

VergeOS also appealed to Topgolf because its end-to-end automation did not require the company to rebuild its systems. The platform’s infrastructure-as-code capabilities were an important part of that transition.

Forehand said VergeOS’s API-first design was key. VergeIO employees also helped Topgolf develop support for Terraform and Ansible early in the migration, making it easier to automate infrastructure management.

Topgolf’s VMware Migration Required Multiple Projects

Topgolf’s biggest challenge in decommissioning VMware was coordinating the many projects that had to run in parallel with the server-stack replacement. Forehand explained:

In VxRail, the Topgolf game was powered by servers. Using VergeIO, we simplified our gaming stack and moved everything to the edge gaming panel in the bay. This meant we had to replace all the game panels, rewire the columns, replace the server stack, and switch to the new Kubernetes game architecture. We also piled on some other projects to further eliminate technical debt.

As Topgolf reduced its use of VMware, it also had to integrate the new virtualization platform with third-party software, including Rubrik and LogicMonitor. Topgolf uses LogicMonitor to monitor its entire infrastructure.

Data Protection and Third-Party Integration Challenges

VMware has been a leader in virtualization for decades and has built a broad range of enterprise products. That creates an integration advantage compared with newer competitors that may not yet offer the same level of compatibility.

“Overall, the challenges were pretty minimal,” Forehand said. “The real challenge was a heartfelt campaign to educate leaders about the gaps that existed. To fill the data protection gaps created by not being able to use Rubrik, we moved to VergeIO snapshots at Rubrik, but we didn’t have immediate answers for some Rubrik security features like threat hunting and ransomware protection. So we pivoted to Veeam to fill those gaps.”

VergeIO’s strategy for addressing product-integration challenges includes building functionality from third-party products into VergeOS and partnering “on the things that matter most,” Crump said.

“Integration is the most common friction point, and it shows up post-migration.…Customers want to continue using the tools they’ve already paid for and trained their staff on. If that vendor doesn’t yet support VergeOS, customers have to switch tools or implement workarounds,” he said.