Client Background

OpenMetal is a US-based infrastructure provider specializing in OpenStack-powered private cloud environments built on high-performance bare metal infrastructure. Their platform enables enterprises to run complex workloads with full infrastructure control while benefiting from expert support across networking, storage (Ceph), Kubernetes, and large-scale cloud migrations.

A key differentiator for OpenMetal is their commitment to responsive, high-level technical support for production cloud environments where reliability and operational continuity are critical.

The Challenge

As OpenMetal continued to expand globally, its primarily US-based support model created operational constraints.

Customers in Europe and Asia frequently experienced:

• Delayed response times due to timezone differences
• Dependence on the US on-call engineers for urgent issues
• Limited real-time support during local business hours

At the same time, complex production cloud environments required continuous monitoring, advanced troubleshooting, and proactive stabilization to prevent disruption and reduce recurring issues.

Additionally, onboarding large enterprise customers across regions demanded hands-on support and extended coverage to ensure stability during early production phases.

OpenMetal needed a solution that could:

• Extend support coverage across time zones
• Reduce escalation pressure on US engineers
• Maintain infrastructure reliability through proactive operational support
• Provide proactive onboarding support for enterprise customers

The Solution

The engagement focused on introducing extended operational coverage through a dedicated engineering presence aligned with EU and Asia time zones, complementing OpenMetal’s US-based team.

This approach enabled:

• Continuous support coverage across global customer regions
• Real-time assistance during customer business hours outside the US
• Proactive infrastructure operations support
• Improved onboarding experiences for enterprise clients

Our Role

BlueGrid.io supported OpenMetal as an operational engineering partner working directly within their support workflows.

Timezone coverage & customer support

• Provided extended coverage from Serbia, bridging the EU and parts of Asia time zones
• Acted as the primary point of contact for non-US customers during their working hours
• Took ownership of issues during EU/Asia shifts, resolving or triaging them before the US team handover

Escalation reduction & operational continuity

• Reduced reliance on US on-call engineers by handling incidents independently when possible
• Improved shift handovers with pre-investigated or resolved issues

Proactive Incident Investigation & Context Preservation 

• Investigated customer issues across OpenStack services, including compute, networking, storage, and Horizon during EU/Asia hours
• Collected logs, identified failure patterns, and narrowed root causes before US team handover
• Reduced duplicate troubleshooting efforts by preserving technical context across shifts
• Ensured unresolved issues were entered into US working hours with clear findings and next steps

Enterprise onboarding assistance

• Delivered hands-on technical support during onboarding phases
• Stabilized environments and resolved early-stage issues
• Supported the onboarding of a large enterprise customer with the potential to become OpenMetal’s largest client

Results and Impact

The collaboration delivered meaningful improvements across support coverage, operational efficiency, and customer experience.

1. Near-continuous global support coverage

OpenMetal achieved close to 20 hours per day of active human support coverage, significantly improving availability across regions.

2. Faster response times for international customers

EU and Asia-based customers gained real-time support during local business hours, improving satisfaction and operational confidence.

3. Reduced on-call burden for US engineers

Fewer emergency escalations allowed the US team to focus on higher-value work without frequent overnight disruptions.

4. Improved Infrastructure Stability & Operational Resilience 

Proactive troubleshooting and real-time issue ownership reduced recurring incidents and strengthened overall platform stability.

Earlier detection and resolution of system-level issues improved production reliability across customer environments.

5. Improved customer trust and onboarding stability

Enterprise customers benefited from hands-on support during onboarding, leading to faster stabilization and stronger confidence in the platform.

6. More efficient cross-region collaboration

Shift handovers became smoother, with issues already investigated or resolved before US engineers began their day.

What the Client Says About the Partnership

The founder of OpenMetal (and InMotion Hosting) shared his perspective on the collaboration and the value it has brought to their global operations: