data center optimization - CDW

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DATA CENTER OPTIMIZATION

THE FUTURE OF THE DATA CENTER: AIMING AT A MOVING TARGET In organizations of every size, data center optimization has become an ongoing focus of attention. Whether the discussion revolves around cost efficiencies, accelerating time to market, or positioning for future growth, many organizations are reexamining where their data centers are on the optimization scale—and where they must go next. Ramping up technologies without first considering how they will integrate into the greater IT fabric can be a perilous and potentially costly decision. In the pursuit of more scalable, efficient and agile systems, an effective, individualized data center optimization strategy is not just crucial, it’s a necessity. Even with the right goals in sight, the road to optimization can be paved with questions. Technologies are evolving every day, and vendors are many. Finding the right answers for your unique needs is often like aiming at a moving target, but CDW can help you examine approaches to data center optimization to help you make your decision.

PREPARING A STRATEGY STARTS WITH SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS A data center optimization strategy is crucial to providing value to the organization while minimizing the impact on the bottom line. However, it’s important to let organization needs shape the strategy, and not the other way around. CDW can help you choose the right approach to data center optimization that helps you spend wisely and implement components and systems that are in sync with your needs. When we work with an organization, our CDW solution architects ask a series of questions that help shape an optimization strategy: • Organizational need identification—What does your organization require? And why? • Environmental assessment—What are the opportunities and limitations of your overall physical data center? An environmental assessment can also include: • Network assessment • Storage and consolidation assessment • Future assessment—How will you scale or flex your system requirements based on your organizational needs? • Virtualized environment assessment—How virtualized is your organization right now?

OPTIMIZATION THROUGH CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURES AND REFERENCE ARCHITECTURES: IS ONE RIGHT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION? If your organization reveals that it’s in a period of growth, or would benefit from consolidation, converged infrastructures and referenced architectures are ideal solutions.

REFERENCE ARCHITECTURES A reference architecture is built based on proven-successful system configurations, which “reference” cross-vendor data center elements, including network, servers, storage and virtualization. A systems architect can use any product that matches or closely resembles the referenced element, affording the architect the flexibility to choose components while saving time and cost on implementation. However, given that the architecture is based on a specific configuration, the system may not be able to accommodate the flexibility and scalability required in times of growth.

Leading vendors in reference architectures are EMC, Microsoft and NetApp.

The EMC VSPEX solution references EMC storage, Intel servers, Cisco networking and either VMware or Microsoft virtualization software. This flexible solution allows IT to quickly and consistently deploy a virtualized infrastructure that consolidates servers and applications and helps reduce capital and operational expenses. The Microsoft private cloud fast track reference architecture is designed to help organizations get up and running with a preconfigured private cloud. This architecture combines Microsoft software, consolidated guidance and validated configurations with partner technology — such as computing power, network and storage architectures and value-added software components. NetApp accelerates your transition to the cloud with the prevalidated FlexPod data center platform that integrates components into a single, flexible architecture, increases efficiencies and reduces risk. NetApp’s FlexPod reference architecture is based on NetApp storage, Cisco networking and blade server technology and VMware or Microsoft virtualization software.

CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURES A converged infrastructure, sometimes called a single stack, is a “system in a box”: a comprehensive system infrastructure delivered to the data center’s doorstep. Key elements usually include servers, networking, virtualization and sometime storage, which are packaged, pretested and preconfigured by the vendor to meet specific IT or business needs — delivering significant savings in installation and implementation time. Converged infrastructures are robust, scalable and simple to support, however, they typically have a higher price tag because they are purpose-built for specific needs.

Leading vendors in converged infrastructures are HP, IBM and the VCE Alliance.

HP Converged Infrastructure solutions are designed to quickly and flexibly deliver applications and services while cutting costs. These solutions were created to simplify data center management and make it more flexible, more efficient and less expensive to operate. HP Converged Infrastructure solutions include HP CloudSystem, HP VirtualSystem, HPAppSystem and HP Performance Optimized Data Center offerings. The IBM PureSystems offering is a single system that includes computing, networking and storage as well as a broad choice of operating systems and hypervisors. The converged approach of IBM PureSystems combines the flexibility of a general purpose system, the elasticity of cloud, and the simplicity of an appliance tuned to the workload. Cisco, EMC and VMware have teamed up to introduce Vblock, a set of preconfigured server, storage and virtualization management resources packaged as a private cloud infrastructure. Vblock is available in three configurations that are tailored for different market segments, but customers can modify them after purchase to suit specific requirements.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR DATA CENTER OPTIMIZATION: DATA CENTER CONVERGENCE Even with all the reference architectures and converged infrastructures on the market, your needs may be too unique or perhaps your budget is too tight for the right prepackaged solution. If that is the case, you can explore a customized approach to data center optimization by streamlining and integrating components of your data center to make them more flexible and easier to manage. CDW can help you converge your infrastructure and prepare it for the future. Our solution architects can help you determine whether a complete convergence is appropriate for your needs or if a hybrid solution is better for you.

When helping organizations evaluate their data centers for convergence and optimization opportunities, we consider storage, networking, servers and virtualization. CDW has partnerships with industry-leading vendors in each area. We can help you assess your needs, evaluate products and vendors, and determine your right-fit solution.

STORAGE Optimization of data storage is critical because it ties directly to organizational growth. Depending on your specific needs and the environment, additional storage capacity or consolidation — or even both — may make sense. When evaluating the storage component of your data center convergence strategy, consider a unified storage system that supports multiple protocols, such as Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and consolidates file-and-block storage into a single platform. Strategic data centers realize that the way to optimization must include getting ahead of the explosion in storage. Virtualization software and policy-based management systems can reduce the hands-on labor required to provision and manage ever-growing storage environments.

The following are some of our partners with storage options you may consider:

EMC VMware Shared Storage solutions are designed to help organizations integrate, manage and optimize storage in VMware environments. These unified storage solutions enable storage architects to use multiple protocols to meet VMware use-case and configuration requirements and supports practically all connection protocols. HP 3PAR Thin Provisioning Software enables IT organizations to dedicate and configure storage capacity as it’s needed. Automation capabilities and centralized management are designed to reduce manual tasks and enable IT to change and expand its data storage environment without preplanning or downtime. IBM System Storage offerings are designed to protect an organization’s existing infrastructure investments and deliver high data availability. They can make it easier for organizations to store, safeguard, retrieve and share critical data. NetApp V-Series storage virtualization solutions are designed to consolidate mission-critical data using a unified data management architecture. In conjunction with the NetApp Data ONTAP operating system, organizations can unify multivendor storage arrays in storage attached network (SAN) environments under a V-Series system.

NETWORKING With the increasing demands on networks, organizations have come to realize the need for a network optimization strategy. Creating a path to greater network management and automation can markedly improve overall IT efficiency and flexibility. As with storage systems, FCoE is the unifying fabric in a network that is part of a data center convergence strategy. And expanding the network to 10GB is a good starting point for that strategy as well.

The following are some of our partners with network options you may consider:

The Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) is designed to help organizations efficiently implement and manage virtualized data centers. It includes a feature-rich, customizable dashboard that provides visibility and control through a single pane of glass to Cisco Nexus and MDS products. IBM has an open, standards-based approach to implementing technology into converged data center network designs. IBM System Networking offerings are designed to enable organizations to deploy a high-speed, low-latency data center Ethernet network fabric. The HP FlexNetwork unified architecture is designed to simplify and speed service delivery by converging network silos across all networked devices throughout an organization. And HP’s ProCurve, 3Com, H3C and TippingPoint expands HP’s networking capabilities and can accelerate a data center convergence strategy.

SERVERS Strategic data centers pursuing data center convergence often consolidate their server infrastructure to achieve the greatest efficiencies from server management. Leveraging automation and software tools drives higher availability levels and improved quality of service.

The following are some of our partners with server options you may consider:

The Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) servers integrate Cisco servers and network and I/O resources into one system, delivering a smart, programmable infrastructure. It is designed to streamline application and service deployment and offer new choices for design optimization. HP ProLiant Generation 8 servers support a converged infrastructure. These servers use both hardware and software to support self-sufficiency, self-healing and energy efficiency. For example, an embedded management chip allows a server to automatically monitor 1,600 data points to evaluate its own health. IBM Blade Servers can be an ideal platform for network and server virtualization and consolidation. It can consolidate many workloads into one easily managed system, all in a modular design purpose-built for energy efficiency and efficient use of physical space.

VIRTUALIZATION Virtualization helps eliminate underused or unnecessary resources, lowering capital costs and improving resource utilization. Many organizations have adopted some degree of virtualization, but a truly converged data center relies heavily on virtualization across teams and resources.

The following are some of our partners with virtualization options you may consider:

VMware converged management virtualization solutions are designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of disparate IT teams and processes. These solutions facilitate greater collaboration and sharing of data and processes, shifting siloed teams to a shared services model. Microsoft Hyper-V server virtualization software enables organizations to consolidate workloads onto a single physical server. Hyper-V is designed to provide a reliable and optimized virtualization solution enabling organizations to improve server utilization and reduce costs.

CDW FOR DATA CENTER OPTIMIZATION: IT’S THE PEOPLE, THE PRODUCTS, THE PLAN CDW understands the issues that data centers are facing today. Our account managers are ready to assist you, and our solution architects have decades of data center expertise to ask the right questions and help you choose the right offering or formulate a smarter customized strategy and implement it in the best possible way. With our in-depth knowledge of products and solutions from best-in-class partners, you’ll know that you’re getting the best of what the industry has to offer — not just the best a particular vendor has to offer.

Learn more: Please contact your account manager at 800.800.4239 or visit CDW.com/convergence

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