How do I better allocate and manage shared storage?

Transcription

1 Constant demand for anytime, anywhere access to information. Exponential growth in unstructured data. Doing more with less budget scenarios. Sound familiar? How do I better allocate and manage shared storage? These are just some of the IT issues that most organizations are facing on a daily basis, and for many the answer has been virtualization. While virtualization technology can be an incredibly effective solution to many of today s typical challenges, it does create a new kind of storage problem. To really get the most out of virtualized environments, you need shared storage. That being said, this kind of storage can be a complex beast, especially when it comes to management, provisioning and allocation. So how do organizations make the switch to shared storage without adding unnecessary complexities and inefficiencies? This ebook will help you answer that question. We ll look at the current landscape and drivers that have created the need for not just shared storage, but unified storage, the challenges you may face implementing it, as well as solutions and best practices for handling these challenges. Part of the Choose Your Own Infrastructure ebook series.

2 1 How do I better allocate and manage shared storage? What you are faced with 1 At a time when most companies are experiencing greater than 50 percent information growth every year, mostly in unstructured data, it s no surprise that these same companies are experiencing an exponential growth in storage-capacity demand. At the same time, IT budgets typically remain flat and under constant strain from new infrastructure demands. Consider too that the IT picture in general is becoming increasingly complex, as organizations continue to add multiple servers and applications to meet the 24 x 7 demand for information. The result of all this is that many organizations are moving to a virtualized environment. This is an excellent and efficient solution to today s complex IT landscape, but it comes with new storage problems. The reality is that in a virtualized environment, traditional storage methods no longer cut it and present a whole host of challenges, from server sprawl to handling the input/output (I/O) blender problem of traditional applications to the actual provisioning within each server. And the bottom line is that when your storage structure and capabilities are not optimized for virtualized environments, you risk negatively impacting the efficiency of your virtualized servers. A virtualized environment servers and applications is dynamic. Physical servers are running many virtual machines which run different applications. The applications that are running today on one server may not be running on that server tomorrow. Data attached to that application may end up unattached after that application is moved. The potential for performance and availability issues is high. The end to end infrastructure must be optimized for virtualization servers, networks, and storage working in unison to ensure the highest levels of reliability, availability, and service levels. This means organizations are faced with a basic choice: continue the costly and constant addition of lots of traditional storage arrays that may not adequately support a virtualized environment, or make the move to unified storage structures in order to maximize the benefits of virtualized servers and the IT infrastructure as a whole. What is unified storage? Unified storage (sometimes termed network unified storage) is a storage system that makes it possible to run and manage files and applications from a single device. To this end, a unified storage system consolidates file-based and block-based access (and some systems we ll cover later can also include object based storage) in a single storage platform and supports iscsi, SAN, and NAS (network attached storage). A unified storage system simultaneously enables storage of file data and handles the block-based I/O (input/output) of enterprise applications. In actual practice unified storage is often implemented in a NAS platform that is modified to add block-mode support. Instead of separate storage platforms list NAS, file-based storage and block/file storage; unified storage combines all platforms in a single device with one management interface for all. Alternatively, a single device could be deployed for either file or block storage as required. In addition to lower capital expenditures for the enterprise, unified storage systems can also be simpler to manage than separate products. However, the actual management overhead depends on the full complement of features and functionality provided in the platform. Unified storage systems generally cost the same and enjoy the same level of reliability as dedicated file or block storage systems. Users can also benefit from advanced features such as built-in storage snapshots and replication, although heterogeneous support between different storage platforms should be considered closely. Benefits of unified storage A main benefit of unified storage is that you can start with your file platform then add block or vice versa whatever is convenient for you! Mix and match storage types to lower costs. Enable scale through simplified management. Provision storage for applications like Microsoft Exchange and SQL and hypervisor environments like VMware vsphere and Microsoft Hyper-V in just minutes. Reduce backup times from hours to minutes with spaceefficient, application consistent snapshots.

3 2 How do I better allocate and manage shared storage? 2 The challenges that you face with shared storage These kinds of storage environments are very effective, but you need to be aware of the challenges in order to maximize unified storage efficiency. Let s look at two of the high level challenges and what you can do to solve them: Management and allocation Shared storage solutions may require a deep understanding of complicated practices and terminology, and may require specialized training for storage administrators, especially when it comes to provisioning, tiering and allocation. Virtual storage management is simply more complex in virtual server environments than in physical environments. This is just not practical for many organizations, especially those that rely on IT generalists to do most of the heavy lifting. A more holistic approach to management is needed. This means improved automation and fewer, simpler user interfaces. A unified solution should not only reduce storage and data management cost but free up your staff for more strategic IT work. You won t need to differentiate storage needed for primary, secondary, backup, disaster recovery or archive. IT administrators can easily setup and manage these requirements using a single platform, thus increasing productivity and operational efficiency. Reducing technology complexity To unlock the benefits of a unified storage infrastructure, you need a storage system that can support any virtual client if you want to truly be optimized for virtualization and get all the benefits of a unified infrastructure. So your unified storage platform needs to handle everything consolidating heterogeneous systems, protocols, support for different drive types, diverse connectivity and even management. This way you can treat your storage assets as a single pool and manage data seamlessly across all your storage assets.

4 3 How do I better allocate and manage shared storage? 3 The solution Obviously, unified storage is the way forward for organizations that want to get the most out of their shared infrastructures, and the EMC VNX family is a great option for those who are going the virtualized infrastructure route. Essentially, organizations need to take a fundamentally different approach to traditional solutions. You need a solution that aligns storage management with applications, avoids arcane storage terms for plain language, and embeds storage and application best practices into the user interface for a faster, simpler user experience in completing everyday administrative tasks. The EMC VNX family designed for virtual data centres converges industry leading EMC CLARiiON storage area network (SAN) and EMC Celerra network attached storage (NAS) systems into a single, unified family of solutions. The VNX family includes the VNXe (entry) series with breakthrough simplicity for small and medium businesses, and the VNX series, delivering leadership performance, efficiency, and simplicity for demanding virtual application environments. The VNXe series is the world s simplest unified storage system, providing application-optimized management and single-click help and support. The VNXe series, designed for the IT Manager or IT generalist located in remote offices or departments that does not specialize in storage, offers an entry price of under US$10,000. The powerful and highly scalable VNX series delivers three-times simpler management, three-times better efficiency and three-times more performance than current EMC midrange storage systems. With the EMC FAST (Fully Automated Storage Tiering) Suite, including FAST VP (Virtual Pools) and FAST Cache, the VNX series offers superior performance, capacity optimization and comprehensive storage management functionality, while exploiting the benefits of Solid State Drives (SSD). FAST VP provides self-optimized storage tiering with automated policies enabling you to optimize data on Flash, SAS, and Near-line SAS drives and Flash Cache optimizes performance using Flash drives for extendable cache and in the virtual storage pool speeding mixed workload performance three-fold. The systems dramatically simplify the deployment and management of virtualized applications, including Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Microsoft Exchange Server, VMware View virtual desktops, and Oracle databases. Is VNX or VNXe right for everyone? Most, but not all. Organizations with big data and digital media providers that do a lot of file-level storage need something more tuned for this purpose. These needs would better align with an Isilon NAS platform for example. Similarly, very large enterprises like state or federal governments or large multi-national corporations typically need more scalability than even the top end VNX7500 can provide. At the other end of the scale, it may not be the right fit for small organizations, unless they ve already reached a certain level of complexity, at which point, the VNX family suits this business need, with the ability to move up as their scale out needs increase.

5 4 How do I better allocate and manage shared storage? 4 Case study: EMC s VXNe gives Moomin World the right storage to manage critical business functions What do you do when your legacy IT and storage solutions are at end of life at precisely the same time that your exponential data growth was exceeding their capabilities? If you are Moomin World IT Systems Manager Jarko Kuitunen, you deploy EMC s VXNe. Moomin world is a hugely successful children s theme park based on the popular Finnish characters, and this SMB had been using IT and storage solutions to manage critical business applications including electronic point of sale (EpoS), Microsoft Sharepoint and financial solutions. After comparing a number of solutions in terms of the quality of their technology, the number of relevance of features, and price, they chose ECM s VNXe. Why? According to Kuitunen, EMC s solution gave them everything they needed and more, including: Exceptional storage in a tiered environment Easy to use management wizards VMware capabilities Cost effective price Two controllers The ease of use component was particularly appealing to Kuitunen. You don t have to be a data storage specialist to configure the system correctly, he says. The VNXe interface is intuitive and easy to use. To manage the solution, I simply open a console on my desktop. I can instantly see if something is wrong without having to go to the server room. Today I can do my job rather than spend great amounts of time managing the data storage solution. VNXe is highly reliable and flexible, concludes Kuitunen. We have a seasonal business. If things break, it s a disaster. If you can t access your IT system for a week, it can cost a lot of money. EMC VNXe is a cost-effective investment that significantly reduces our risk. That cost is a small sacrifice that enables us to dispense with a risk that we are not prepared to take.

6 5 How do I better allocate and manage shared storage? 5 Best practices for purchasing storage Traditional storage purchasing includes estimating baseline capacity for workloads needed, estimating potential growth rates over a three-year period, adding some extra capacity for various other requirements and issuing an RFP with the storage configuration details. With the advent of server virtualization and cloud computing, buying more capacity the traditional way is not sensible, especially since budget is the biggest limitation of purchasing storage. Here are some simple storage purchasing guidelines: Unless absolutely necessary, don t buy storage unique to an application that solves a specific business problem. Doing this precludes economies of scale that storage architected for sharing can provide. Focus on storage solutions that support multiple protocols and provide flexibility. Consider the breadth of applications/workloads that a storage solution can support. Become familiar with concepts such as deduplication and thin provisioning which can help solve storage problems. Become familiar with the types of storage management software available for automation to reduce system administration costs. Softchoice can help When it comes to unified storage we offer the resources and technical expertise to realize the benefits of the latest in this innovation. Our difference? An assessment-led approach aimed at providing a clear understanding of the risks, opportunities, and payback period for a given solution. From there we offer deep expertise in solution design and delivery, including technology architecture, project management and comprehensive implementation support. And behind this dedicated team our licensing and product specialists work to ensure the technology itself is acquired in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. At every step our goal is to enhance performance and speed time to market while lowering overall business costs. Contact our Softchoice Unified Storage experts at EMC@softchoice.com to learn more about virtualizing your storage. >> Read about Softchoice s Storage Assessment

7 Softchoice Storage Assessment Are you Reaching the capacity of your current storage solution? Struggling to manage many different islands of storage? Rethinking your storage or backup strategy? Planning for growth? Consolidating workloads? Nobody likes spending more money than they have to, and making a decision about your storage environment without the right data can result in unnecessary costs and worse, unnecessary risks. The insight offered by Softchoice s Storage Assessment will help you make an informed choice. Whether you want to analyze your storage at the physical host level, or analyze storage requirements from the vantage of your respective business services performance, capacity and redundancy requirements, Softchoice s Storage Assessment arms you with a fact-based portrait of your current state and helps plot the way forward. Furthermore, you ll be able to leverage Softchoice Axis, our award-winning, cloud-based platform for modeling, reporting and analysis of your entire environment. Use the Storage Assessment to: Plan for the storage requirements of a virtualized environment. Get recommendations on the shared storage platform that is right for you. Determine your capacity for growth. Discover the benefits of tiered services. Calculate how to effectively manage your backup window. Use Softchoice Axis to: Monitor capacity thresholds. Plan storage growth requirements for rollout-based projects. Determine storage needs for aging hardware. Manage your storage to align with your own data protection policies. Ask your sales representative about the benefits of Softchoice Axis and the Softchoice Storage Assessment today. Connect with us today