WWT View Point. Journey to the Private Cloud: Take the First Steps with FlexPod

Transcription

1 WWT View Point Journey to the Private Cloud: Take the First Steps with FlexPod

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1...EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW 2...SECTION 1: THE ROAD TO PRIVATE CLOUDS 3...SECTION 2: START WITH A STABLE INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE 4...SECTION 3: ENSURE FLEXIBILITY AND SCALABILITY 5...SECTION 4: LEVERAGE AN EXPERIENCED INTEGRATOR 6...SECTION 5: ARCHITECT A PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD 7...SECTION 6: ABOUT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY

3 EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Everyone is talking about Cloud Computing and today s forward-thinking enterprises and agencies are particularly interested in Private Clouds as they enable the delivery of IT as a service, promise significant costs savings and allow IT organizations to shift focus from managing servers to creating value through innovation. However, there s more involved in building and enabling a Private Cloud than simply purchasing and installing new hardware. NetApp and World Wide Technology (WWT) can get you to the Private Cloud. FlexPod provides the proven integrated yet flexible infrastructure you need to conquer the complexity of managing disparate data center components and achieve all of the benefits of a Private Cloud. And WWT has the powerful partnerships and superior expertise you need to stage, implement, optimize and protect your investments as you transition to an enhanced virtualized infrastructure. Together, we ll show you exactly how to transform your data center and take the first steps toward enabling a Private Cloud with FlexPod. 1

4 SECTION 1 THE ROAD TO PRIVATE CLOUDS The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines Cloud Computing as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. There are several different types of clouds. A Public Cloud is typically owned and operated by a third-party organization and its infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group for the purpose of accessing the third party s applications, tools, IT resources or services via Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS) models. A Private Cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an individual organization and it may be managed either by that organization or a third party. Lastly, a Hybrid Cloud is comprised of two or more clouds that are bound together by standardized technology to enable data and application portability. Today, Private Clouds are gaining popularity particularly among business enterprises and government agencies as they offer a secure option for delivering IT as a service and its many benefits including cost savings and the ability to scale IT resources on-demand. But building a Private Cloud involves more than purchasing hardware. A Private Cloud is not complete without Orchestration and Automation (Self-Provisioning, Self-Consumption, Charge Back and more via a software layer that wraps on top of the hardware stack), Business Logic and Processes as well as carefully defined security measures. Clearly, enabling a Private Cloud is a process one that begins with stabilizing your legacy environment, consolidating data and resources, as well as standardizing operations with a common, and ideally, virtualized infrastructure, to eliminate data center complexity and lower costs. The most cost effective and efficient way to do this is with a POD or unified package of products and solutions for Virtualization, Compute, Networking and Storage that is pretested and supported by multiple OEMs who are committed to verifying future software and hardware updates to ensure complete compatibility and optimal performance. 2

5 SECTION 2 START WITH A STABLE INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE To gain the economic and operational benefits of virtualization and take the first steps toward migrating to a Private Cloud, you must start with a unified, pretested stable infrastructure. A powerful solution that integrates validated technologies from three industry leaders in computing, storage, networking and server virtualization is FlexPod. FlexPod is a single platform that combines NetApp s and Cisco Systems proven unified compute, fabric and storage technologies with VMware s trusted software virtualization platform. All of Flexpod s components are pre-tested, integrated and standardized to facilitate rapid deployments and eliminate guesswork by proving predictable output of I/O, with known impacts for the traditional variables of power, cooling, square footage and costs. Modeled after the infrastructures that deliver services for the world s largest cloud service providers, FlexPod combines the following leading components from VMware, Cisco Systems and NetApp to centralize management of a virtualized infrastructure while accelerating the journey to a private cloud: FlexPod s validated and integrated components make it easy to centrally manage all of your infrastructure pools, so you can simplify operations while reducing storage costs without shrinking capacity or compromising security. And its Ethernet-based open design framework means FlexPod fits right into your current infrastructure and integrates easily with existing thirdparty infrastructure management solutions, streamlining deployment and eliminating the cost of replacing existing technology. 3

6 SECTION 3 ENSURE FLEXIBILITY AND SCALABILITY Unlike traditional solutions for virtualized infrastructures, which force you to purchase separate systems and components to accommodate different needs, FlexPod meets all of your virtualization requirements with a unified architecture that is flexible and highly scalable from the start. FlexPod comes with a sizing guide that shows you exactly how to flex the solution to meet current and long-term requirements. It can be easily optimized for a variety of mixed application workloads, configured for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and scale to support Secure Multi-Tenancy (SMT) and Private Cloud Environments to help you deliver IT as a Service. With FlexPod, you get the technology you need to enable virtualization today with an integrated infrastructure, along with the flexibility you need to grow at your own pace toward a Private Cloud. As FlexPod is built from unified compute, fabric and storage technologies, coupled with the most reliable software virtualization platform, it can easily scale vertically and horizontally to meet the largest data center requirements without disruption to your current infrastructure or architectural changes in the future. UNMATCHED FLEXIBILITY AND SCALABILITY FlexPod delivers the flexibility and scalability to deliver custom-tailored solutions that fit a project s requirements, so you don t have to alter your plans to fit a fixed architecture. To meet your specific requirements, FlexPod can be custom configured, right-sized up or out and duplicated in modular fashion. Medium-sized enterprises with moderate growth requirements can use FlexPod as a starting point for virtualization solutions, then scale up storage and compute pool capacity within a FlexPod configuration while maintaining centralized management of the infrastructure solution. Larger enterprises with more mature IT processes can deploy and scale one or more FlexPod configurations to meet multiple requirements, including: Migrating to a Shared Infrastructure with Multiple Applications Improving Agility to Meet Growth and Mission- Critical Goals Lowering Cost Per Use without Sacrificing Scalability Simplifying and Evolving Operations that Align with ITIL-based Standards Deployment of Dedicated Applications to Support Software as a Service (SaaS), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Cloud Environments 4

7 SECTION 4 LEVERAGE AN EXPERIENCED INTEGRATOR To gain the maximum benefits from FlexPod, you need to work with an experienced integrator that understands all of the steps involved in virtualizing your infrastructure and has the facilities and supply chain capabilities to deliver and implement FlexPod. A FlexPod Data Center soluton shipped to your location could include more than 300 boxes and take weeks of time as well as a significant amount of space to assemble and deploy, disrupting both your data center and physical operations. To streamline FlexPod deployments and ensure optimal success, you need a partner with strong logistics capabilities as well as established relationships with NetApp, Cisco and VMware that you can leverage to your benefit. As an award-winning NetApp Star Partner, Cisco Gold- Certified Partner and VMware Premier Partner, World Wide Technology is uniquely positioned to provide top-of-the-line equipment and services equipment as well as the technology know-how required to ensure successful FlexPod deployments. With our seasoned Data Center Experts, dedicated Virtualization Practice and Facilities Infrastructure Team, Advanced Technology Center, End-to-End Staging, Logistics and Implementation Capabilities, WWT has the depth of knowledge and unmatched capacity to provide continuous support as you evaluate and incorporate FlexPod into your infrastructure. We understand the complexity of managing IT infrastructures and our proven methodology and services give you the security and support to virtualize servers, storage, desktops and applications with confidence and ease as you move toward the Private Cloud. WWT has been working with public cloud service providers as well as enterprise and government clients in helping to build their private cloud offerings. These clients are leveraging WWT s $600 million in working capital to procure FlexPod Data Center solutions in advance of their actual needs and WWT s Integration Technology Center to stage FlexPods according to their best practices. WWT can stage and ship a fully assembled FlexPod Data Center solution just in time, so that when it arrives all that needs to be done is to have it secured to the floor and connected to networking, power, cooling, then added to the pool of resources in the cloud. WWT recently helped a global asset management firm significantly lower storage costs without reducing their data storage footprint or compromising security by implementing a FlexPod Data Center solution. Before deploying FlexPod, the Firm was spending close to $75 million per year on data storage services and solutions. By leveraging WWT s expertise, proven processes and strategic partnerships with NetApp, Cisco and VMware, the Firm was able to reduce costs by 15 percent while increasing storage capacity by 25 percent with FlexPod. 5

8 SECTION 5 ARCHITECT A PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD World Wide Technology can guide you through all of the steps involved in fully provisioning your Private Cloud, but you shouldn t move forward with virtualization or implementing a Private Cloud without a carefully architected plan. WWT offers hands-on instructorled training, collaborative workshops and expert assessments to help you take the next steps toward the Private Cloud, including: CLOUD ENABLEMENT WORKSHOP: A great way to start your journey to the cloud, this Workshop defines cloud computing options and explains why organizations are pursuing Private Clouds. Through a whiteboard discussion, we examine your cloud computing goals and objectives then share our experience in helping clients architect solutions that transform virtual infrastructures into mature Private Clouds. WWT will also provide technical recommendations for achieving your Cloud Computing goals as well as a detailed roadmap for executing your vision. Topics include: PODs, orchestration, management, self provisioning, charge back, business processes, change control and security. VIRTUALIZATION OPERATIONAL READINESS ASSESSMENT: Designed for those who ve already deployed a core virtualized infrastructure and host virtualized assets, WWT s Virtualization Operational Readiness Assessment provides an independent evaluation of your current infrastructure along with best practices for managing and further developing virtualized computing environments to help you move toward the Private Cloud. This Assessment provides a complete analysis of your existing virtual infrastructure; recommendations for improving provisioning, consumption, operations and security; a comprehensive plan designed to meet your Cloud Computing goals. VIRTUAL DESKTOP INFRASTRUCTURE (VDI) WORKSHOP: WWT s VDI Workshop can also help you take the next steps in your journey toward the cloud. With the VDI Workshop, WWT will provide you with the knowledge and resources needed to determine the best course of action for your organization in order to fully realize the benefits of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) across your environment. In a two- to four-hour technical whiteboard session, we ll help you understand VDI architectural components and discuss how we can help you plan, design, pilot and ultimately scale a VDI solution into production. 6

9 SECTION 6 ABOUT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY Founded in 1990, World Wide Technology (WWT) has grown from a small startup to a world-class organization exceeding $3 billion in revenue and over 1,400 highly trained employees. WWT offers technology products from more than 3,000 manufacturers around the world, so we can provide each customer with precisely the right solution. WWT specializes in advanced technologies such as security, data center and virtualization, mobility and borderless networks, and unified communications and collaboration. We take an informed, consultative approach to developing, deploying and maintaining the right advanced technology solutions for you and your budget and offer a wide range of advisory and implementation services as well as a state-of-the-art Advanced Technology Center to ensure that you re making the right technology decisions along the way. To learn more about how WWT can help you on your journey toward the Private Cloud with FlexPod, visit today. 7

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