Preparing for the Software-Defined Data Center A TECH TARGET WHITE PAPER FOR AVNET TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Preparing for the Software-Defined Data Center A TECH TARGET WHITE PAPER FOR AVNET TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Opportunity and Market Size In IT today, anything even loosely characterized as softwaredefined is bound to generate attention, buzz and interest. It s not to the point where we re ready to order software-defined cream for our software-defined coffee but sometimes it seems to be heading in that direction. Hype aside, there are very real reasons why there is such strong interest in the software-defined model, particularly as IT infrastructures accelerate down the path of virtualization and cloud computing. Among the most compelling reasons for the software-defined model are the opportunities it provides to: Lower total cost of ownership (TCO) Reduce management complexity Dramatically improve business agility Build a modernized IT infrastructure to reap the full benefits of cloud computing, big data, mobility and other important IT/business initiatives The concept behind the software-defined model is to separate the management functions of various infrastructure components from their operating functions. Think of it as server virtualization applied to every other aspect of the infrastructure, including networks and storage. When you apply this model to all of the infrastructure components, you end up with a software-defined data center (SDDC), in which all of the resources of the IT infrastructure are unified, pooled and abstracted, while managed and orchestrated from a centralized location. Many industry experts consider the software-defined data center to be the data center of the future because it enables a service-centric approach to provisioning IT resources and managing applications. According to one recent report, the market will grow at a compound annual rate of 28.8 percent between 2015 and 2020, reaching nearly $80 billion by the end of that period. 1 Business Drivers and Customer Challenges What are the critical business drivers and customer challenges driving this growth? There are a variety of inter-related trends, which, taken together, have the potential to add vast layers of complexity to data centers if new approaches are not adopted. Among these trends are: The proliferation of virtualization and cloud computing. At least 70 percent of x86 workloads are now virtualized, according to Gartner, 2 while cloud-related tech spending by businesses is expected to triple from 2011 to 2017, reaching more than $235 billion. 3 Explosive growth of data creation and storage. The amount of data being stored and created is doubling every two years and will continue growing at approximately 40 percent a year into the next decade, according to IDC. 4 Changing business requirements for speed, agility and availability. Business needs are placing extra demands on IT infrastructures. These include demands for improved database performance, uninterrupted applications availability, accelerated software development, agile responsiveness to business opportunities and service-centric IT. 1 Software-Defined Data Center Market Worth $77.18 Billion by 2020, MarketsandMarkets, March 2015 2 Magic Quadrant for x86 Server Virtualization Infrastructure, Gartner, July 2, 2014 3 Roundup of Cloud Computing Forecasts and Market Estimates, 2014, Forbes, March 14, 2014 4 The Digital Universe of Opportunities: Rich Data and the Increasing Value of the Internet of Things, IDC, April 2014

The need to enable critical megatrends, such as mobility, social networking, big data analytics and the Internet of Things. All of these activities, many coming from the consumer world, put added pressure on IT organizations to ensure that support is fully integrated across infrastructures and applications. the data center could be abstracted into much smaller units that could be treated as disposable pieces of technology. In breaking down the key solution components of the SDDC, it is probably useful for solution providers to consider two key aspects: The changes taking place within the data center are so profound that they are being characterized as a new era in computing. IDC refers to it as computing s 3rd platform, while Gartner uses the language nexus of forces. 5 Whatever you call it, the changes promise to be significant and farreaching. According to IDC, 3rd Platform technologies comprised of cloud, social networking, mobile computing and big data analytics already drive 30 percent of ICT spending and 100 percent of growth. 6 For systems integrators, value-added resellers (VARs) and other solution providers, it is critical to develop an understanding of the changes that are taking place in the data center, so you can help to guide customers through this evolution. That means being informed about the trends and technologies that are shaping the software-defined data center. 1. Technologies: Every aspect of the data center must be addressed in order to build a true software-defined data center. This means the servers, networks and storage solutions all have to be virtualized, and the virtualization/management platforms have to be combined so that key functions can be centrally managed and orchestrated. 2. Functions: The main functions of the software-defined data center involve pooling resources; abstracting management; creating automated processes for provisioning, deployment and other activities; and setting up a central location to orchestrate all resources. Management also should include a business logic layer to translate application requirements, service-level agreements, policies and cost considerations. Here s a more detailed breakdown of what you need to know about each area: Servers: Servers are probably the easiest aspect of the SDDC to understand and deploy. Basically, the SDDC is an extension of the virtualized server environment, so you just need the servers to be virtualized. There are additional features you can consider for next-generation servers: security, management, number of cores, etc. But the bottom line for servers is that they have to be in a virtualized environment. Key Solution Components The concepts behind the software-defined data center have their roots in server virtualization and cloud computing. In fact, it is worth noting that VMware is one of the strongest proponents of the SDDC, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) is often cited as the catalyst for more widespread adoption of the SDDC. Experts suggest that AWS has been able to provide real-world proof that Networks: To make the software-defined data center a reality, it will be necessary to evolve to software-defined networking (SDN). The fundamental construct of SDN is that the network control function is separated from the forwarding function and is directly programmable. There are three approaches to SDN: 1. Through a communications protocol, such as OpenFlow, that enables remote programming of data plane functions in switches, separating the management function of the network from the forwarding function. This approach requires switches that support the new protocol. 5 In 2015, Technology Shifts and China Rules, IDC Predicts, The New York Times, Dec. 2, 2014 6 IDC, IDC Worldwide Predictions 2015: Accelerating Innovation on the 3rd Platform, Doc#WC20141202, Dec 2014

2. Using a virtualization model commonly referred to as NVO (for network virtualization overlays). This model is similar to server virtualization in that multiple virtual networks can run on a single physical network. Leading hypervisor companies such as VMware and Microsoft are proponents of this approach. 3. Building a programmable framework whereby individual switches retain their control plane functions but allow centralized control through an application program interface. Object storage is another important trend to consider in building next-generation storage solutions. Object storage is a different model for storing data that can utilize existing hardware. In an object storage environment, each object exists in a flat address space called a storage pool. It is a much more efficient system for managing massive amounts of unstructured data and is the storage foundation for some of the largest cloud deployments in the world, including Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage. Any one of these approaches to SDN will work well in the SDDC. The other important consideration in networking will be to upgrade the overall networking infrastructure with higher-speed Ethernet and Ethernet fabrics. The use of these technologies will help to overcome some of the performance limitations of legacy Ethernet switches in highly virtualized environments. Storage: Storage systems, like networks, have to adhere to a software-defined model to enable the software-defined data center. Within software-defined storage (SDS) there are three layers, typically defined as follows: 1. Access, i.e., the means by which data gets in and out. 2. The actual storage itself, which can be rotating hard-disk drives, solid-state drives and, in some cases, x86 servers. 3. A separate management layer that enables IT to separate and abstract the functions involved in provisioning, deploying, optimizing, tiering and scaling the storage, among other activities. SDN will be just one aspect of upgrading the storage infrastructure. Systems integrators and other solution providers will also have to be familiar with the important trends in enterprise storage most particularly the growing use of flash storage and the opportunity to use object storage to address challenges in storing and managing unstructured data. Flash storage is becoming more and more prevalent in the data center because it brings new levels of speed to many critical applications, particularly those that are driven by the need for high IOPS. These include online transaction processing, Web commerce, virtual desktop infrastructure and big data analytics. IDC reports that worldwide spending on all-solid-state-storage solutions will reach $1.6 billion by 2016, growing at a compound annual rate of 58.5 percent. 7 Management: Earlier in this report we described some of the key functions of the SDDC: pooling and abstracting resources, automation, orchestration and the creation of a business logic layer. All of these functions are critical to the success of the SDDC deployment and should be part of the management platform, or platforms, that the end-user customer chooses to deploy. Part of that choice will likely be determined by the existing server virtualization platform. If VMware is in place, it is likely that the customer would be comfortable with VMware s approach to the software-defined data center. A customer using Microsoft Hyper-V would likely look at a Microsoft-based solution. Other leading platform vendors such as Dell, HP, IBM, Symantec and Cisco all have management products and solutions aimed at helping organizations evolve to an SDDC model. Whichever platform(s) you choose to deploy, the key is the ability to abstract the management functions of every aspect of the infrastructure and orchestrate everything from a central location. This includes provisioning new users/devices, building new networks, deploying security solutions and enabling/automating a wide range of other activities that will dramatically reduce the complexity involved in designing, building, managing and growing an organization s data center infrastructure. 7 Worldwide Solid State Drive Forecast, 2015-2019, IDC, Doc #256038, May 2015

However, while SDDC decisions will ultimately reach individuals in corner offices, systems integrators and other solution providers should also be talking with individuals throughout the IT organization. At some point, networking personnel will have to deploy SDN, and storage personnel will have to deploy SDS. Meeting Customers Expectations For many customers, the SDDC is more about the future than the present. But, as we know with technology, the future comes upon us very quickly. For systems integrators and solution providers, now is the time to begin talking about the SDDC and, where possible, putting in the necessary components that will form the right foundation for a successful evolution/deployment. One of the interesting things about the SDDC is that it mitigates the need for some of the fiefdoms that have become so much a part of the IT culture over the years. For example, storage and networks are managed together in the SDDC and many of the functions involved in deploying these solutions become automated. Typically, the SDDC will be driven within the organization at a fairly high level CIO, director of IT, etc. This is because the benefits of the SDDC stretch across the entire organization and touch every aspect of the IT infrastructure and, thus, the overall business. At this level, decision makers are concerned about many of the issues the SDDC can help them address: Controlling costs and reducing total cost of ownership Reducing IT complexity Increasing business agility Supporting cloud initiatives Improving application performance Increasing availability Enabling a service-centric approach to IT provisioning For example, if you are dealing with a customer that is looking to upgrade its network, now would be the time to deploy a softwaredefined networking model. Also, as you deploy new technologies such as flash storage or virtual desktop infrastructure in the enterprise, you want to deploy software-defined management platforms to reduce operational costs and simplify provisioning while also establishing a model that will evolve to a next-generation data center. Questions to Ask When Getting Started In considering the software-defined data center and the need to evolve to a more modern infrastructure model, what are some of the important considerations for your organization as well as your customers? Here are a few key questions to consider: Which companies/customers are potentially ripe for considering aspects of the software-defined data center today? For example, how far along the virtualization path are they? What are their business needs? How quickly do they want to evolve to a services-centric IT model? What are their internal levels of expertise? What is their comfort level with cloud-based models? How do you work with your customers to define the need for the SDDC, and how do you understand/measure the benefits, both long term and short term? What are the ways to help customers evolve to the SDDC without having to rip up everything they have in place? What are the key features and functions to look for in a management platform for the SDDC? What are the typical goals of a company in considering the SDDC, and what role can a systems integrator/solution provider play in helping the company achieve its goals? What types of expertise do you need to develop within your organization? If you don t have that expertise, where can you get it?

Working with Avnet As noted, the software-defined data center touches every aspect of an organization s IT infrastructure servers, storage, networks and management. In choosing a partner, it is important that systems integrators, VARs and solution providers work with an organization that can offer solutions across all of these areas, along with knowledge and expertise in addressing the many challenges facing enterprise IT organizations. In guiding your customers as well as your own organization to the software-defined data center of the future, work with companies that can share and articulate the vision of what that future should look like. As the world s leading global enterprise IT solutions distributor, Avnet makes it easier and more affordable to enter and excel in high-growth technology and vertical markets locally and around the world. With our technology expertise, strategic alliances, training, resources and services, we provide complete customer solutions that span the data center and IT lifecycle. Working with Avnet, you will: Speed Time to Market Increase Sales and Profits Minimize Investment & Risk Avnet offers technology services, software, hardware and solutions from the world s most innovative companies. Capitalize on Avnet s relationships with industry-leading suppliers to: Deliver superior solutions across the data center Benefit from collaborative business-building opportunities Streamline development and delivery of solutions that span supplier lines Are you ready to explore the benefits of the software-defined data center? Start here or contact your Avnet representative. As a global IT solutions distributor, Avnet Technology Solutions transforms technology into business solutions for customers around the world. It collaborates with customers and suppliers to create and deliver services, software and hardware solutions that address the changing needs of end-user customers. The group serves customers and suppliers in North America, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East and Africa. It generated US $11.0 billion in annual revenue for fiscal year 2014. Avnet Technology Solutions is an operating group of Avnet, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.ats.avnet.com. Avnet Technology Solutions 1-800-409-1483 8700 South Price Road, Tempe, AZ 85284 www.ats.avnet.com 2015 Avnet, Inc. All rights reserved. The Avnet Technology Solutions logo is a registered trademark and Accelerating Your Success is a trademark of Avnet, Inc. All other products, brands and names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. 0615JL