Get more value from virtualisation Computacenter enables organisations to realise the full benefits of a virtual enterprise with integrated management tools and automated processes
GET MORE VALUE FROM VIRTUALISATION Virtualisation was the golden ticket for the datacenter. It promised to increase business agility; to reduce operational costs; to free up resources. Yet many organisations have only skimmed the surface of these benefits. The simplicity and scalability of virtualisation - which have made it such a great friend to the IT department - have also made it a stealthy foe. The ease at which virtual resources can be provisioned, reassigned and retired means the management goal posts are constantly moving and IT departments are struggling to keep up. As a result of this operational complexity, many organisations have failed to unlock the full return on investment from their first generation virtual infrastructures. As implementations evolve to accommodate the arrival of cloud computing, organisations need to take control of the virtual sprawl by establishing a consistent management framework. Regaining visibility and control There are two key pillars to managing the virtual enterprise: optimised processes and integrated IT management tools. Organisations need intelligent management solutions that provide full insight and control over virtual assets and their ongoing performance. This insight should include details of performance, capacity and configuration relating to both physical and virtual devices. Process orchestration and automation is also fundamental to unlocking the full value of virtualisation. This approach can be applied across the virtual lifecycle and will deliver both operational and wider business benefits. For example, using pre-defined server configurations and automated workflows will help ensure compliance and help businesses respond more quickly to change. Why Computacenter? We have extensive knowledge and experience in deploying virtual infrastructures, having been involved in more than 750 virtualisation projects Our breadth and depth of capabilities means we can provide end-to-end services Our approach ensures highly repeatable processes at a lower cost, removing risks through clearly defined methodology, processes and outcomes Our unique multi-vendor Solutions Centre enables customers to prototype, test and prove new technology investments at no risk to production systems We are the UK s leading VMware partner, with more than 100 accredited technical consultants Our skills and experience in the entire VMware portfolio are reflected by being awarded Global Solutions Provider and EMEA Emerging Technology Partner of the Year for 2011 Many organisations lack the in-house resource and knowledge to implement a virtual enterprise management toolset and identify process optimisation opportunities. Working with an experienced partner will reduce implementation time, cost and complexity, resulting in a faster time to value. 3
GET MORE VALUE FROM VIRTUALISATION Standardise, simplify and automate Computacenter helps organisations standardise, simplify and automate their virtual enterprise management processes, driving down cost and improving service levels. With more than 10 years experience of delivering complex enterprise virtualisation projects, we provide comprehensive services to help organisations select and deploy the most appropriate management tools and optimise their processes. Our capabilities range from the discovery of dependencies between existing workloads through to automating even the most complex IT tasks to improve consistency and time to market and reduce IT costs. We can also help organisations build on their virtual foundations to create private cloud infrastructures. We will ensure the processes and tools implemented now are future-proofed to support future cloud-based delivery models, with features such as self-service and utility billing, to enable a more rapid transition. We take a practical approach to solving customers problems; identifying where best practice can be re-used to reduce cost, accelerate time to completion and improve the quality and consistency of IT service delivery. Management tool selection and integration Today s best-of-breed management tools can make virtualisation far more powerful, giving organisations increased control, scalability and access to powerful automation features. Although many organisations existing management solutions are great for managing physical infrastructure silos, they are not designed to cope with the inherent dynamic nature of a highly virtualised environment. Selecting the right tools and integrating them successfully with optimised processes is key to unlocking the full value of the virtual enterprise. Computacenter is partner to all the major automation and systems management vendors, including VMware - the current market leader in the hypervisor environment - BMC, IBM and CA Technologies. To minimise the risks associated with deploying new management tools and greater automation for virtual infrastructures, organisations can conduct thorough testing and proof of concept exercises using a replicated environment in our Solutions Centre. Six steps to achieving full ROI from virtualisation 1. Automate server provisioning tasks Reducing manual system builds and installations simplifies deployment and enables a faster time to market for new applications. 2. Automate server patching activity With patching server operating systems, and applications often tying up a number of IT staff, automating this process can reduce a significant IT administration overhead. 3. Automate application release management Managing the deployment of software applications that will benefit the business is a manual and often error-prone process. With automation the process can be faster, more consistent and less liable to error. 4. Establish IT process orchestration Automating the manual delivery of repetitive administrative tasks within the virtual environment, such as creating user accounts, frees up staff to focus on service improvement. 5. Enable closed loop IT compliance Automating server configuration ensures a consistent approach and aids standards compliance, reducing troubleshooting and improving availability. 6. Establish standardised self-service options Reduces the administrative burden and enables rapid and controlled provisioning of virtual servers, which will facilitate private cloud models. 4
GET MORE VALUE FROM VIRTUALISATION Greater agility and reduced risk at a lower cost By taking advantage of integrated tools and automated processes, organisations can regain control of their virtual environments. Our services will help you: Cost Reduction Access to Skilled Resources Growth / Business Change Risk Avoidance Environmentally Conscious Reduce cost Greater visibility and control of virtualised environments will help your organisation make better use of IT assets, resources and space as well as decreasing support costs. Maximise staff productivity Automated and streamlined processes reduce time and effort in managing the datacenter environment, helping free up resources to deliver increased value to the business. Increase business agility By simplifying virtual provisioning, organisations can bring new services to market faster, reducing the need for new hardware investment and with fewer errors. Mitigate risk Automation reduces human error and enables successful fixes to be repeated, helping maintain regulatory compliance and minimising business impact. Reduce environmental impact Optimised datacenters require less power and cooling, reducing your organisation s carbon footprint and energy bills. More information: To find out more about how Computacenter can help your organisation manage the virtual enterprise, please email us at: dynamicdatacenter@computacenter.com VMware vcenter Operations Management Suite From the leader in virtualisation and cloud infrastructure, VMware vcenter Operations automates Operations Management, extending virtualisation ROI and building the foundation for the private cloud. VMware vcenter Operations uses patented analytics and visualisations to automatically identify building performance issues and reduce mean time to identify (MTTI), optimise resource usage and maintain configuration compliance. The Automated Operations Management solution uniquely integrates the performance, capacity and configuration management disciplines and is tightly integrated with the vsphere platform. It provides the intelligence and visibility needed to proactively ensure service levels in dynamic virtual and cloud environments Intelligent automation Patented analytics provide actionable intelligence across the stack to automate manual processes for maximum efficiency and agility. Comprehensive visibility Powerful visualisation of performance, capacity and configuration issues and risks enables visibility into dynamic infrastructure and applications for rapid problem resolution. Proactive management An integrated approach to automating operations in the face of growing service level expectations and accelerating change allows IT to be more proactive and ensure optimal performance. 5
Computacenter (UK) Ltd Hatfield Avenue Hatfield Hertfordshire AL10 9TW United Kingdom T: +44 (0)1707 631000 F: +44 (0)1707 639966 www.computacenter.com Computacenter is a leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions. From desktop to datacenter, we help our customers minimise the cost and maximise the value of IT to their businesses. We can advise organisations on IT strategy, implement the most appropriate technology, optimise its performance, and manage elements of our customers infrastructures on their behalf. Computacenter operates in the UK, Germany, France and the Benelux countries, as well as providing transnational services across the globe. Computacenter 2012