Introduction
In the early years of enterprise computing the centralised mainframe held sway. With the advent of more powerful desktops PC's, in the late 1980s, client/server architecture started to become popular. Following this, distributed computing became prevalent with the focus on localised processing power and storage, and the adoption of a one server/one application strategy.
However, this increasingly complex, and in many instances heterogeneous, environment is very difficult and expensive to manage, and a number of disadvantages have become apparent, such as escalating operational costs, inflexible infrastructure, ever-increasing difficulties in meeting service levels, and erratic data security and integrity. Butler Group believes that the resultant large number of servers and storage devices found within the majority of enterprises today is out of control and not sustainable in the long term.
The deployment of Server and Storage Consolidation and the adoption of a more centralised approach can bring significant benefits, including reduction in the system administration overhead, easier data management, and a simpler infrastructure. These benefits will differ from enterprise to enterprise, and are dependent on the demands of the business and the rationale for consolidating in the first instance.
Business Issues
IT operational costs have a direct impact on the bottom line of a business. The simplification of the systems infrastructure through consolidation can bring significant financial benefits, such as lower infrastructure overheads, with smaller and fewer data centres, reduced staff costs, lower licensing charges, and decreased maintenance costs.
In an attempt to increase revenues the IT industry has latched onto the fact that majority of consolidation projects can be self-financing and can be justified on monetary returns alone, with the expected reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) freeing up funds that can be invested new developments. Butler Group would advise IT managers to resist these advances, taking time to understand the existing environment and making the most of current system assets.
The efficiencies of scale from consolidation that generate the TCO savings can also produce improved server and storage utilisation and scalability, catering for peaks in workload without recourse to additional resources. More importantly, a centralised infrastructure better positions the IT department to become a utility provider of IT services to both internal and external stakeholders.
Enterprises are becoming more and more reliant on information, and systems are under an increasing threat from malicious attack. While the consolidation of systems would appear to be like putting all your eggs in one basket, which to some extent it is, centralisation allows the implementation of uniform procedures for access, usage, and maintenance, and to really lock-down physical equipment in secure data centres. Centralisation does, however, focus attention on business continuity, and high availability, all of which need to be put in place, usually at additional cost.
Technology Issues
It can be argued that consolidation is 90% process and only 10% technology., with the required changes usually encompassing all aspects of the IT operation, including hardware, software, networks, personnel, procedures, and processes. Consolidation is often a complex issue, mainly because of the heterogeneous IT environment many enterprises have inherited over time. Organisations tend to concentrate on the obvious server sprawl, with most service providers promoting server consolidation as one the first steps along a phased deployment. Butler Group believes this is too simplistic and advocates a more holistic approach where other consolidation methods such as centralisation, data integration, and mixed workloads are exploited at the same time, as in many instances they are interrelated.
But before organisations can contemplate any IT infrastructure optimisation initiative it is imperative that asset and inventory management processes, and common management tools, are put in place. It is no good starting any consolidation without a clear picture of the current environment.
The emergence of Network-Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage-Area Networks (SAN) technologies presents an opportunity too good to miss for IT management to get corporate information, the lifeblood of the organisation, under control. Again it is not the fixed costs that present the problem, but the insidious rise in the variable overheads such as costs for access, management, back-up, and protection of the data. Butler Group believes that both storage technologies have their merits and should be chosen to meet the specific needs and circumstances of each enterprise.
There can be unforeseen consequences of system consolidation. Network bandwidth can quickly become an issue and potentially has a big influence on whether the deployment is ultimately deemed a success. Perhaps more significant is the tendency of consolidation to centralise systems, meaning that performance issues and equipment problems can now have a direct impact on all the enterprise's critical applications.
Market Issues
In the consolidation solution market place the major IT vendors seem to be behaving like the public utilities of yesteryear, offering services that suit their requirements rather than meeting the needs of the customer. The last thing enterprises operating with reducing budgets want to hear is that it is necessary for significant investment in new kit to benefit from consolidation, or that it requires an army of consultants and specialists to deploy. Butler Group believes that more balanced collaboration will achieve mutual benefits for both parties, where technology solution providers work with the customer in a long-term relationship, offering more granular services and meeting specific customer needs, rather than the onus on large one-off projects.
Simplification is the name of the game. There is a significant shift in IT infrastructure supply and procurement towards using industry-standard technologies, whether this be standardising on Linux, or utilising Intel-based processors. Many vendors are now positioning themselves to exploit the economies of scale offered by using commodity components.
Der vollständige Bericht kann bei der Butler Group bestellt werden.