Server and Storage Consolidation Report

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.