Posted by Crystal Nichols on Wed, Oct 28, 2009 @ 06:00 AM
Virtualization can significantly reduce IT hardware costs and improve data center efficiencies. Combining technologies like VMware and Pillar Axiom provides the benefits of virtualization at both the server and storage level, resulting in a compelling solution. Benefits of such a virtualized infrastructure allow:
- Consolidation - Optimizing your Infrastructure
Why build multiple systems with low utilization at high costs? The solution in a server world is virtualization. Consolidating multiple servers that provide different services onto a few high performance boxes can instantly optimize your environment and deliver savings. - Application-Aware Storage - Fulfilling the demands of your services
In building out the infrastructure to optimize your applications and server, you also need a means of being able to differentiate between the service levels these applications require, thereby focusing more resources to important applications rather than treating all virtualized applications as equal. - Easy to Manage - Simplifying complex infrastructure
Server virtualization helps simplify the management of large and complex infrastructures, freeing up administrators' time to focus on more proactive or critical tasks. By virtualizing multiple applications onto a single storage architecture you save time, effort, and training costs - and you reduce the possibility of errors by simplifying the environment. - Interoperability - Simplifying the transition to virtualization
To eliminate the need to reinstall every existing physical server into a virtual environment, there are a number of physical to virtual migration tools at your disposal. This is no different on the storage side. - High Availability - Ensuring a protected infrastructure
The architecture of virtual machines gives you new options that help you back up and restore systems quickly and easily. It also makes it easier to create high availability solutions than with physical servers. - Quick Recovery - Minimizing downtime
In virtual infrastructure you can easily recover former states of server systems. Pillar Axiom does the same for storage with CDP, replication, and easy to use snapshots for fast creation of point-in-time images and full copies of data. - Modular Scalability - Ensuring your business does not get ahead of your infrastructure
A huge benefit of virtual infrastructures is the ability to scale, so adding hosts means adding ground for virtual machines. As you scale the virtualized server infrastructure, Axiom allows you to scale both I/O bandwidth, performance and capacity in a predicable and simple manner. A single system can scale up to over 760 TB of usable capacity. - Future Flexibility - Take away the need for guesswork
As your oganizational requirements change, demands on IT change, so it's good to have a flexible infrastructure. Virtualized, hardware-independent server systems with flexible Pillar Axiom storage solutions are an important part of the virtualized enivronement because application changes are not bound to physical servers.
- Automate - Taking the effort out of management
Virtualization products like VMware are a perfect fit for Axiom. Pillar provides a pwoer command line interface that works with the VMware API to easily perform common tasks like LUN provisioning. There is also an intuitive GUI and Pillar's Dynamic Performance Manager that allow you to create automated policies and reduce the complexity normally associated with storage administration. - Eco-Friendly - Green is the color of the modern data center
Virtualization, along with consolidation, reduces the amount of physical hardware within a data center which can lead to cost savings in terms of power and cooling- this will help to deliver better utilization of the physical system. You can operate your data center cost effectively and ecologically minded because of the superior utilization of the disk space, the multi-tiering and multi-protocol ability in conjuction with features like thin provisioning.
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Posted by Crystal Nichols on Mon, Oct 26, 2009 @ 08:56 AM
If you rely on HP BladeSystem servers in your enterprise, you need to consider HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager. HP Virtual connect helps to increase the productivity of your entire organization, respond in a quicker fashion to changes in workload or infrastructure and even whittle away at your operating costs. Whether you use Virtual Connect across a LAN or a SAN, the centralized connectivity and workload mobility that come as a result are valuable assets.
HP Virtual Connect is an architect
ure that you’ll find in each BladeSystem c-Class enclosure. The Enterprise Manager component gives you a single, central console from which you can do a number of tasks. You can administer LAN or SAN addresses, do group-based configuration management and more. You can initiate deployments, movements or even failover of server-to-network connections. Virtual Connect is scalable in that you can do these things for 200 Virtual Connect domains. That’s 800 BladeSystem enclosures or more than 12,000 blade servers.
This makes your infrastructure change-ready. Virtual Connect means that you can add, recover, replace or remove servers across your datacenter environment in just minutes without affecting the availability of your network. Virtual connect is idea for a datacenter that has multiple BladeSystem enclosures.
HP Virtual connect also helps your infrastructure in a number of other ways. It helps to provide increased consistency. It helps to centralize and to simplify both connectivity and workload management. It reduces the amount of time you need to invest in deploying and maintaining your server infrastructure, and it reduces the risks involved in deployment, too. HP Virtual Connect lets you respond in a much quicker way to the changing demands of your business.
The HP Virtual Connect software also works to provide you with the kind of dynamic infrastructure your business needs. You can rapidly repurpose servers using HP Virtual Connect. You can also migrate servers from a test to a production environment with a few simple and quick clicks.
All of this means that your management processes are simplified. Because a single console can be used to manage so vast a server farm, you save time and optimize the use if IT personnel. You’ll be able to increase productivity of your IT resources, as well. HP Virtual Connect will even increase your server-to-administrator ratio.
Reduced operating costs are another benefit to HP Virtual connect. You can deploy configurations to groups of servers across Virtual Connect domains. This, in turn, reduces the time costs involved in deployment, maintenance and recovery.
Finally, HP Virtual Connect lets you respond quickly to changing needs. In just a few minutes, you can make server infrastructure changes. You can assign failover server connection profiles between your servers and between BladeSystem enclosures.
In the end, HP Virtual Connect is a must-have for any company with an HP Server infrastructure. Its scalability, versatility and raw power put control – real control – of your servers in the hands of your administrators, and will reduce the overall TCO of your server infrastructure.
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Wed, Oct 21, 2009 @ 08:53 AM
No matter how big or small your company is, you need to have plans in place for when something goes wrong. A single disruptive event , whether it’s drastic and dramatic like an earthquake or relatively small like a computer virus, can bring your company to its knees if you don’t know how to handle it ahead of time.
One aspect of disaster recovery is business continuity. Business continuity planning is a comprehensive approach to a disaster that helps to insure the business continues to operate, even after a disaster strikes.
Good disaster recovery and business continuity planning looks at potential points of failure, rather than at specific disasters. The question isn’t so much “what would happen if our datacenter was struck by a hurricane” as “what would happen if our Exchange cluster was physically damaged.”
A plan must include specific issues. It needs to cover how employees will communicate in the event of a disaster, where they will be located, and what they will need in order to keep doing their jobs. These details depend, to a large degree, on the size of a business as well as on its business processes.
Disaster recovery planning has to consider issues like the supply chain, as well. Certainly, one type of disaster is simply one in which a vital supplier cannot be reached, whether it is because of physical limitations or whether the business has just stopped operating.
A significant area of disaster recovery and business continuity planning has to do with information technology. IT is critical in a company’s ability to communicate and to do business. For example, a company may need to identify specific timeframes. A backup mainframe at an offsite location might need to be up within two days, or a mobile PBX system might be required for the remote operations center.
Unfortunately, many executives tend to ignore disaster recovery and business continuity planning. The best way to convince many executives of the importance of disaster recovery and business continuity planning is with a risk assessment. Risk assessment takes into account the damage to a company caused by a disaster, and compares it to the likelihood that the disaster will occur.
This risk assessment identifies the most crucial systems and processes in a business, and examines what effects their unavailability would have on the organization. Some systems aren’t critical, and can take a back seat to others. Some systems are vital, and may require the creation of redundant systems or processes as a part of the disaster recovery and business continuity planning process.
Finally, a disaster recovery plan is only as good as your company’s willingness and ability to implement it. An important part of the planning process is not only getting buy-in and full support from management, but also distributing the necessary procedures to key personnel. In some cases, training and/or disaster recovery walkthroughs may be useful, especially when it comes to the
Posted by Dan Webber on Mon, Oct 19, 2009 @ 06:10 AM
Having been a CIO in the hospitality arena for both restaurants and hotels, and having traveled extensively in my career. I must say that I have seen the good, the bad, the ugly, the really ugly, and the insane.
This past weekend, I was reminded that I as a customer in the end do have the power. The choice for the restaurant owner was to either a) substitute fries for rice or b) go to another restaurant where they would gladly accommodate. They had done this every time we had been there bi-monthly over the last 3 years. So why is it now a big deal or hassle? When it was explained in the right way, they gladly accommodated.
It reminded me of the principles that I was taught at an early age that relate to customer service.
Rule #1 - Don't make promises you cannot keep
Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. Think before you give any promise – because nothing annoys me or your customers more than a broken one.
Rule #2 - Be consistent
If you are going to talk the talk, walk the walk. Be reliable and always provide reliable service. Customers expect this especially in the service arena.
Rule #3 - Listen to your customers
Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.
Rule #4 - Deal with the complaints
No one likes hearing complaints, especially if the customer gives it in a confrontational or rude manner. Some will say, “You can’t please all the people all the time”. Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention and handle it well, your business will reap the benefits. I never forget the one time I was traveling in Yankton, South Dakota. I ordered the Surf and Turf. When the steak and shrimp came out the piece of steak was way too small.
I handled it by bringing the waitress over and saying, "Ain't this the dangest thing you ever seen? Those shrimp ate most of my steak on the way out of the kitchen." The waitress and chef were laughing and brought out a huge steak. It is always in the way you deliver the complaint. You get more with honey some times.
Rule #5 - Take the extra step
I love Ace Hardware. You walk in and there is hot popcorn always on as you enter the store. It's free. You are always greeted by someone asking how they can help. They walk you to where the item is. Explain how to use the product. Take you to your next product and walk you back to checkout.
So remember no matter what the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people.
Rule #6 - Throw in something extra
Whether it’s a free dessert, a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, a compliment, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. A small thing, but so appreciated.
I was at Starbucks the other day, big surprise, and I ordered a Venti non-fat latte. We started chatting and said I need the caffeine today. He gave not one but two extra shots for free. Thanked me for being a loyal customer. And then pulled out the sample tray. That is why I spend extra on coffee.
It's simple enough, none really costs any extra money, but it keeps loyal customers coming back.
Dan Webber is a CIO in Atlanta, GA. He delivers his unique
perspective as Chief Information Officer on technology, business, and
the Atlanta IT industry. He is a recent recipient of Oracle's CIO of the quarter award.________________________________
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Posted by Crystal Nichols on Fri, Oct 16, 2009 @ 11:12 AM
HP Storage Essentials is the ultimate storage and resource management (SRM) software package available, especially if you rely on HP storage products in your company. It is versatile, scalable and will benefit your company in a number of ways. It is an integral part of any storage management infrastructure plan, and can greatly improve the efficiency of your storage solutions while contributing to a lower Total Cost of Ownership.
How exactly does HP Storage Essentials fit into your storage management infrastructure? Take a look for yourself. Here are some of the basic features and benefits of HP Storage Essentials:
Integration
HP Storage Essentials integrates several of your IT management tasks. Storage Essentials touches several areas, from things like provisioning and reporting to operations and charge back. This tool handles your storage management needs, from end to end.
Automatic Discovery
This software gives you access to your entire data network automatically. HP Storage Essentials can create a visual map of your entire storage network, including DAS, SAN and NAS. This map includes not only the objects in the network, but the paths and zones between applications as well as LUN information.
Easy Configuration and Customization
Storage Essentials uses tools like its SRM Host Cluster Builder Wizard to map your unique HA configurations. In addition, it seamlessly integrates all of this data into the overall big picture map, putting everything you need right at your fingertips in just a matter of minutes.
Increased Availability
Applications like Oracle, MS SQL, Sybase and even Microsoft Exchange require a high degree of availability in the enterprise. HP Storage Essentials gives that to you by monitoring and reporting on performance. Everything from applications to disk subsystems to HBA is examined, and bottlenecks can be quickly detected.
Standards-Based Architecture
HP Storage Essentials relies on SMI-S, the industry standard in storage network management. It utilizes CIM and WBEM, and also supports a multi-vendor storage infrastructure.
Customizability
You can create your own set of reports from the standard templates. You can customize the reports to measure performance management, capacity management, asset management, and a host of other items. Best of all, you can access these reports in a number of ways, including Adobe PDF, Microsoft Excel, HTML or XML.
Unified Tools
Your IT staff can use HP Storage essentials to manage many different areas, such as XP arrays, infrastructure and servers, all from a single user interface. In addition, HP Storage Essentials provides you with the ability to integrate your NAS backup with your infrastructure backup. It will analyze how configuration changes or file sharing activities will affect all of these areas, as well.
If you’re running HP storage devices as part of your storage solution, you can’t do without HP Storage Essentials. When you combine the power of HP Storage essentials with other tools offered by HP, such as HP Insight, you have everything you need to fully manage your storage infrastructure and maintain the kind of service levels that your business needs to have to keep functioning.
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Optimize your business intelligence outcomes with an easy-to-use
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Posted by Crystal Nichols on Mon, Oct 12, 2009 @ 08:37 AM
Enterprise storage, in the most basic sense, is the use of a centralized storage system to manage, protect and provide access to the enterprise’s data. An enterprise storage solution gives connectivity to that data from whatever source or application can effectively use that data.
It’s important to understand, first of all, how enterprise storage is different from basic consumer storage. Enterprise storage requires vastly larger amounts of storage capacity. Enterprise storage also utilizes different and more advanced technologies than consumer storage.
Types of Enterprise Storage Solutions
Historically, there have been three different types of storage solutions available to the enterprise. Direct Attached Storage (or DAS) was, historically, the first to come about. Direct attached storage is storage that’s directly connected to a host computer. In this model, access to the data is provided through the enterprise’s Local Area Network.
For obvious reasons, DAS has fallen out of vogue. It has significant limitations, not the least of which is the impact that this solution has on the rest of the data network. DAS exists today only in the sense that the storage media are attached to storage server nodes, which may or may not be attached directly to the LAN.
Network Attached Storage (or NAS) is exactly that sort of storage. It refers to a storage device that’s part of a server located on your LAN. Network Attached Storage takes the form of data servers that are directly integrated into your LAN architecture. Network file servers typically make up an Network Attached Storage solution.
NAS has its limitations, as well. NAS doesn’t offer compatibility with certain applications, for example. In addition, NAS still can create something of a drag on your Local Area Network.
A Storage Area Network (or SAN) is probably the most widely-used type of enterprise storage solution today. SAN lets you connect more than one host to a storage device. This frees up your server resources in a number of ways, and gives you many more options when it comes to things like redundancy and failover. In addition, a SAN tends to create less drag on the Local Area Network, because much of the passing of data takes place only in the SAN environment.
Choosing the Right Enterprise Storage Solution
When it comes time to choose an enterprise storage solution, there are some things to keep in mind.
First of all, you need to choose a solution that is scalable. The explosive need for data storage means that a system that isn’t scalable can be obsolete in months.
You also need a secure storage solution. Make sure your solution is secured against threats on the network. Make sure your solution has backup and disaster recovery options, as well.
Finally, you need an enterprise storage solution that meets regulatory compliance issues. Depending on what industry your business is in, this may or may not be particularly difficult, but it is an issue that needs to be brought up before you choose a solution, rather than after.
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Posted by Dan Webber on Fri, Oct 09, 2009 @ 08:44 AM
I was sitting in the Delta Sky Club (formerly Crown Room) on Monday and overheard a conversation on Cloud Computing. The conversation was "So David, if we move our systems to X Company and use their systems, what happens if things don't work out?" The answer was, "That is a great question, I will have to get back to you." The company was only a small company, but it makes you realize that many times people become enamored with an idea and relationship with no plans for when things don't work out.
Becoming glued or locked in to one vendor is one of the biggest issues that I have heard when discussing cloud computing. Cloud computing has different levels and accompanying commitments for an organization. Cloud computing is after all is choosing whether you consume resources on an owned system or through an internet service.
The biggest challenges are when using the Software As A Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). It really is understanding the risk-reward-benefit tradeoff. What is the risk that the vendor will not be around in the future? What is the reward and benefit of having that application or service hosted in the cloud.
First, you have to do the same due diligence you do today in selecting other software and systems and obtain financial statements and if the company is in its early stages understanding the financial commitment of the investors. It is also important to understand source code rights and the willingness for vendors to hold that source code in escrow.
You also need to detail in your contract the procedures for ending the contract and under what circumstances.
You need to know what data and in what form you will receive back your information. You also need to understand how to replicate any reporting which may be vital to your business.
You also need to know how long they will keep the data and what is your timeframe for retrieving once the contract has ended.
I have worked with a vendor in the past where we left them and moved to another company providing the same service. We received the data necessary to move to the other system and they were willing to provide a read only version of the system for 6 months to ensure a timely transition.
Always remind your vendors, everyone is always a customer - current, future, or past. How you treat me now will determine my current status.
Dan Webber is a CIO in Atlanta, GA. He delivers his unique
perspective as Chief Information Officer on technology, business, and
the Atlanta IT industry. He is a recent recipient of Oracle's CIO of the quarter award.
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Wed, Oct 07, 2009 @ 06:00 AM
Many businesses are not prepared to deal with a major catastrophe. Without the same vast resources that are available to larger corporations, many businesses often face limited options after a disaster. Sadly, closing the doors is all too often the only choice available, especially when the business has little or no disaster recovery plans in place.
According to a recent study by the NFIB, around a third of all businesses will face some form of disaster or another during their operation. Whether it’s something as massive as a hurricane or as commonplace as an electrical storm, disasters can put the brakes on a small business.
A study the U.S. Department of Labor offers even more sobering statistics. Over 40% of businesses that experience these kinds of disasters never reopen. Another 25% will close within two years.
There are a number of important factors you need to take into account when it comes to disaster recovery:
• Disaster Preparedness: Businesses who have taken the time to establish a business continuity or disaster recovery plan will be better prepared to rebuild than a business that was ill-prepared. If your business wasn't ready for the disaster, all is not lost. Documents and important business data can be restored in time by working with your accounting department, the tax department, and any other public records department.
• Damage Assessment: Before you can decide what to do with your company, you need to figure out exactly how bad it all is. Look at the costs of the damages and what it will take to rebuild. Estimate the replacement or market value costs to replace damaged aspects of your business operation. Disaster recovery will be more challenging for small businesses with large inventory losses. Contact your insurance agent to calculate what and how much will be covered.
You need to get a picture of how much you will have to reinvest in the business as well as factoring in the interruption to cash flow. Determine what you'll receive for business interruption insurance from your agent.
• Market Reach: After a disaster, the market will take time to reestablish itself. With no need for certain goods and services for some time, you must consider what alternatives exist. International, national, and regional business will have a much easier time rebuilding following a major disaster than local businesses. Businesses reliant on heavy foot traffic will have greater challenges in rebuilding. Can your business reach out to new markets unaffected by the disaster or provide goods or services to help in disaster recovery for the community?
• Customer Spending: Rebuilding efforts following a disaster can be an economic gain for certain businesses participating in the rebuilding. Certain industries and sectors will have an easier time gaining new business. Essential businesses in a disaster zone such as grocery, medical, and construction will be in high demand. If customers are greatly impacted by the disaster, they may have very little need or money for your service or product. Think of how the disaster will affect your customers spending habits.
• Financial Position: Vital to any critical decision making to reopen your business is determining your financial position. What is your current financial picture? What amount of money will you need to make your business operational? Are you eligible for SBA disaster loans and other forms of assistance? If you have insurance; what will be covered and how much? These questions must be answered before moving forward. Disaster recovery will be more difficult for businesses experiencing financial difficulty prior to the disaster.
• Network Communication: To make the best decision to move your business forward, you must have a grasp of how the disaster has impacted those connected to your business. Call suppliers, employees, and customers to inform them of your situation. Many will offer support or alternatives for you to consider. Manufacturers might be able to ship directly to your customers or suppliers can assist in payment schedules. Knowing these options exist for your business can help in making the final decision.
Learn more about Unitiv's Disaster Recovery planning services.
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Mon, Oct 05, 2009 @ 06:00 AM
One of the biggest concerns of CIOs, IT managers, SAN administrators and even network engineers is the issue of storage provisioning. Storage provisioning, in a nutshell, is the process of assigning storage in order to optimize the performance of your Storage Area Network (SAN). Provisioning can be a tremendously tedious process, as any SAN administrator can tell you.
Why is storage provisioning so taxing? Well, for one, storage provisioning requires you to go through several steps, all of which must occur in a specific order. You have to assign LUNs (Logical Unit Numbers), verify that data storage and data recovery routes are available to users when they need them, create alternate routes in case of a partial failure, and make sure that the SAN can accommodate expansion. Once everything has been engineered and set up, you have to thoroughly test the SAN before you can commit your valuable data to it.
The good news is that a process known as automated storage provisioning has risen in popularity. There are a number of programs that perform automated storage provisioning. These programs are designed to lessen the workload of the SAN administrator, and to free her up for other less-tedious tasks.
There are different types of automated storage provisioning you should be familiar with. Each type represents an increasingly complex level of automated storage provisioning, and what sort your business uses depends on how intense and complex your needs are.
Application-Aware Provisioning
This sort of provisioning provides solutions for business services by adapting your storage situation to the needs of the application. For example, a given application in your organization might have threshold requirements for applications or application data. When the data or the application service level hits the threshold requirement, this type of automated storage provisioning software kicks in and alerts the SAN administrator. This kind of solution runs across virtualized volumes, providing a great deal of flexibility as well as tools that will simplify and automate the provisioning efforts.
Policy-Driven Provisioning
Another sort of automated storage provisioning is policy-driven provisioning. This type of software lets you set business-specific policies. These policies kick in to assign and to configure your storage space and paths so that the application can run properly. This kind of automated storage provisioning will help you maintain your service level objectives, also through the use of thresholds. Here again, this type fo solution will automated many of the tasks involved in expanding your SAN.
You have many choices when it comes to choosing an automated storage provisioning solution. HP is one of the most widely-praised vendors, but there are others, too.
If you want to greatly increase the reliability and service level of your Storage Area Network and free up your valuable IT resources to address other tasks, you should consider an automated storage provisioning solution.