Posted by Crystal Nichols on Mon, Dec 28, 2009 @ 07:00 AM
Now more than every there is pressure on IT to offer higher levels of service and a greater degree of availability all while cutting back on costs. As such, making sure your technology environment is efficient and effectively managed is absolutely essential. The data center, by its very nature, is the one place where IT resources are most concentrated, and the one place where potential strategic gains are most likely to occur. If you want to improve your computing environment and cut costs at the same time, you need to start with the data center.
The Benefits of Data Center Consolidation
One of the best ways to do just that is through consolidation. By simplifying your data center environment, you achieve several goals:
• Increased manageability
• Reduced costs in areas of human resources, facilities, complexity and capital expenditures
• Improved service levels
• Higher availability
• Minimization of impact from outside factors
In short, if you get your data center humming along the way it should, your business will ultimately do the same.
Factors in Data Center Consolidation
Data center consolidation is about more than just combining servers. While that’s certainly part of the process, there are a number of areas that go into data center consolidation. Each of these factors is an opportunity for reduced cost and greater manageability.
One factor to start with is the issue of physical locations. A business that has multiple physical data centers has multiple cost redundancies, all of which are ripe for cutting. By combining physical locations, you greatly reduce overhead. While multiple data center locations can be one way to address disaster recovery and business continuity, there are much more effective (and cost-effective) ways to address those concerns.
Another important issue is server consolidation. This doesn’t just include combining like servers, however. It also includes looking at issues like application consolidation. If two departments are handling the same data from two different applications, you have another opportunity for improved efficiency. The obvious concern here, of course, is making sure that you can provide the same features to both departments that they had pre-consolidation.
Infrastructure is another area of data center consolidation. This includes creating more efficient networks, as well as more efficient storage management. It also includes utilizing shared services to whatever degree is possible.
The final area of data center consolidation is the most difficult, and it relates to people and processes. While you can switch out a server in a matter of hours or even minutes, bringing personnel up to speed on those changes can take much longer. Still, for your company to be at the top of its game, it’s sometimes necessary. The key to dealing with these kinds of issues is to have buy-in from someone in upper management, as well as department heads, who understand the business case for consolidation and can really get behind your consolidation efforts.
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Posted by Crystal Nichols on Wed, Dec 23, 2009 @ 08:00 AM
The marketplace for Enterprise Storage Management (ESM) is changing rapidly. Storage utilization is growing in many enterprises by as much as 60 percent to 100 percent each year. Experts suggest that the ESM market will continue to grow by at least 10 percent a year for the foreseeable future. For your business to keep up with these trends, you need to not only know what’s going on but also know what types of solutions will best fit your business’s needs.
It’s important, first of all, to recognize that ESM encompasses more than just technology. Your people and the processes your company uses are also an integral part of ESM. Implementing a new technology is futile if it doesn’t fit your company’s culture, the way it does things, and even its business purposes.
ESM and Business Continuity
Some of the most pressing issues in ESM right now are the twin imperatives of disaster recovery and business continuity. As data need grow in volume, the ability of backup systems to keep pace without demanding network or SAN resources is no easy task.
Still, an effective ESM solution has to take disaster recovery and business continuity into account. As many as 90 percent of companies that experience a significant data loss due to a disaster will go out of business within five years. Just under half of businesses never open their doors again after a disaster. Effective ESM can greatly improve the odds of your company to survive these kinds of trials.
ESM and Heterogeneous Environments
Another significant problem for ESM right now is heterogeneity. Today’s enterprise is typically no longer a one-vendor shop. Enterprise IT personnel recognize that you need best-in-class solutions for many business functions, and that a single-vendor solution is almost never the most efficient way to go.
This is, of course, a challenge in many IT areas, not just ESM. Heterogeneity affects performance management and data sharing as much as it does ESM. However, an effective ESM solution is one that’s able to serve multiple environments and still keep utilization and management from becoming a logistical nightmare.
ESM and Legacy Data
A third issue facing ESM today is the issue of legacy systems. When you transition a business function from one environment to another, you will ideally pull archived data along with the transition. In cases where this isn’t possible, you not only need to maintain the legacy system, you need to provide an effective storage solution for that data.
A workable ESM solution takes into account legacy data. If the ESM can’t offer legacy data to both old and new systems, it still needs to be able to preserve the data for whatever archival purposes are required by business process or by industry regulations.
The Right ESM Solution for You
When you’re choosing an ESM, you need to focus on several factors. All of these issues should be addressed in the process of evaluating solutions:
• Necessary data performance throughput,
• Availability of business-critical data and applications,
• Scalability,
• Backup and Recovery,
• And, of course, your budget.
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Posted by Mike Magee on Fri, Dec 18, 2009 @ 05:00 AM
To accomplish memorable results and to leave an indelible professional impression, you need to guide your actions with the constant overriding goal to "Execute to Excellence." With that in mind, your work and your efforts will be your brand.
To set one's self apart from the competition, it is not enough to have a lower price. You need to present your customers an alternative. Success creates success. If you can deliver success to your customer then they will get the strong impression that you have delivered to them an exceptional value. You are on your way to building a brand that represents your best efforts.
When a brand is created the goal is to build awareness. A successful brand is thought of when needs arise. Customers call the people they trust can help them achieve excellence. If you can make your customer successful, they will help you be successful.
Customers, similar to individuals, sometimes build their own brand for you. When people meet, they race to stereotype that new person so that they can remember them later. That is why first impressions are so important. And the need to execute to excellence on the first and every activity is so critical.
If you don't build that brand right away you probably will not get a second chance.
If you don't build the brand for the customer they will fill in the blanks for you. I have noticed that on many occasions when I have not had enough time with a particular customer to inform them of our brand. They will make assumptions about what my brand includes. The omission of critical brand values is usually the outcome and lost opportunity the result.
Help your customers see the brand you wish them to see. Remember everything you do is your opportunity to build your brand.
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Wed, Dec 16, 2009 @ 11:10 AM
Your IT solutions provider is an essential part of the overall technology strategy for your organization. Solutions providers can handle a variety of IT needs, all the way from conception through implementation and support. A solutions provider can study your current IT infrastructure, evaluate your organization’s needs, and make recommendations about the perfect mix of hardware and software you need in order to meet your goals. They can then install the hardware and software at your sites, and may also provide the ongoing maintenance, management and support that you need.
Still, IT solutions providers aren’t cheap. In the IT world, like in the rest of the business world, you get what you pay for. There are low-cost solution providers on the market, many of whom promise the same kinds of service and support that other companies offer. Unfortunately, they often fail to deliver on those promises. This can leave your organization in the lurch, and can cost you more in the long run when you have to pay someone else to fix a problem.
Here are some things you can do, going in, to avoid the low-cost solutions provider trap:
Know what you need. Be ready to identify what it is, in very specific terms, you hope the solutions provider can accomplish. If you need someone to design a storage solution for your organization, for example, gather as much data as you can in regard to your storage needs. A quality solutions provider can help you identify the specific ways to address a problem, and can even help to identify problems you may not see, but you need to have a solid place to start from. Think about your needs in business terms and functionality, and let the solutions provider figure out the best technological solution to those business needs.
Choose a provider that does their research. A low-cost service provider is likely to come in to your organization, offer canned solutions and get right to work. A quality IT service provider will really work to get to understand your organizational culture, understand your business needs and help formulate solutions that will grow your business appropriately. Be wary of providers that offer “turnkey” solutions, as your organization may have specific needs that can’t just be handled out of the box.
Examine a provider’s credentials. You need to be confident in the provider’s ability to do what you need them to do. Verify industry certifications, and make sure the advertised certifications are possessed by the actual project managers, technicians and support staff that you’ll be working with. It does little good to hire a solutions provider with a CCIE to support your Cisco network if that CCIE will be completely uninvolved with the actual work at your organization.
Pick a provider with relevant industry experience. IT needs can vary greatly from one industry to the next. Your service provider doesn’t have to be a dedicated industry provider, but they do need to be up to speed on what’s going on in your field.
Consider third-party providers for objective solutions. Providers dedicated to a single vendor are limited in their knowledge base, as well as in the toolbox of solutions they can provide to your company. By picking a third-party provider, you get access to solutions that single vendor providers won’t offer.
Why Unitiv? Check out our FAQ page to learn why you should work with Unitiv.
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Wed, Dec 09, 2009 @ 05:49 AM
In today’s information-intensive environment, you need a reliable flow of data with minimal downtime and interruptions. Hitachi Data Systems offers a wide variety of storage solutions, from simple Network Attached Storage to cloud computing. Regardless of your particular situation, Hitachi offers a way to meet your storage needs in an efficient and cost-effective way.
Cloud Computing
One type of Hitachi storage solution is an agile cloud solution. An agile cloud solution from Hitachi helps to accelerate your adoption of cloud computing technology, and to make it simple and accessible. Hitachi’s Content Platform solution uses an integrated set of IT resources to create a unified pool of storage, whether it’s file, block or content. The Hitachi Content Platform gives you the reliability and security you need when implementing cloud computing infrastructure.
How does this type of solution work? Hitachi uses sophisticated virtualization technologies to create a multitenant environment that is also secure and private. It uses a shared infrastructure, managed from a central command suite. It provides support for many protocols as well as third party technologies, allowing you to use your existing software and hardware investments, and actually moving your legacy technologies into a cloud mode.
Hitachi storage solutions that rely on cloud computing are a cost-effective way to improve your data management. They make your data easy to find and utilize, wherever you are accessing it from. They are scalable, and able to adjust as your needs change in the areas of performance, volume and availability. In addition, they increase overall efficiency by increasing productivity via automation.
Storage Management
Hitachi also offers Storage Management solutions. In today’s environment, you need to be able to increase capacity, provide quick access to data and maintain high levels of uptime with very little in the way of extra money or staff. Hitachi’s storage management software will let you manage your storage infrastructure across the board, from application storage to physical monitoring of your storage infrastructure hardware.
Hitachi’s Storage Management Command Suite lets you take storage management to the next level. It lets you keep track of storage, avoid over-provisioning, monitor data flow, help handle storage alerts and even give you tools and time to deal with strategic problems in your storage environment.
Network Attached Storage
Hitachi also offers a portfolio of Network Attached Storage devices. Hitachi NAS solutions are scalable, reliable and flexible. They're designed to be able to expand with very little effort in order to meet the growing needs of your company. There Hitachi NAS Platform powered by BlueArc and the Hitachi Essential NAS Platform both offer plenty to your company.
Hitachi NAS uses intelligent tiered storage, a simplified management infrastructure and solid data protection. Hitachi NAS is also designed to be environmentally friendly, and is some of the greenest storage solutions available today.
Whether it’s cloud storage, NAS or just storage management tools, Hitachi has something that can help improve your company’s storage environment.
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Posted by Crystal Nichols on Mon, Dec 07, 2009 @ 09:40 AM
One of the best ways to reduce costs while improving the level of service in your IT department is through effective IT asset lifecycle management. Understanding the IT asset lifecycle is the first step in increasing your organization’s IT efficiency and controlling costs all while making sure the organization has the IT resources that it needs in the place it most needs them.
There are many systems that IT departments need to be aware of in terms of asset management. They include base machines, installed components, computer peripherals, operating systems, software, servers, network equipment, other infrastructure and even telephony in many cases.
The IT asset lifestyle involves several phases, some of which apply to all IT assets and some of which may not:
1. Procurement
The first step in the IT asset lifecycle is procurement. An organization procures an asset, and it enters into the organization’s asset management system. At this point, the asset is being managed. In an ideal environment, the process of procurement itself will feed directly into an organization’s asset management system. In other words, once the purchase order is complete and the vendor confirms the order, the procurement system should notify the asset management system. In addition, the asset management system should notify the purchasing system once receipt of the asset actually occurs, allowing payment on the asset.
2. Deployment
Once an organization procures an asset, the next step in the IT asset lifecycle is to deploy it. When the IT asset is deployed, the asset management system should receive updates that include things like physical location of the asset, who in the company is responsible for the asset, configuration information, warranty information and any other data that may be useful to the organization.
3. Usage
Once an IT asset is deployed, an organization can begin to use it. An asset that is in the usage phase is providing value to the organization, and serving a function. Depending on the nature of the asset, the deployment and usage phases may overlap. For example, some systems may be deployed in a staged fashion, where certain portions of the system are actually being utilized before the rest of the system has been fully deployed. An effective IT asset management system will be updated regularly to determine what assets are not being used, and are candidates for repurposing or redeployment.
4. Upgrade
Especially in the IT world, assets may need to receive an upgrade. Whether it’s a new version of application software or even just the addition of a hard drive, equipment will be changed. When that happens, the new configuration information should be recorded in the asset management system, as well.
5. Decommission
When an IT asset isn’t being used anymore, it should be decommissioned. In some cases, a decommissioned asset can be redeployed or repurposed to serve elsewhere in the organization.
6. Salvage
If an IT asset is not being used and has been decommissioned, yet it cannot be redeployed or repurposed, it may still have some salvage value. If that’s the case, the asset management system should be able to track the asset until the salvage process is complete.
For more information on the Asset Lifecycle Management, please go to http://www.unitiv.com/solutions/intelligent-help-desk/
Posted by Jef Allen on Wed, Dec 02, 2009 @ 05:17 AM
Most enterprises today expect their VAR partners to provide experienced and 
vendor-certified sales and technical resources, to represent the best technologies, and to do all this at a competitive price. These are all “givens,” the price of admission for a VAR to be considered as a provider of IT products and services. However, given the economics of the data center today, is that enough?
Most companies have become very sophisticated in their procurement departments. They have experienced personnel and advanced software tools that let them shave the hair off of a gnat’s head when it comes to maximizing discount. As far as it goes, that’s a great thing. The customer has a responsibility to stakeholders to acquire all assets at the most cost-effective price.
However, what happens when the real opportunity to impact cost-reduction in the data center is not about reducing margin, but reducing and managing ever increasing operating expenses? How does shaving margin assist with that?
In fact, in many cases, it induces the VAR provider to do the exact opposite of what would most benefit the client. As the customer drives margins ever lower, the tendency is to reduce the value provided to the customer in order to keep costs in line with profits. Fewer sophisticated technical resources, fewer face-to-face meetings with the client’s IT staff to really understand the nature of the problems faced in the data center, more incentive to just flip product and move on. This is the inexorable trend of commoditization.
Is the answer to build margin back into the product sale? No, as this will lead to price distortion on the assets acquired and does not reward specific value-added behavior.
The solution is to look for VAR partners who have capability, experience and knowledge in technologies, services and methodologies that can specifically help the enterprise manage and reduce operating expense as a component of the IT budget. If your VAR only cares about your hardware spend, you are dealing with the wrong partner.
- Jef Allen
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