Modernize the Data Center with Software-Defined Infrastructure
Take a page from the cloud architecture playbook and develop an on-premises infrastructure that is elastic, agile, highly available, and ready for the hybrid future.
- The business is demanding agility, with elastic resources and faster time to value.
- The public cloud is considered to be more responsive and efficient.
- Data center managers struggle with the cost and complexity of legacy infrastructure.
- Data centers are trending toward consolidation and convergence.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Start the migration to SDI now: the cloud has quickly become an alternative to traditional infrastructure. Deliver the agile products and services the business needs, or the cloud becomes a viable option.
- Modernize more than technology: people and process changes need to occur to get the most of new technologies.
- Plan for hybrid infrastructure: modernization does not happen all at once. Take advantage of SDI benefits and support minimal legacy platforms.
Impact and Result
- Use software-defined technologies to pool your resources. Break down the physical barriers that prevent your compute, network, and storage resources from working together.
- Start your modernization efforts with the technologies that are near their refresh cycle and that require immediate attention.
- Align the modernization of your data center technologies with required changes to your people and processes.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
8.0/10
Overall Impact
$1,000
Average $ Saved
1
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Kindred Credit Union
Guided Implementation
7/10
$1,000
1
It was helpful to dig into the blueprint and understand the components of this aspect of IT Management. We got a sense of where we are at relative ... Read More
Qurate Retail Group Inc
Guided Implementation
9/10
N/A
N/A
Great talk with the team. Unfortunately I don't recall seeing that the follow up email was sent with research links.
City of Virginia Beach
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
10
Scott Young is well educated, informed and skilled. I appreciate his organizational skills and the way he made suggestions on how to proceed with a... Read More
Workshop: Modernize the Data Center with Software-Defined Infrastructure
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Establish a Vision and Assess the Current State of IT
The Purpose
- Solicit stakeholders for their intentions toward the modernization.
- Assess the current state of IT.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Identified the current state of IT and its readiness for software-defined infrastructure (SDI).
Activities
Outputs
Current IT Assessment and Technical Debt Assessment
- An understanding of the current state of people, process, and technology in your data center
Current Skills Matrix
- Identification of present data center skill sets
IT Platform Assessment
- A list of the IT platforms in the data center, described by age and functionality
Module 2: Explore SDI-Enabling Technologies and Create Projects
The Purpose
- Introduce SDI-enabling technologies.
- Complete the tool and create projects.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A list of projects that will be used to modernize the data center to SDI.
Activities
Outputs
Virtualization Maturity Assessment
- Confirmation of progress to becoming fully virtualized
SDI Skills Matrix
- Identification of deficiencies in required SDI skills
Process Comparison
- Determination of process improvements and changes
Project Creation
- A list of projects that address the people, process, and technology challenges
Module 3: Plan the Modernization
The Purpose
- Identify and prioritize appropriate modernization projects.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Effective planning that will ensure ideal results from the modernization effort.
Activities
Outputs
Continued Project Creation
- A list of projects that address the people, process, and technology challenges
Pilot Project Creation
- Ideal pilot project to start the modernization
Project Prioritization
- A completed project timeline and sunshine diagram
Module 4: Communicate the Modernization
The Purpose
- Assemble the final communications report.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A final report that will be used to communicate to all stakeholders.
Activities
Outputs
Final Communications Report
- A final communications report that can be used to communicate your modernization efforts to all stakeholders
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 8 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Know what you have
- Call 1: Establish a vision for the modern data center
- Call 2: Current IT assessment
- Call 3: Current people, process, and technology assessment
Guided Implementation 2: Find what you need
- Call 1: Assess virtualization maturity
- Call 2: Explore SDI-enabling technologies
- Call 3: People, process, and technology project creation
Guided Implementation 3: Get there
- Call 1: Plan, prioritize, and pilot the modernization projects
- Call 2: Communicate the data center modernization
Contributors
- Paula Phipps, Senior Manager, Hitachi Data Systems
- Brian Cohen, CEO, StrataCloud
- 3 anonymous company contributors