An agile data center infrastructure is becoming a key business differentiator as enterprises move towards Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs). Even without this driving force, the implementation of a utility infrastructure creates a more flexible and cost-effective data center. Enterprises can, in most cases, create a utility infrastructure without replacing existing data center hardware.
This note discusses the technology and reasoning behind a utility infrastructure, including:
- What a utility infrastructure is.
- Components of the infrastructure.
- Advantages gained from migrating to a utility infrastructure.
The creation of an agile data center, using the utility infrastructure, requires an understanding of the enterprise's business goals as well as technology solutions.