Presentation gives more insight about what is Converged Infrastructure , types of Converged Infrastructure and its benefits. Also it provides details about various Converged Infrastructure vendors in market and their shares.
1. Point of View – Converged Infrastructure
Chaitanya R. Gaajula
Senior Consultant, Infosys Technologies Ltd.
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2. Agenda
Why and what is Converged Infrastructure
Comparison of Traditional and Converged Infrastructure
Components of Converged Infrastructure
Types of Converged Infrastructure
Characteristics and benefits of Converged Infrastructure
Converged Infrastructure Vendors
What Converged Infrastructure brings to Private Cloud
Reference or Integrated Architecture
Converged Infrastructure - The Next Generation
Case Studies
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3. Why Data Center Convergence?
Today’s modern IT infrastructure is more demanding than ever. With more devices, more
users and IT demands, there has become a greater need for agility and efficiency. Many
organizations have moved towards better computing practices and strive to increase the
amount of users they can support – both now and in the future.
This is where high-density, converged systems can come into play. A converged infrastructure
enables organizations to accelerate time to business value. This is achieved by turning today’s
rigid technology silos into adaptive pools of assets that can be shared by many applications
and managed as a service.
Today’s data center environments have begun to benefit from many pre-integrated, pretested infrastructure solutions now coming to market from a consortium of network, server
and storage vendors.
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5. What is Converged Infrastructure?
Converged infrastructure packages multiple information technology (IT) components into
a single, optimized computing solution. Components of a converged infrastructure
solution include servers, data storage devices, networking equipment and software for IT
infrastructure management, automation and orchestration.
Converged Infrastructure solutions provide a scalable and more cost efficient way to
quickly deploy a more simplified IT infrastructure.
It is used by IT organizations to centralize the management of IT resources, consolidate
systems, increase resource utilization rates and lower costs.
IT vendors and industry analysts use various terms to describe the concept of a converged
infrastructure. These include converged system, unified computing, fabric-based
computing, and dynamic infrastructure.
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6. Traditional Vs Converged Infrastructure
In traditional approach the following steps are performed when servicing a new applications
or requirement.
Collect detailed requirements
Architect & Size
DC Planning
Procure Equipment
Detailed Design
Deploy and Test.
This process takes many weeks and it is time consuming.
By using Converged Infrastructure, many of these phases are compressed or removed
altogether – customers taking this approach have repeatedly demonstrated more than
50% faster deployment times over traditional approaches .
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8. What comprises a Converged Infrastructure
These solutions are completely integrated and sold as a completely integrated IT offering, but
they are comprised of the following technologies:
Networking
Storage
Servers
Management Software
This unified approach to IT infrastructure simplifies data center manageability and improves
flexibility and utilization. It also allows IT to focus more on delivering services to end users,
and less on how to piece together disparate IT components and make them work together.
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10. Characteristics of Converged Infrastructure
End-to-End Virtualization—
Compute, storage, network
and I/O
Modular—Replace or add
any one component
(module) without
affecting the rest of the
compute solution
Orchestrated—Automated
arrangement,
coordination, and
management of complex
computer systems,
middleware, and services
Resilient—Improved
availability using less
infrastructure
Open—Choice, flexibility,
and interoperable
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11. Converged Infrastructure Benefits
Converged Infrastructure platforms deliver quantifiable benefits to an organization,
including:
Better performance
Improved cost/performance ratio
Simplified deployment
More optimization
Increased automation
Lower cost of IT operations
Simplified sourcing and support
Support in moving from IT maintenance to IT innovation
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12. Converged Infrastructure Types
Integrated Application
Systems — Integrated
infrastructure systems that
are pre-integrated with
database and/or application
software to provide
appliance, or appliance like
functionality
Integrated Infrastructure
Systems — Server, sharedstorage and network
hardware integrated to
provide shared compute
infrastructure
Integrated Reference
Architectures — Products in
which predefined, pre-sized
components are designated
as options for an integrated
system, whereby the user
and/or channel can make
configuration choices
between the predefined
options
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15. Converged Infrastructure Vendors
Converged Infrastructure Vendors include networking vendors like Cisco, server vendors like
HP, IBM and Dell, storage vendors like EMC and orchestration vendors like VMware. Also
included are strategic and go-to-market alliances such as VCE and FlexPod..
IBM – PureSystems(PureFlex,PureApplication,PureData)
FlexPod – (Cisco, NetApp)
VCE – Vblock (Cisco, EMC, VMware)
EMC – VSPEX (Cisco,EMC,Brocade)
HP – CloudSystem,VirtualSystem,AppSystem
Oracle – Exalogic,Exadata
Dell – vStart
HDS – Unified Compute Platform
The comparison Matrix below shows features of top 3 CI vendors in the market.
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16. Vendor
Solution
Brief Description
Exadata and Exalogic
Single SKU = Oracle server and
storage + InfiniBand networking
from Mellanox
2011 Revenue: $1B
Vblock
Single SKU = Cisco UCS + Cisco
Networking + EMC Storage +
VMware
2011 Revenue: $209M, launched
in 2009
FlexPod (joint solution with
Cisco)
Reference Architecture = Cisco
UCS + Cisco Networking + NetApp
Storage + VMware or Microsoft
Hyper-V or Citrix
Launched in 2010
IBM
PureSystems family
Single SKU = Single chassis that
has compute, networking and
storage (primarily IBM with some
options on networking) + broad
choice on OS/hypervisor
Launched in 2012
HP
VirtualSystems
Single SKU = HP blade server + HP
storage + HP networking +
VMware or Microsoft Hyper-V
Launched in 2011
Dell
vStart
Converged offering = Dell rack
server + Dell storage + Dell
PowerConnect networking
Similar to Single SKU, single
screen to order, Launched in
2011
HDS
Hitachi Unified Compute
Platform
Single SKU = Hitachi Blade Server
+ Hitachi Storage
Launched in 2010
VSPEX
Reference Architecture = Cisco
UCS+Cisco/Brocade
networking+EMC Storage +
VMware or Microsoft Hyper-V
Launched in 2012
Oracle
VCE
NetApp
EMC
Notes
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18. Key Recommendations in choosing Converged Infrastructure Vendor
Understand your own requirements: First step in a successful implementation is to
understand which of major capabilities you require and which are optional.
Buy Services from the primary CI vendor: Installation, configuration and integration services
will be critical for your CI solution.
Consider prepackaged solutions if you wants the benefits immediately - While most
organizations take a step by-step approach towards infrastructure convergence by
standardizing, virtualizing and automating their existing environment. In many cased,
prepackaged CI solutions can help implement a CI more quickly and therefore realize the cost
savings and business value of CI sooner.
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19. CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE- The Evolution of Virtualization
and the foundation of the private Cloud
ApplicationBased Silos
Zones of
Virtualization
ITaaS
External
Cloud Services
(Internal Cloud)
Where are you on this journey?
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20. CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE- The Evolution of Virtualization
and the foundation of the private Cloud
Virtualization technologies at the Compute, Storage, and Network ‘layers’ have enabled
tremendous advances in efficiency and flexibility through consolidation and software
automation. However, these IT stack layers are still largely separate today, with little end-toend visibility for even management and monitoring, much less automated provisioning,
elasticity, or user self-service. To realize true Cloud Computing features and benefits, the
infrastructure must operate as a fully-virtualized, fully-integrated entity, with awareness of
each layer and integration/coordination between them.
Converged Infrastructure Solutions deliver extreme advances in infrastructure efficiency,
flexibility, and responsiveness. allowing you to service your business’s IT needs faster, easier,
and less expensively than ever before. Converged Infrastructure/Private Cloud is the next
phase in the evolution of virtualization and IT service delivery architecture.
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21. CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE- The Evolution of Virtualization
and the foundation of the private Cloud
Converged Infrastructure leverages the virtualization capabilities of each layer, integrates them
into a single unified infrastructure, and wraps end-to-end management/automation/orchestration
software around the entire stack to enable automated application and business-process-centric provisioning
of coordinated IT resources.
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22. Reference or Integrated Architecture
Reference architecture
Pros:
Flexibility:You can select the type --and sometimes the brand-- of components you need
Less expensive up front
Cons:
Lots and lots of documentation
Many pieces and parts that may arrive at different times on your loading dock
Disjointed support: If it consists of components from different vendors, you typically have to
call the vendor who sells the component that's experiencing issues. It may end up being an
issue with another component, in which case you have to call a different vendor.
More expensive over time
Integrated Infrastructure
Pros:
The components are pre-selected for you, and you typically have a few different types from
which to choose, based on your needs
The various components are pre-packaged and pre-tested as a system
One support # to call when you experience issues
Less expensive over time
Cons:
Limited choices
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23. Converged Infrastructure –The Next Generation
The converged infrastructure market essentially comprises the entire infrastructure space
and is enormous, with a projected $402B total available market (TAM) by 2017.
Nearly 2/3rds of the infrastructure that supports enterprise applications will be packaged in
some type of converged solution by 2017.
Reference architectures will capture half of the opportunity by 2017 and represent the
largest piece of the converged pie.
The six-year CAGR from 2011 – 2017 for converged reference architectures is 52.5% while
single SKU will grow at 63.2% over that same period.
The dramatic shift in landscape below, with legacy roll-your-own, purpose-built infrastructure
declining rapidly and becoming too expensive for all but the most demanding and mission
critical applications or those that are simply too risky to alter..
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24. Converged Infrastructure –The Next Generation
Table 2 - Source: Wikibon 2012 Table 2: Converged Infrastructure by Class
As seen in Table 2, while single SKU solutions have created much buzz in the market, the
largest opportunity remains with reference architectures, capturing $205.8B or more than
half of the TAM. Single SKU solutions offer very little or no choice in terms of technology
options. VCE’s Vblock, for example, is limited to VMware as its hypervisor.
The disadvantage is that single SKU solutions offer little or no choice for shops that want
heterogeneity. Increasingly, customers and the channel are looking for options and choice,
and so-called reference architectures, which are proven and tested in the lab and often in the
field, are becoming a popular option with the channel and many end-customers who may
specify their own reference architectures internally.
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25. Segments of the Reference Architecture Opportunity
Figure 2 - Source: Wikibon 2012. Reference Architectures are the Largest Opportunity
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26. Case Studies
FlexPod
IBM PureFlex
Client : Leading Financial Bank
The challenge
• Speed up delivery with rapid provisioning copies of the bank
• Improve developer productivity
• Accelerate time to market for new products and services
Solution:
A new, fully integrated testing and development architecture, including hardware,
software and professional services
Benefits:
• Eliminated the time associated with environment provisioning from 12 weeks to 10
minutes
• Improved developer productivity with self-service provisioning replacing a process that
previously took eight people three months
• Significantly reduced the cost to provision new copies of the bank
Client: Leading Insurance Company
Business need: Customer needed a next-generation, high-speed computing
platform to help its customers deploy IBM® PureFlex™ technology in small and rugged
form factors in environments beyond the back office.
Solution:
Customer products leveraged all PureFlex technology, including integrated IBM Flex System™
x240 compute nodes, IBM Flex System Fabric EN4093 scalable Ethernet switches and
IBM Storwize® V7000 storage.
Benefits:
IBM created a long-term platform solution based on the most powerful IBM
high-performance computing (HPC) technology, delivered PureFlex technology to
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virtually any environment, and provided a clear technology roadmap to customers.
27. Case Studies
VCE
HP
Client : Leading Credit Card Company
Challenge:
Clients had to rapidly develop and deploy new applications for a heavy transaction and
improve developer productivity
The solution
Vblock Systems provided an agile development environment and a robust production
infrastructure
Benefits:
• Client started work in 45 days and rolled out a new service for on-line merchants and
customers—on time FINANCIAL SERVICES
Client: Leading Financial Services
Business need:Position the company to handle greater volume and take advantage of
expanding market opportunities by refreshing mission-critical transaction processing
Technology
Solution:
HP Converged Infrastructure enabled higher availability and scalability and reduced
overhead Costs and system complexity
• Benefits:
Reduced average transaction processing time by 75%
• Reduced TCO for transaction processing systems by approximately one-third
• Enabled nearly a 5x volume increase at about 25% of the previous processing cost
• Reduced cycle time for fully tested and benchmarked hardware- and software-based
changes by 75%
• Eliminated risks associated with IT changes for client by establishing
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a test and benchmark environment
28. Conclusion
Rapidly proliferating silos of servers, storage, and networking resources combined with
countless management tools and operational processes have led to inefficiencies and soaring
costs in the data center. Customers require a flexible IT solution that will fit into their current
infrastructure, yet will scale for future growth.
Because these building blocks have been pre-designed ad validated—you dramatically reduce
the guesswork and risk involved with new data center deployments. Instead, you’ll be able to
grow your infrastructure predictably and quickly. Your data center will have improved
resiliency and availability because simplified and cohesive management help you proactively
and productively manage your infrastructure.
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