Virtualworks - Ebook

Content Virtualization
A new approach to solving enterprise data sprawl

A VirtualWorks eBook

virtualworks.com

Introduction

Data Sprawl overtakes
the enterprise
If information is the lifeblood of any enterprise,
then today’s enterprises are bleeding badly.
And it’s only going to get worse. As storage costs
continue to drop, the need for data discipline There’s been
The data that used to live in structured warehouses
disappears. Virtual servers and desktops add a layer
of complexity. And mobile apps – many of them
a ten-fold increase
and databases is now buried in emails, file servers, running on employee-owned devices – not only in data stored by
intranet sites, scanned files and hard drives. create even more data, but also add to the difficulty
of securing corporate information. enterprises over
Some of it lives inside document management
systems but most is out there in the wild – not just In short: this is the age of Data Sprawl. And the the last five years
behind the firewall but out in the cloud as well.
Software-as-a-Service and utility computing are
penalties are very real.
(2006-2011).
only increasing the data chaos. Today, data lives Source: IDC
in hundreds of silos.

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The cost of data sprawl

Every enterprise suffers from the chaotic state
of enterprise data in these ways:
• Security holes – with sensitive data atomised
throughout the enterprise (the explosion in
Half of all
• Poorly-informed decisions – because the most
mobile data in particular escalates compliance
and security risk).
organizations that
timely, relevant content is not being used. have moved to
• A massive IT burden – as resources are wasted
• Slower decision-making – with time wasted on trying to control, secure and manage data. the cloud are now
looking for the right data.
Even the best-managed companies with the tightest transitioning back
• Productivity loss – with knowledge workers
spending more time looking for information
information governance practices are paying the
price of data sprawl every day. On the road to the
to on-premise
instead of adding value. real-time enterprise, data sprawl may be the single
biggest obstacle.
solutions because
• Slower return on application investments – of data integration
with data locked inside application silos. Every IT professional knows it’s a problem but very
few can see a way around it. issues.
Source: Gartner


“For every 5-10 employees, there is one application,
generating copies of the same files everywhere, which
in turn, leads to massive amounts of duplicate data
strewn all across underutilized storage systems.”
Michael Vizard, ITBusinessEdge.com, March 2011


The first (failed) attempts
at a solution: too much structure.
If lack of structure was the problem, the answer Unfortunately, while each of these attempts
must be more structure, in the form of: delivered some benefits, none of them solved
the problem. Data continues to pour out of every
Data warehouses corporate crevice, lurking in odd nooks and crannies
Massive, centralized data stores that were meant and defying structure.
to replace the hundreds of silos.
One reason may be the futility of trying to get users
Document management systems to change their behaviors. Another might be the
Extensive (and expensive) knowledge management sheer scale of the problem: the volume of data; the
stores with pre-structured data schema and number of applications silos, servers and stores; and
intensive meta-data rules. the many different locations for these silos – in the
cloud and behind the firewall.
Data governance initiatives
New rules, policies and processes designed to There has to be a better way.
enforce better data hygiene practices.

First generation enterprise search
Too centralized, too hierarchical and too insecure
for the way data lives.


A better way

There’s a new model for managing data sprawl But before we dive into the specifics of Content
that’s changing the way enterprises think about Virtualization, let’s zoom out and put it in a bit of
information. context…

It’s called Content Virtualization and, as the name
implies, it’s based on the ideas that have made
other kinds of virtualization so popular: resources
on demand, distributed architectures and agile
infrastructures.

Content Virtualization promises to transform
information management without ripping out
existing resources, without massive investment
in new data stores, and without asking users to
change behavior.


Virtualization defined

Virtualization is simply separating a software layer The first two ages virtualization
from the underlying hardware in order to optimize
resources, drive down costs and increase flexibility. Virtualization has swept through enterprise IT,
progressing in two big waves:
In the 1990s, virtualization was first used to simulate
end-user environments on a single mainframe. It I. Virtualization in the data center
might have remained a mainframe artefact if not for Including server virtualization and storage
the server proliferation that characterized the latter virtualization – both of which delivered dramatic
part of that decade. improvements in resource utilization, cost, energy
use, footprint and flexibility.

II. Virtualization of the desktop
Including operating system, desktop and application
virtualization to make provisioning of new desktops
easier and cheaper and secure access to corporate
resources simpler. The ‘one user, one desktop, one
app’ model is coming to an end.


(continued)

Virtualization defined

Today, as CIO.com puts it, “The industry buzz
around virtualization is just short of deafening.”
An additional benefit: in the old physical world
one result of server and storage limitations was the
“Virtualization
And for good reason: capping of data sprawl. Virtualization introduces
a new way of managing it.
continues to
The benefits demonstrate
The beneficiaries: IT
All of the different forms and flavors of virtualization additional tangible
deliver a similar set of benefits: In both virtualization waves, the IT department was
the primary driver and beneficiary of virtualization. benefits the
Cost savings – through resource optimization
For the user, virtualization was at best invisible and,
more it’s used,
Flexibility – from an abstraction layer rather than
hard-wiring
at worst, a new level of complexity and confusion.
As virtualization progresses, user experience tends
broadening its
to be a last consideration. value to the
Scalability – ramping up resources on demand
enterprise at each
Agility – the ability to change strategy and direction
quickly step.”
Manageability – setting administrators free from CIO.com
managing one physical resource at a time.


The third wave

Introducing
Content Virtualization is the logical extension of
the virtualization boom – and might be the first
virtualization technology to focus squarely on
delivering hard benefits to the end user, right
alongside IT department benefits.

A quick definition:

Content Virtualization separates and abstracts
content from the underlying physical data silos,
capturing it in a secure common index for improved
access, availability and security, It gives users
immediate access to their data regardless of its
location.

Makes sense.


How Content Virtualization
works
So, the ‘big four’ principles of content virtualization 3. Secure access The importance of OCR
are to Use existing security schema (such as Active A lot of enterprise content assets exist in
Directory) to associate each piece of content with
1. Find all information its access privileges, so only authorized users can scanned files and text-rich image files such
Discover data wherever it lives, across hundreds of see it. as CAD drawings. To be able to access
applications, servers, intranet sites, email and file
and index this, a content virtualization
stores – in the cloud, in the data center and across 4. Leverage
all local drives. Make all content available to authorized users and solution needs powerful Optical Character
to a new generation of index-enabled applications, Recognition functionality. OCR can
2. Index everything on-demand.
Identify and list all data in the enterprise making it recognize and index even the tiniest caption
easy to index everything in a central or virtualized in a scanned file attached to an email and
cluster of indexes.
make it available and accessible.


The principles of
Other approaches to managing data sprawl have Any Location
created as many obstacles to end user productivity Content virtualization has to embrace data wherever
as they have tried to solve. Content virtualization it lives, behind the firewall, out in the cloud or
aims to transform an end user’s relationship with anywhere in-between. And if data moves, the
corporate IT, putting their needs first solution needs to move with it.

Non-disruptive Any Security Schema
Leaves all data where it lives Content virtualization needs to adapt to the
enterprise’s chosen security authorization model,
Index everything so users only access what they’re authorized to
Organizes and indexes all your data using a see. Trying to impose a new security infrastructure
common index structure. on the indexed content would create unnecessary
overhead and a new point of failure.
Any Application
Finds and indexes the data inside of any application, Any Client
database or file store –ideally without having The content virtualization solution needs to support
to hard-wire integrations for each and every all possible client devices, whether physical,
application. That means understanding a huge virtual, distributed or mobile. Any index-enabled
range of file types as well as context and meaning. application should be able to make the most of the
native features of Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and
beyond.


The benefits of
The most important benefits of content Efficiency
virtualization are the benefits delivered to users
and to the business in general. These fall into four • Get more value from your existing knowledge
clusters: systems – including document management
systems, intranets and beyond
Agility
• Forego investment in data warehouses
• Faster, more informed decision making – and let content virtualization manage
a critical part of any real-time enterprise the content

• A holistic view of content assets including Simplicity
structured and unstructured data
• Unify the enterprise content universe – with all
Productivity applications and content working as one content
system
• Less time wasted trying to find the content
needed • Give users a federated content experience across
all content stores – including intranets, email
• One-stop access – giving authorized users instant and file stores and any local, remote, virtualized,
and secure access to relevant content hosted or cloud application


Introduction

“If only HP knew what HP knows we would be
three times more productive.”
Lew Platt, Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard


Introducing VIA:
The Virtual Index Architecture
VirtualWorks has been set up to address the
challenge of content virtualization. VIA is the
world’s first comprehensive content virtualization
architecture for enterprises of all sizes.

It solves the data sprawl problem by inserting
a virtual content layer above every application
and data silo, making a secure index available
to authorized users so they can make the right
decisions at the right time.


(continued)

Introducing VIA:
The Virtual Index Architecture
VIA is architected specifically to address the Security plug-ins
challenges posed by data sprawl in the enterprise
through a layered architecture that makes extensive Because it’s service-oriented and based on
use of Cross-Indexers and Plug-ins. a content virtualization model, VIA is designed
to adapt to the enterprise’s chosen security
Cross-Indexers embrace new applications authorization model, using simple, fully integrated
security plug-ins.
VIA uses standardized, pre-integrated Cross-
Indexers to plug any SQL-based application into This extensible approach embraces new security
the Indexing Engine with no heavy integration or schema as they emerge, without expensive re-
coding. integration. An enterprise might plug in Active
Directory today without precluding the next
Cross-Indexers are designed to access all data inside generation of security.
an application and interpret the context of that data
to facilitate accurate indexing.

The Cross-Indexer library already covers major
commercial applications, such as SharePoint,
Exchange, Notes, file servers, document
management systems and popular cloud apps.
And new Cross-Indexers can be created quickly
and easily by VirtualWorks.


Start anywhere

Because it’s a light, modular solution that uses Deploy fast, scale even faster
Cross-Indexers, enterprises can start their content
virtualization journey by cross-indexing any two • Deploy in days and deliver value to users in the
applications – SharePoint and Exchange for example first week
– then plug in more applications and data sources
as they grow. • Start with any two content stores or applications
and expand as you go

• Scale to include every intranet site, file store and
SQL-based application hosted on premise or in the
cloud

• Access all data, no matter where users put it, with
an agile content virtualization model

And do it all without expensive and time-
consuming integration.


VIA in action
The power of content virtualization

Content virtualization lets enterprises attack some of their most Indexed-enabled Applications Because it’s open and based on plug-ins,
pressing information challenges and seize new opportunities. A trusted content virtualization solution VIA makes it easy for VirtualWorks and
Some examples:
opens up a new world of applications, our partners to build a new library of index-
Manage unstructured files and email servers allowing users and administrators to do enabled applications that leverage the
Instantly and securely access millions of files, emails and
new things with data: power of enterprise information. At the
attachments – even in the cloud.
same time, by marshalling and managing
Go paperless • Find it – using next-generation enterprise information more effectively, we can
Index all scanned files (with powerful OCR), and make it search
instantly visible to the people who need it. deliver a better return on knowledge,
• Secure it – based on total visibility
a key differentiator for business in the
Empower SharePoint and Notes
® ®
• Inventory it – to make better resourcing
decisions information age
Index all the information locked inside multiple SharePoint or
Notes systems to make it accessible to all authorized users. • De-dupe it – to improve data quality
enterprise-wide
The Indexed Intranet
• Manage it – optimizing your content
Index the intranet and users will find what they need, instantly – infrastructure
and come back for more.
• Learn about it – gaining insight into the
use of knowledge within the enterprise
Real-world document management
Make document management system user-proof – or skip
the DMS entirely and index all content instead.


Conclusion

Virtualization has already transformed enterprise It also helps IT departments do their jobs better, As applications continue to proliferate, more data
IT – now content virtualization is set to transform making it easier to: moves into the cloud and more knowledge workers
the way that users inside enterprises can harness mobilize their content assets, the need for content
the content they need to make better decisions, in Secure all content so users see only what they’re virtualization has never been greater.
real time, based on the right information regardless authorized to see
of where it lives. At VirtualWorks, we’re extremely excited about the
Lighten the data management burden by leaving potential of this new model. And we welcome the
It’s all about helping knowledge workers: data where it is, but discovering and indexing it opportunity to introduce you to it.
for use
Make better decisions with the right information
at the right time Unite all content stores – whether in the cloud,
the data center or any server or storage system
Make faster decisions minimizing access and in-between.
retrieval time
Let the data sprawl.
Get more value from every application by
unlocking the data inside Content virtualization dramatically mitigates
the downside of data sprawl. For the first time,
Boost productivity spending less time hunting enterprises can let data stay wherever users
and more time adding value want it to be without losing its value to the entire
organization.


“Virtualization is no longer just about server consolidation…
In virtualized environments, it’s easier to move things
around, to encapsulate, to archive and to optimize.”
CIO.com


About VirtualWorks
VirtualWorks was founded to solve data sprawl by redefining enterprise
information architectures. The company has developed a lightweight Virtual Index
“I’m as excited about
Architecture for understanding and tracking content across disparate applications content virtualization
and data stores. The company’s technology is used by more than 30,000 people
across 300 private and public sector organizations to unleash the power as I was about the first
of information no matter where it resides.
wave of virtualization
when we founded Citrix.
This is a major paradigm
shift without the major
disruption.”
Ed Iacobucci, Founder of Citrix and
VirtualWorks
virtualworks.com

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