47
Virtualization provides opportunities to reduce complexity, improve service levels to the business and lower capital and operating costs to provide and maintain IT infrastructure. Based on the experiences of our customers, implementing virtual infrastructure is completely doable and manageable. As a mature technol- ogy, virtualization can touch on a broad set of IT stakeholders and IT processes. Cultural resistance can stall or limit many deployments, particularly in larger enterprise organizations. Thus we recom- mend that IT executives proactively define the organizational vision for virtual infrastruc- ture, high-level goals and objectives to hone virtualization technical skills, and virtual infrastruc- ture operational processes that can maximize and accelerate the benefits of virtual infrastructure. INTRODUCTION INTRO

INTRODUCTION - University of Albertarsawh/VMWARE-EMC-DELL-DEMO... · 2008-04-01 · Accelerating end-user enablement for outsourcing and off-shoring initiatives Accelerating large-scale

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Vir tualization provides opportunities to reduce

complexity, improve service levels to the business

and lower capital and operating costs to provide

and maintain IT infrastructure.

Based on the experiences of our customers,

implementing virtual infrastructure is completely

doable and manageable. As a mature technol-

ogy, vir tualization can touch on a broad set of IT

stakeholders and IT processes. Cultural resistance

can stall or l imit many deployments, par ticularly

in larger enterprise organizations. Thus we recom-

mend that IT executives proactively define the

organizational vision for vir tual infrastruc-

ture, high-level goals and objectives to hone

vir tualization technical sk il ls, and vir tual infrastruc-

ture operational processes that can maximize and

accelerate the benefits of vir tual infrastructure.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

I N T R O

2

V I R T UA L I N F R A S T R U C T U R E O P E R AT I O N S

“ T h e o rg a n i z a t i o n a l m i n d s h a r e , ca p a b i l i t i e s a n d s k i l l s e t s t o a s s e s s , d e s i g n , d e p l o y, m a n a g e a n d s ca l e v i r t u a l i n f ra s t r u c t u r e .”

VI M indshare

VI Dr ivers

V I Sk i l l Sets

Establishing and maintaining a Vision for VI

Assessing Business Drivers for VI

Measuring Vir tual Maturity / Center of Excellence

Online Executive Workbook

Portal and Wik i

Whitepaper

This Workbook is organized in 4 sections: Vision, Strategy, Key Consid-

erations and Executive Passdown. Each section is designed to allow

you to capture new ideas and recommendation as well as to develop

your existing ideas and plans regarding your organization’s use and

implementation of virtual infrastructure.

YO U R E X E C U T I V E W O R K B O O K

D E F I N I T I O N

OT h E R TO O L S A N D R E S O U R C E S

N OT E S

N OT E S

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

To achieve the benefits of virtualization beyond tactical and isolated

project oriented deployment, many cultural and organizational chal-

lenges that may stall or delay the process must be overcome. Under-

standing and applying the following key success factors and strategies

can accelerate your company’s widescale adoption of virtualization.

YO U R V I S I O N F O R S U CC E S S

Top-down sponsorship ensures

success of virtualization implementation

Executive sponsorship and technical champions ensure

the appropriate levels of funding, staffing, and cross-group

cooperation and communication.

CIOCIO

IT

IT

IT

CIO

Line ofIT

Line ofBusiness

Line ofBusiness

Line ofBusiness

Treat virtualization as an architectural

decision throughout the organization

By regarding virtualization as an architectural decision,

you can enable, accelerate and save costs for multiple

projects and business initiatives. This standardization

can help achieve the maximum ROI for your organization.

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Achieve stakeholder buy-in early & maintain through all phases

One of your challenges may be the cultural resistance encountered when

new technology is introduced. This can be easily overcome by selling

stakeholders on added benefits, higher levels of service, and a new

service delivery model that improves the time to provision computing

power from months to minutes.

Design for the big picture, but deploy

incrementally – target initial ROI within six months

Organizations can reap rapid return on investment benefits by

deploying projects incrementally and applying the learning from

each incremental project to the next. Virtualization maturity and

confidence develop rapidly this way. Many VMware enterprise

customers have started with a server consolidation project

and rapidly used this success to evolve into a standardized

implementation with more mature management processes.

Start your initial project with an

infrastructure assessment and design review

Upfront assessment will ensure high quality design and enables

you to migrate to a virtualized environment in a controlled

and predictable way with proper remediation and change

management procedures. This groundwork will ensure an

implementation plan that is specific to your organization’s

infrastructure environment and needs.

Form a virtualization core team to be the

initial agents of change, ensuring early success

Initiating a virtual infrastructure core team or “SWAT” team formed

from the IT infrastructure ranks has been the hallmark of all

successful, broad scale deployments that VMware has observed.

proof ofconcept

departmentrollout

expandedrollout

process andtechnologystandardized

standardize expandadopt

numberof VM’s

too muchtoo soon

too littletoo late

time & virtual maturity

N OT E S

Transition core team to an operational center of excellence

Once your first project ramps up and the benefits of

virtualization are proven, multiple parts of your enterprise

will start to request virtualization for their projects. To

accommodate this demand, your core team should refine

and standardize the processes established in the initial

project.

proof ofconcept

departmentrollout

expandedrollout

process andtechnologystandardized

standardize expandadopt

numberof VM’s

too muchtoo soon

too littletoo late

time & virtual maturity

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

QUESTION

WhAT ARE ThE TOP 3 BUSINESS DRIVERS FOR VIRTUALIzATION IN YOUR COmPANY?

1.

2.

3.

Major data center infrastructure consoli-dation, migration or change events

Branch office consolidation

Cost-avoidance of data center facilities (space, power, cooling, etc)

Improved business continuity and appli-cation protection, in-sourcing of disaster recovery

Meeting end-user environment security, compliance goals, particularly as part of major desktop refresh

Accelerating end-user enablement for outsourcing and off-shoring initiatives

Accelerating large-scale application development, upgrades and implemen-tation projects

Accelerated development and test envi-ronment due to ease of implementation and minimal risk to the enterprise envi-ronment

Server consolidation targets the migration and re-hosting of existing, underutilized infrastructure in the data center, driven by the need to reduce cost, space and other

environment and capacity constraints

Server containment is a more rapid imple-mentation strategy used to virtualize most or all new applications in a properly sized virtual infrastructure, independent of whether existing underutilized assets have been virtualized or consolidated.

Business continuity/disaster recovery expansion. The cost-reduced and sim-plified disaster recovery methods avail-able in a virtual environment can enable expansion of disaster recovery to new applications, or in sourcing of a DR plan. As a data point, 63% of VMware custom-ers have used VMware to enhance disaster recovery capabilities.

Virtual desktop infrastructure allows centralized consolidation, backup and business continuity options for end-user environments hosted in a secure data center, maps particularly well to the need to centrally secure, manage and rapidly provision remote or 3rd party knowledge workers.

KEy bUSINESS DRIVERS

9

N OT E S

V I S I O NS TR AT E G y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

QUESTIONS

STRATEGIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

How do I effectively sponsor the enterprise vir tualization vision within the company and keep the organization focused through all stages of adoption?

How do I obtain and maintain line of business stakeholder buy-in and support for vir tualization throughout all stages of implementation?

How do I slip-stream vir tualization into existing projects to accelerate adoption without introducing risk?

What is the changing role of the OS within my enterprise over the next 18-24 months?

W h AT A R E T h E m O S T U R G E N T Q U E S T I O N S A N E X E C U T I V E S h O U L D A N S W E R W h E N D E V E LO P I N G A P L A N TO I m P L E m E N T V I R T UA L I z AT I O N AC R O S S T h E CO m PA N Y ?

V I S I O NS TR AT E G y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

2 - 6 weeks 2 - 4 weeks 4 - 8 weeks On-going

Assess Planning andDesign Build Manage

• Determine operational readiness

• Document current environment

• Review current/planned projects

• Document current application portfolio

• Develop operational designs

• Conduct training

• De�ne service o�erings

• Develop a test plan

• Execute the blueprints and test plans

• Integrate into the organization

• Update process guides and procedures

• P2V Migrations

• Go live

• Continuous Improvement

After completing an initial project to validate functionality,

there are some practical next steps to ensure successful deploy-

ment in all future projects. This Executive workbook focuses primarily

on the “Build VCoE”, “Assess”, “Plan and Design” phases. Future tools

wil l provide additional details of the “Build” and “Manage” phases.

The duration of each phase can vary based on the scope of the

project, expertise, resource availabil ity, and organizational readiness.

Vir tualization capabil it ies should be developed in parallel through-

out all phases.

G E T T I N G S TA R T E D : B E YO N D T h E I N I T I A L P R O j E C T

11

Establish your vision for vir tualization and share ROI from initial project

Build a Virtualization Center of Excellence (VCoE)

Determine level of operational readiness as compared to your enterprise vir tualization vision

Assess and document IT infrastructure environment

Assess current and planned projects for impact and fit for vir tualization

Inventory server assets and assess server util ization

Document your application portfolio’s fit with vir tualization

Plan and design

Build and deploy incrementally

Manage and optimize

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

TEN EASy STEPS TO VIRTUAlIzATION

N OT E S

V I S I O NS TR AT E G y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

STORAGE

FINANCE

NETWORK

OPERATIONS

ChANGE

MANAGEMENT

CAPACITy

MANAGEMENT

SERVER

SUPPORT

VCoEVirtual Infrastructure Center

of Excellence

V I R T UA L I z AT I O N C E N T E R O F E XC E L L E N C E

After the initial project has been deployed, the core team or SWAT team

used to deploy the initial project wil l have some key learning to impart

to the organization. Therefore, in parallel with the next project, it is

t ime to transition the core team function to a Vir tualization Center of

Excellence ( VCoE). One recommendation for how to execute this is that

each key functional group nominates a respected representative to the

VCoE, establishing a feedback loop between the VCoE and each group.

Information is shared bi-directionally, ensuring cross-functional support

and growth. Representatives will drive new ideas, resolve operational

problems, and create innovative vir tualization solutions to ensure

continuous process improvement.

S A M P l E V C OE

1�

VCoEVirtual Infrastructure Center

of Excellence

YOUR ORG ChART hERE

N OT E S

V I S I O NS TR AT E G y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

technologypeople process

steps to maturity

initial repeatable de�ned managed optimized

TIPPING POINT

I D E N T I F Y I N G C U R R E N T A N D D E S I R E DV m WA R E m AT U R I T Y m O D E L

In the “physical” world, there are built-in latencies in provisioning. The goal of the VCoE is to accelerate and ensure inter-group communica-tion and to take advantage of the increased speed of change that vir tual-ization allows. The VCoE provides a f lexible framework for organizational re-alignment – proactively responding to changing business needs.

The VCoE ensures vir tual infrastructure support teams are adequately staffed and trained to take full advantage of the positive changes that vir tualization brings to the organization.”

15

N OT E S

technologypeople process

steps to maturity

initial repeatable de�ned managed optimized

TIPPING POINT

Initial - The IT service delivery process is characterized as ad hoc, and occasionally even chaotic. Few processes are defined, and success depends on individual effort and heroics.

Repeatable - Basic service management processes are established. The necessary discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes on similar services with similar service levels.

Defined - The IT service processes are documented, standardized, and integrated into standard service processes. All services are delivered using approved, tailored versions of the organization’s standard service processes.

Managed - Detailed measurements of the IT service delivery process and service quality are collected. Both the service processes and the delivery services are quantitatively understood and controlled.

Optimizing - Continuous process improvement is enabled by quantitative feedback from the processes and from piloting innovative ideas and technologies.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

VMWARE MATURITy MODEl (STAGES 1-5)

V I S I O NS TR AT E G y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

CIOCIO

IT

IT

IT

CIO

Line ofIT

Line ofBusiness

Line ofBusiness

Line ofBusiness

C R I T I C A L S U CC E S S FAC TO R S S U m m A R Y

Top-down sponsorship ensures success of vir tualization

implementations

Treat vir tualization as an architectural decision, design for the big

picture, but deploy incrementally targeting ROI within six months

Form a vir tualization core team to be the agents of change, ensuring

early success

Ensure high quality design and remediation to avoid early shutdown

Achieve stakeholder buy-in early and maintain through all phases

Socialize benefits of vir tualization to business owners by selling:

Faster provisioning of applications

Higher availability and dynamic resource management

Accelerate application projects with increased development

lifecycle productivity

»

»

»

1�

N OT E S

N OT E S

19

B U I L D V I R T UA L I z AT I O N C E N T E R O F E XC E L L E N C E ( V CO E )

VMware has a created a model for a typical Virtualization CoE team that describes the roles, skill sets, and background desired for such a team. Most organizations customize or map these prototype recommendations into skills and roles that are appropriate to their own organization.

Once internal education on the benefits of optimizing system infrastructure

through vir tualization ramps up, multiple parts of your enterprise wil l star t to

request vir tualization for their projects. To prepare for this demand, refine the

processes established in the initial project and transition your core team sk il ls

to more standardized and measurable processes. Many companies call this

phase of vir tual infrastructure learning a “center of excellence” (CoE) which

has its own business and service delivery inter face, technical design, and

operational competence.

CIO

Virtualization Center of

Excellence

CIO

CentralIT

Organizational Alignment

DataCenter 2

Line ofBusiness IT

Line ofBusiness IT

Line ofBusiness IT

Line ofBusiness IT

Line ofBusiness IT

Line ofBusiness IT

Production Systemsand Infrastructure

HA, DR Support

ERP

CRM

SFA

HRMS

B2B

PROCUREMENT

Vir

tual

izat

ion

Infr

astr

uct

ure

Virtualization Center of

Excellence

Finance

Lines ofBusiness

CustomerService

Customer Service

HumanResources

Sales

WindowsOS Admin

Linux Ops

UNIXEngineering

Procurement

Security

Network

Storage

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Fill in names that best f it members of your organization:

Engineering

Support

Procurement

Storage

Finance

Capacity Management

Data Management

Server Maintenance

Security

Patch Management

Change Management

Network Operations

Network Design

Data Center

Operations Staff

Total Head Count

VCoE TEAm STRUCTURE

Team lead

Architect

Analyst

Administrator

Administrator

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

A vir tualized infrastructure can introduce changes (many of them

highly beneficial) to the IT infrastructure that can be readily

addressed through proper education and co-operative planning

within the various IT infrastructure practices. This table provides a

bird’s eye view of the nature of the changes, and some consider-

ations for how and where to address the impact of changes.

P h A S E 1: A S S E S S , E D U C AT E , P L A N

UNDERSTANDINg CHANgES TO THE REST OF THE IT INFRASTRUC TURE

Area Key Changes and Considerations Recommendations Notes for Executive:

Dat

acen

ter

Faci

liti

es

Dramatic reduction and avoidance in aggregate power, cooling consumption, and space requirements

70-80% reduction in many cases

Slight power and thermal density increases possible due to more highly utilized, dense memory systems

Density increases should be well within headroom associated with current datacenter designs, (unlike prior blade systems)

-

-

Build hard operational savings into ROI, if needed. Most VMware and our partner ROI tools take this into account

Utilize the output of the VI hardware design and system vendor calculators and specifications to ensure compliance with your datacenter specs

Ind

ust

ry S

tan

dar

d S

erve

r h

ard

war

e D

esig

n

Full, larger memory, higher availability I/O configurations over prior x86 designs

1-2 standardized design configurations for VI vs. application-specific dedicated hardware

Operations/facilities teams should be educated and to verify the feasibility of these designs

Ensure procurement process/teams understand “standardized” VI design vs. application specific physical HW requests

Shar

ed

Sto

rag

e

Enterprise deployments will generally dictate a shared storage architecture

FC or IP SAN, NAS based on cost and environment

“Port consolidation” makes SAN attach of new workloads on VI a lot more cost-effective

Dedicated, standalone SAN or leverage of corporate SAN for VI

Requires SAN team to treat VI “cluster” as new type of host

-

Implement refinements to existing standards & procedures specific to VI with storage eng/ops teams:

Mapping of VI storage requirements to SAN storage tiers

Batch pre-provisioning of lUNs to VI team vs. app- or server-specific requests

New SAN zoning & lUN configuration guidelines

-

-

-

21

Area Key Changes and Considerations Recommendations Notes for Executive:

Dat

acen

ter

Faci

liti

es

Dramatic reduction and avoidance in aggregate power, cooling consumption, and space requirements

70-80% reduction in many cases

Slight power and thermal density increases possible due to more highly utilized, dense memory systems

Density increases should be well within headroom associated with current datacenter designs, (unlike prior blade systems)

-

-

Build hard operational savings into ROI, if needed. Most VMware and our partner ROI tools take this into account

Utilize the output of the VI hardware design and system vendor calculators and specifications to ensure compliance with your datacenter specs

Ind

ust

ry S

tan

dar

d S

erve

r h

ard

war

e D

esig

n

Full, larger memory, higher availability I/O configurations over prior x86 designs

1-2 standardized design configurations for VI vs. application-specific dedicated hardware

Operations/facilities teams should be educated and to verify the feasibility of these designs

Ensure procurement process/teams understand “standardized” VI design vs. application specific physical HW requests

Shar

ed

Sto

rag

e

Enterprise deployments will generally dictate a shared storage architecture

FC or IP SAN, NAS based on cost and environment

“Port consolidation” makes SAN attach of new workloads on VI a lot more cost-effective

Dedicated, standalone SAN or leverage of corporate SAN for VI

Requires SAN team to treat VI “cluster” as new type of host

-

Implement refinements to existing standards & procedures specific to VI with storage eng/ops teams:

Mapping of VI storage requirements to SAN storage tiers

Batch pre-provisioning of lUNs to VI team vs. app- or server-specific requests

New SAN zoning & lUN configuration guidelines

-

-

-

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

P h A S E 2: P L A N A N D D E S I G N

Area Key Changes and Considerations Recommendations Notes for Executive:

Net

wo

rk I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

Simplification and cost savings from network port and cable consolidation

larger # of higher speed ports to each server (vs. prior x86 designs)

Specialized needs for VMotion and management network segments

Educate and establish appropriate refinements to standards and operating procedures with network engineering/operations teams:

New standard designs for VI configurations

Batch provisioning of IPs to VI team

Address need for DHCP assignment to servers for certain use models

-

-

-

Syst

em a

nd

Ap

pli

cati

on

Ava

ilab

ilit

y

Overall increased availability from shared storage and higher availability HW design

Operational flexibility and greatly minimized downtime for planned maintenance ( VMotion)

larger risk domain in case of unplanned single system hardware failure

Implement built-in ( VMware HA) or 3rd party VI availability capabilities

Re-visit which applications are clustered during application candidate selection

Document “virtual system” availability service agreements as appropriate

bac

kup

an

d S

yste

m R

eco

very

Standard backup and recovery tools and processes can be translated to virtual infrastructure with minimal disruption

Scheduling rules and capacity headroom for standard network backup agents need to be accommodated

VI enables more efficient strategies for applying a new set of “off-VM” techniques that can improve backup/recovery service levels different workloads

-

Pull-in backup and recovery ops teams into design and deployment planning sessions

Follow VMware best practices for tiering and integrating new backup options

Consider org readiness to consider new data protection tooling for VI, and fold in new backup options (e.g. VMware VCB) using existing and/or VMware-specific data protection tools from 3rd parties

2�

P h A S E 2: P L A N A N D D E S I G N

Area Key Changes and Considerations Recommendations Notes for Executive:

Net

wo

rk I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

Simplification and cost savings from network port and cable consolidation

larger # of higher speed ports to each server (vs. prior x86 designs)

Specialized needs for VMotion and management network segments

Educate and establish appropriate refinements to standards and operating procedures with network engineering/operations teams:

New standard designs for VI configurations

Batch provisioning of IPs to VI team

Address need for DHCP assignment to servers for certain use models

-

-

-

Syst

em a

nd

Ap

pli

cati

on

Ava

ilab

ilit

y

Overall increased availability from shared storage and higher availability HW design

Operational flexibility and greatly minimized downtime for planned maintenance ( VMotion)

larger risk domain in case of unplanned single system hardware failure

Implement built-in ( VMware HA) or 3rd party VI availability capabilities

Re-visit which applications are clustered during application candidate selection

Document “virtual system” availability service agreements as appropriate

bac

kup

an

d S

yste

m R

eco

very

Standard backup and recovery tools and processes can be translated to virtual infrastructure with minimal disruption

Scheduling rules and capacity headroom for standard network backup agents need to be accommodated

VI enables more efficient strategies for applying a new set of “off-VM” techniques that can improve backup/recovery service levels different workloads

-

Pull-in backup and recovery ops teams into design and deployment planning sessions

Follow VMware best practices for tiering and integrating new backup options

Consider org readiness to consider new data protection tooling for VI, and fold in new backup options (e.g. VMware VCB) using existing and/or VMware-specific data protection tools from 3rd parties

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

P h A S E 2: P L A N A N D D E S I G N

Area Key Changes and Considerations Recommendations Notes for Executive:

Dis

aste

r R

eco

very

VI enables new cost structure and automation capabilities to dramatically simplify and expand DR coverage

Significantly better cost, SlO, RPO, RTO and capex compared to 1:1 physical designs, or outsourced service options

Up front design decisions (e.g. SAN capabilities, mixing production and dev/test workloads) can optimize the cost and efficiency of a subsequent DR/BC design

Certain organizations may be willing to use a “physical to virtual” DR strategy to implement expanded DR to workloads and applications that will not be initially virtualized

-

Use improved or expanded BC/DR beyond the hard cost savings ROI to augment the rationale and organization buy-in for rolling out VI

Roll in high level BC/DR considerations (but not a complete design) into Phase 1

Typically, most organizations roll out a compete design and implementation for a “V-to-V” BC/DR strategy as part of a Phase 2 deployment, as baseline operational skills around a single site VI is a pre-requisite

Evaluate “P2V DR” strategy if organizational resistance or priorities dictate such a path

-

Co

st A

llo

cati

on

/Ch

arg

ebac

k

VI reduces infrastructure costing for server workloads compared to a physical server environment. Commonly in the range of :

60% less for initial deployment

10:1 or greater cost savings for hard on-going infrastructure costs

Offers a cost-justified way to introduce dramatically lower cost service tiers for infrastructure to business units

-

-

-

If a chargeback model exists, create a new service tier that roughly represents the new cost structure (e.g. 20% of existing physical server cost). This will provide additional rationale for business owner buy-in to VI

If a chargeback model does not exist, use VI to introduce such a model as part of a Phase 2 deployment

E.g. 2-3 tiered service offerings for virtual/physical server & storage infrastructure

Focus on simple, cost-based allocations independent of usage. Defer sophisticated “metering” or usage based models well into or beyond Phase 2 deployments

-

25

P h A S E 2: P L A N A N D D E S I G N

Area Key Changes and Considerations Recommendations Notes for Executive:

Dis

aste

r R

eco

very

VI enables new cost structure and automation capabilities to dramatically simplify and expand DR coverage

Significantly better cost, SlO, RPO, RTO and capex compared to 1:1 physical designs, or outsourced service options

Up front design decisions (e.g. SAN capabilities, mixing production and dev/test workloads) can optimize the cost and efficiency of a subsequent DR/BC design

Certain organizations may be willing to use a “physical to virtual” DR strategy to implement expanded DR to workloads and applications that will not be initially virtualized

-

Use improved or expanded BC/DR beyond the hard cost savings ROI to augment the rationale and organization buy-in for rolling out VI

Roll in high level BC/DR considerations (but not a complete design) into Phase 1

Typically, most organizations roll out a compete design and implementation for a “V-to-V” BC/DR strategy as part of a Phase 2 deployment, as baseline operational skills around a single site VI is a pre-requisite

Evaluate “P2V DR” strategy if organizational resistance or priorities dictate such a path

-

Co

st A

llo

cati

on

/Ch

arg

ebac

k

VI reduces infrastructure costing for server workloads compared to a physical server environment. Commonly in the range of :

60% less for initial deployment

10:1 or greater cost savings for hard on-going infrastructure costs

Offers a cost-justified way to introduce dramatically lower cost service tiers for infrastructure to business units

-

-

-

If a chargeback model exists, create a new service tier that roughly represents the new cost structure (e.g. 20% of existing physical server cost). This will provide additional rationale for business owner buy-in to VI

If a chargeback model does not exist, use VI to introduce such a model as part of a Phase 2 deployment

E.g. 2-3 tiered service offerings for virtual/physical server & storage infrastructure

Focus on simple, cost-based allocations independent of usage. Defer sophisticated “metering” or usage based models well into or beyond Phase 2 deployments

-

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

S U m m A R Y A N D K E Y TA K E AWAYS

Have your organizations understand that vir tualization is an architectural decision and a new IT service—not another new project.

Appoint a high-caliber internal team and empower them to learn, design, operate, and drive internal changes to make vir tual infrastructure successful.

Focus heavily on business owners buy-in, particularly during the initial stages. Educate business owners on improved benefits and service levels, engage them actively in acceptance testing, and provide quality remediation options.

Secure a proper upfront assessment of existing application and assets, and a high quality, long term design of the vir tual infrastructure. Involve and educate internal IT stakeholders throughout the design and rollout process.

Use proper project phasing and workload selection to quickly achieve initial success. Reinvest the organizational confidence derived from the first pilot to expand deployments.

Evolve your core team into a VCoE to provide governance as well as to maintain and manage your vir tual infrastructure over time.

2�

TImE TO VALUE AND ROI

N OT E S

scope

POC Phase 1 Phase 2

usage

T I M E - T O - V A L U E

• limited scope• minimal process change• organizational learning• tier 2 workloads

• test & dev • containment

• disaster recovery• consolidation migration

• full standardization• process optimization

• expansion• key IT process integration• multiple LOB• tier 1 workloads

N OT E S

29

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Phased deployment are focused on server containment and

consolidation. First, use an upfront design and assessment as

well as a quick Phase 1 deployment to rapidly scale competencies.

Defer more sophisticated and optimized capabilities to

subsequent deployments.

While the goal of vir tualization is to improve operations and reduce

cost, the best practice in deploying vir tualization is to take a phased

implementation approach where you focus on the following areas:

Early ROI: Choose first phase candidate workloads that are

low risk, high visibility and generate early ROI.

low Risk: Scope initial projects appropriately to mitigate

any inherent risks in deployment.

Critical learning: Build confidence in organizational

capabilities by communicating learning and success.

By using a phased approach initial benefits can be realized much

more quick ly by work ing initial ly with a business partner most suited

to recognize the value of vir tualization. Use the first phase to demon-

strate the validity and benefits of vir tualization to more skeptical

business partners.

E X E C U T I V E PA S S D O W N

N OT E S

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

QUESTIONS

TAC T I C A L Q U E S T I O N S TO B E A N S W E R E DHow do I select and empower a high-caliber SWAT Team to get started?

When is the right time to establish a Vir tualization Center of Excellence?

How do I measure and maintain vir tualization expertise over time?

How do I measure my organization’s vir tual maturity?

How do I obtain ISV vendors support for VM-based license pricing?

How do I implement chargeback mechanisms?

What are the best workloads to vir tualize first?

What are right production systems to vir tualize?

Do I have a disaster recovery and “anytime” backup strategy that leverages vir tualization?

�1

N OT E S

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

P h A S E 0: B U I L D V I R T UA L I z AT I O N C E N T E R O F E XC E L L E N C EThis table provides additional information to enable IT Staff to get started by collecting data as part of the planning and assessment steps.

Role Key Responsibilities Datacenter VP/Director

Rel

atio

nsh

ip M

anag

er

Understand and keep up-to-date with current and expected future business needs.

Provide guidance to application developers on the impact of virtualization to their work.

IT A

nal

yst

Understand how each Service Management function is impacted by virtualization.

Recommend changes to operational processes to support new virtualized projects and applications (for example, new application deployment model, ongoing capacity management, etc.).

Develop the organization's strategy and roadmap for deploying virtualization.

IT I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

A

rch

itec

t

Translate business requirements into architectural designs.

Direct development and maintenance of virtual infrastructure blueprints and documentation.

Develop virtual infrastructure patching policies and procedures.

Establish credibility by developing VMware architecture expertise.

IT I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

En

gin

eer

Provide specific technical designs for virtualized solutions.

Install virtualization software.

Execute test plans.

Develop virtual environment management guide.

��

Role Key Responsibilities Datacenter VP/Director

Rel

atio

nsh

ip M

anag

er

Understand and keep up-to-date with current and expected future business needs.

Provide guidance to application developers on the impact of virtualization to their work.

IT A

nal

yst

Understand how each Service Management function is impacted by virtualization.

Recommend changes to operational processes to support new virtualized projects and applications (for example, new application deployment model, ongoing capacity management, etc.).

Develop the organization's strategy and roadmap for deploying virtualization.

IT I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

A

rch

itec

t

Translate business requirements into architectural designs.

Direct development and maintenance of virtual infrastructure blueprints and documentation.

Develop virtual infrastructure patching policies and procedures.

Establish credibility by developing VMware architecture expertise.

IT I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

En

gin

eer

Provide specific technical designs for virtualized solutions.

Install virtualization software.

Execute test plans.

Develop virtual environment management guide.

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Key Responsibilities Datacenter VP/Director

Project name and description

Project manager

business sponsor

Estimated project completion date and key milestones

Project status

Project size (or estimated size)

Anticipated IT infrastructure needs

how project is impacted by virtualization (initial determination to be done by project manager or project team and validated by CoE team)

P h A S E 1: I D E N T I F Y C U R R E N T A N D P L A N N E D P R O j E C T S W I T h F I T F O R V I R T UA L I z AT I O N ( T h E S E A R E S L I P - S T R E A m C A N D I D AT E S )

Identify candidate projects where there may be particular synergies with

vir tualization, for example, a major application release, IT infrastructure

refresh, or physical data center consolidation. To prioritize the effor t,

a minimum threshold project size (for example, >$100K) can be set to

identify the most important projects.

�5

Key Responsibilities Datacenter VP/Director

Project name and description

Project manager

business sponsor

Estimated project completion date and key milestones

Project status

Project size (or estimated size)

Anticipated IT infrastructure needs

how project is impacted by virtualization (initial determination to be done by project manager or project team and validated by CoE team)

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Environment Data Datacenter VP/Director

Type of IT infrastructure asset (for example, server, storage)

Vendor

hardware configuration (for example, DP Dl�80 2-way, EMC Symmetrix)

Operating System

Asset physical location

Applications that currently use the IT infrastructure asset

Current asset utilization (for example, peak and average utilization over a �0-day period)

Associated infrastructure (for example, physical network, shared versus local storage)

P h A S E 1: D O C U m E N T C U R R E N T E N V I R O N m E N T, I N V E N TO R Y A S S E T S & S E R V E R U T I L I z AT I O N

��

Environment Data Datacenter VP/Director

Type of IT infrastructure asset (for example, server, storage)

Vendor

hardware configuration (for example, DP Dl�80 2-way, EMC Symmetrix)

Operating System

Asset physical location

Applications that currently use the IT infrastructure asset

Current asset utilization (for example, peak and average utilization over a �0-day period)

Associated infrastructure (for example, physical network, shared versus local storage)

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Application Info Datacenter VP/Director

Application name

Key user groups

Dependencies on other applications

Where application is in it’s lifecycle (for example, scheduled to be retired in 6 months, scheduled for major upgrade in one year)

licensing agreements (for packaged software)

Supporting infrastructure (for example, server type or storage type)

level of I/O (can rate as “low”, “medium”, or “high”)

Suitability for migration to virtual infrastructure (based on above criteria)

P h A S E 1: A S S E S S A P P L I C AT I O N P O R T F O L I O F I T W I T h V I R T UA L I z AT I O N

�9

Application Info Datacenter VP/Director

Application name

Key user groups

Dependencies on other applications

Where application is in it’s lifecycle (for example, scheduled to be retired in 6 months, scheduled for major upgrade in one year)

licensing agreements (for packaged software)

Supporting infrastructure (for example, server type or storage type)

level of I/O (can rate as “low”, “medium”, or “high”)

Suitability for migration to virtual infrastructure (based on above criteria)

P h A S E 1: A S S E S S A P P L I C AT I O N P O R T F O L I O F I T W I T h V I R T UA L I z AT I O N

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Technology Area Design and Operational Considerations Datacenter VP/Director Virtualization Center of Excellence

Distributed topology and high-level design

Configuration of physical clusters/farms and logical resource pools

Deployment topology, security of VC management servers

Standardized HW recommendations/designs for server infrastructure

SAN and Networking Integration Key design standards and constraints for key interfaces with other corporate resource teams

Workload and Guest Design and Management

workload selection process

application and guest access

Standard OS-specific guest configurations, agents and templates

Target VM density for different workloads/ workload classes

Virtual Workload Selection/Admission Process

Administration/Access Roles and Rights to rest of IT and lOB users

guest-specific backup, recovery and protection

VMware Infrastructure Configuration and Operations

backup and recovery

resource management

standardized configuration

Standardized builds and configurations for VMware ESX Server

Deployment, maintenance and recovery of the VMware infrastructure itself

P h A S E 2: T E C h N I C A L A N D O P E R AT I O N A L P L A N N I N G A N D D E S I G N

Roll ing out vir tual infrastructure provides an opportunity for you to develop

new technical sk il ls and design expertise specific to this infrastructure.

The table below highlights areas where core teams focused on VMware infra-

structure will need to develop deployment, training and operational plans.

41

Technology Area Design and Operational Considerations Datacenter VP/Director Virtualization Center of Excellence

Distributed topology and high-level design

Configuration of physical clusters/farms and logical resource pools

Deployment topology, security of VC management servers

Standardized HW recommendations/designs for server infrastructure

SAN and Networking Integration Key design standards and constraints for key interfaces with other corporate resource teams

Workload and Guest Design and Management

workload selection process

application and guest access

Standard OS-specific guest configurations, agents and templates

Target VM density for different workloads/ workload classes

Virtual Workload Selection/Admission Process

Administration/Access Roles and Rights to rest of IT and lOB users

guest-specific backup, recovery and protection

VMware Infrastructure Configuration and Operations

backup and recovery

resource management

standardized configuration

Standardized builds and configurations for VMware ESX Server

Deployment, maintenance and recovery of the VMware infrastructure itself

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Area Key Changes and Consideration Recommendations Datacenter VP/Director Virtualization Center of Excellence

Cos

t A

lloca

tion

/Ch

arg

ebac

k

VI reduces infrastructure costing for server workloads compared to a physical server environment. Commonly in the range of :

60% less for initial deployment

10:1 or greater cost savings for hard on-going infrastructure costs

Offers a cost-justified way to introduce dramatically lower cost service tiers for infrastructure to business units

-

-

-

If a chargeback model exists, create a new service tier that roughly represents the new cost structure (e.g. 20% of existing physical server cost). This will provide additional rationale for business owner buy-in to VI.

If a chargeback model does not exist, use VI to introduce such a model as part of a Phase 2 deployment

E.g. 2-3 tiered service offerings for virtual/physical server & storage infrastructure

Focus on simple, cost-based allocations independent of usage. Defer sophisticated “metering” or usage based models well into or beyond Phase 2 deployments.

-

Win

dow

s, l

inux

an

d A

pp

licat

ion

Tea

m In

teg

rati

on

Many have found virtual infrastructure implementations to be a catalyst for increased teamwork, integration or outright unification of “OS and application stack” silos in the IT organization.

Windows and linux teams should view their interface with the virtual infrastructure core team as the providers of their “hardware infrastructure”.

Outside of initial application and OS sizing/base-lining/provisioning, system administrator’s day-to-day tasks and expertise should be minimally affected.

Areas of impact and training typically include:

Virtual infrastructure team should be consulted for incident resolution around application performance & service levels.

Standard OS-centric monitoring and performance tools will need “re-interpretation” in a VI implementation.

Pull in Windows, Solaris and linux and other OS engineering and ops teams as appropriate into design and deployment planning sessions.

Modify only the minimum set of roles and tools to preserve the tools and skill sets of existing OS admin teams to interface with the VI team as a hardware/infrastructure team. i.e. OS admin roles and tooling should be preserved for:

Patch and OS management

OS & app-specific problem/incident management

Application deployment/changes

Access methods and security rules for virtual machine access by OS, system administrators and application teams need to be defined and implemented.

-

-

-

Prob

lem

, Cha

nge

and

Inci

dent

Mgt

The virtual infrastructure layer and CoE team should be carefully considered to see if they need to be in the monitoring/change and remediation path for established IT operations teams and processes around:

Fault/availability events in HW or at the application level

Configuration changes to OS, network, storage infrastructure.

Application performance

Infrastructure (e.g. HW ) service and changes

-

-

-

-

Preserve as many of the problem/incident monitoring and resolution workflows, org responsibilities as possible.

Ensure a responsive, technically educated SWAT team for virtual infrastructure problem remediation, particularly during the first phase of deployment to achieve business and client buy-in.

Implement off-the-shelf problem and reporting modules that fit into your current monitoring, problem resolution tooling and are “VMware-aware”.

P h A S E 2 - 4: P L A N , D E S I G N , B U I L D A N D m A N AG E

4�

Area Key Changes and Consideration Recommendations Datacenter VP/Director Virtualization Center of Excellence

Cos

t A

lloca

tion

/Ch

arg

ebac

k

VI reduces infrastructure costing for server workloads compared to a physical server environment. Commonly in the range of :

60% less for initial deployment

10:1 or greater cost savings for hard on-going infrastructure costs

Offers a cost-justified way to introduce dramatically lower cost service tiers for infrastructure to business units

-

-

-

If a chargeback model exists, create a new service tier that roughly represents the new cost structure (e.g. 20% of existing physical server cost). This will provide additional rationale for business owner buy-in to VI.

If a chargeback model does not exist, use VI to introduce such a model as part of a Phase 2 deployment

E.g. 2-3 tiered service offerings for virtual/physical server & storage infrastructure

Focus on simple, cost-based allocations independent of usage. Defer sophisticated “metering” or usage based models well into or beyond Phase 2 deployments.

-

Win

dow

s, l

inux

an

d A

pp

licat

ion

Tea

m In

teg

rati

on

Many have found virtual infrastructure implementations to be a catalyst for increased teamwork, integration or outright unification of “OS and application stack” silos in the IT organization.

Windows and linux teams should view their interface with the virtual infrastructure core team as the providers of their “hardware infrastructure”.

Outside of initial application and OS sizing/base-lining/provisioning, system administrator’s day-to-day tasks and expertise should be minimally affected.

Areas of impact and training typically include:

Virtual infrastructure team should be consulted for incident resolution around application performance & service levels.

Standard OS-centric monitoring and performance tools will need “re-interpretation” in a VI implementation.

Pull in Windows, Solaris and linux and other OS engineering and ops teams as appropriate into design and deployment planning sessions.

Modify only the minimum set of roles and tools to preserve the tools and skill sets of existing OS admin teams to interface with the VI team as a hardware/infrastructure team. i.e. OS admin roles and tooling should be preserved for:

Patch and OS management

OS & app-specific problem/incident management

Application deployment/changes

Access methods and security rules for virtual machine access by OS, system administrators and application teams need to be defined and implemented.

-

-

-

Prob

lem

, Cha

nge

and

Inci

dent

Mgt

The virtual infrastructure layer and CoE team should be carefully considered to see if they need to be in the monitoring/change and remediation path for established IT operations teams and processes around:

Fault/availability events in HW or at the application level

Configuration changes to OS, network, storage infrastructure.

Application performance

Infrastructure (e.g. HW ) service and changes

-

-

-

-

Preserve as many of the problem/incident monitoring and resolution workflows, org responsibilities as possible.

Ensure a responsive, technically educated SWAT team for virtual infrastructure problem remediation, particularly during the first phase of deployment to achieve business and client buy-in.

Implement off-the-shelf problem and reporting modules that fit into your current monitoring, problem resolution tooling and are “VMware-aware”.

V I S I O NS TR AT E G Y

K E Y CO N S I D E R AT I O N SPA S S D O W N

Service Mgt Area

Virtualization assessment criteria (high-level) DatacenterVP/Director Virtualization Center of Excellence

Ch

ang

e M

anag

emen

t

What information is required for changes to virtual machines and how is this recorded?

What constitutes a virtual infrastructure change, and what categories of changes are there (for example, VM virtual hardware memory)?

Are processes documented?

Are different procedures followed for the assessment and approval of normal or complex changes as opposed to simple changes (for example, migration of a virtual machine across a farm group)?

Con

fig

urat

ion

Man

agem

ent What are the purpose, scope, and objectives

of configuration management in a virtual infrastructure?

What are the SlAs for the virtual machine systems?

Are permissions used to limit manipulation of the virtual infrastructure?

How are virtual machines tracked in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB)?

How are virtual machine versions mapped to patch levels?

Inci

den

t M

anag

emen

t How are incidents identified as virtual infrastructure related?

How are virtual infrastructure related issues captured in a knowledge base?

How are virtual infrastructure components monitored?

Prob

lem

M

anag

emen

t

Are there separate procedures to isolate problems related to the virtual infrastructure?

How does the way that virtual infrastructure problems are addressed compare to other platforms?

How are known virtual infrastructure errors logged?

Rele

ase

Man

agem

ent

Are standard build blueprints used within the virtual infrastructure?

Are virtual infrastructure releases tested prior to implementation?

Is a back-out plan developed for each virtual infrastructure release?

Are the master copies of all software in use within standard builds stored in a single repository (Definitive Software library)?

Serv

ice

hel

p D

esk

What tools are used to record virtual infrastruc-ture related issues and how are they classified?

How are escalations of virtual infrastructure related issues escalated?

P h A S E 4: m A N AG E m E N T

45

Service Mgt Area

Virtualization assessment criteria (high-level) DatacenterVP/Director Virtualization Center of Excellence

Ch

ang

e M

anag

emen

t

What information is required for changes to virtual machines and how is this recorded?

What constitutes a virtual infrastructure change, and what categories of changes are there (for example, VM virtual hardware memory)?

Are processes documented?

Are different procedures followed for the assessment and approval of normal or complex changes as opposed to simple changes (for example, migration of a virtual machine across a farm group)?

Con

fig

urat

ion

Man

agem

ent What are the purpose, scope, and objectives

of configuration management in a virtual infrastructure?

What are the SlAs for the virtual machine systems?

Are permissions used to limit manipulation of the virtual infrastructure?

How are virtual machines tracked in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB)?

How are virtual machine versions mapped to patch levels?

Inci

den

t M

anag

emen

t How are incidents identified as virtual infrastructure related?

How are virtual infrastructure related issues captured in a knowledge base?

How are virtual infrastructure components monitored?

Prob

lem

M

anag

emen

t

Are there separate procedures to isolate problems related to the virtual infrastructure?

How does the way that virtual infrastructure problems are addressed compare to other platforms?

How are known virtual infrastructure errors logged?

Rele

ase

Man

agem

ent

Are standard build blueprints used within the virtual infrastructure?

Are virtual infrastructure releases tested prior to implementation?

Is a back-out plan developed for each virtual infrastructure release?

Are the master copies of all software in use within standard builds stored in a single repository (Definitive Software library)?

Serv

ice

hel

p D

esk

What tools are used to record virtual infrastruc-ture related issues and how are they classified?

How are escalations of virtual infrastructure related issues escalated?

N OT E S

4�

CREATING THE BASE PLAN WITH THE MAGNETS

• Simply place the calendar magnets horizontally

• Place the deployment scope and strategy magnets vertically as shown

• Then place the VI processes optimized, critical learning and return on

investment timeframe markers as per your needs over time.

INSTRUCTIONS: PHASED DEPLOYMENT PLANNING CALENDAR

As you rollout your virtual infrastructure operations vision and strategy

and you socialize the tactics and scope of VI deployments with

various internal teams, (for example selecting tier one and tier two

work loads to vir tualize) you will undoubtedly use a whiteboard to

brainstorm. We have enclosed some vir tual infrastructure magnets

for use on your whiteboard.

Use your dry erase markers as usual and these magnets to i l lustrate

ideas. This is an effective way to iterate planning and to depict your

deployment with your team.

O V E R V I E W: V I R T UA L I N F R A S T R U C T U R E P h A S E D D E P LOY m E N T P L A N N I N G C A L E N D A R

Calendar Components

VI Deployment Scope

VI Deployment Strategies

R E S O U R C E S

VI Processes Optimized