Inside Enterprise IT : Simplify & Save

The Future of Data Deduplication

DELL-Greg W — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Data deduplication is a topic being asked about by our customers, and being discussed in the media, more and more. Would you like to know Dell’s take on it?

In the video below, Darren Thomas, vice president and general manager of Dell's storage business, discusses Dell’s view on the future of this technology and what we are doing to help deliver solutions to meet your data management needs. (If you'd like to download the slides in this video, they are available on Dell's Slideshare account here.)

We are announcing enhancements to our deduplication portfolio, both in services to help you understand holistically how you might benefit from de-duplication, as well as in products that help address your storage challenges. That's the conversation should be about -- how you can best solve your problems related to data growth, protection and access.

Dell views deduplication as a feature of storage, one that may help you optimize your investments in data management. However, it's not the only one to accomplish this goal. Our view is that deduplication it is not, by itself, a solution.

Deduplication can be implemented in different ways, whether through dedicated appliances or through integration into existing areas, such as in backup software.

Dell's view is that an integrated approach -- a feature of your software -- provides the greatest benefits to you. In this way, deduplication becomes ubiquitous across many aspects of the data path, from applications through operating systems and backup, where it is focused today. We are helping to drive this evolution.

Before you can decide which approach to take to optimize your storage, though, you need to understand your unique needs and environment. Dell deduplication services can help. Our services teams can assess your needs, provide recommendations and implement solutions, whatever they may be – instead of just figuring out how to make a single approach work.

For more information on deduplication, I'd encourage you to take a look at www.dell.com/deduplication.

And if you have a more technical focus or appetite, I invite you to join us next week at Dell TechCenter for a live chat on this topic.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Client Virtualization Simplifies Management, Saves on TCO

DELL-Roberto a — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

As server virtualization gains traction in the data center, a new form of virtualization is starting to make headway on the desktop: client virtualization. At Dell, we use the term Dell Flexible Computing to refer to our family of desktop virtualization solutions. The big idea behind all of them is that they can simplify day-to-day client management tasks such as the deployment, patching, and migration of images, applications, and data. They can also simplify tasks related to security, regulatory compliance, and recovery, which are becoming more and more complicated, as workers employ more and more different client devices to remotely access the network.

Because Dell Flexible Computing simplifies desktop operations, it reduces costs. For example, the Dell Virtual Remote Desktop solution can cut those costs by an average of 40 percent, and pay for itself within six months.

We’ve also simplified the process of learning about this exciting new technology. For starters, visit our Inside IT blog to view a five-part education series for beginners. Or, for more detail, check out the recent article in ”Flexible Computing: Advancing End-User Productivity with Centralized Control” in the November issue of Dell Power Solutions.

Simplify and Save – Down to the Chip Level

DELL-Sally S — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:00:00 GMT

There have been several recent posts in this blog about the new viability of blade servers for virtualization.

Dell believes that virtualization should be simple, so we’ve designed our systems from the ground up for virtualization performance. We specifically designed our PowerEdge servers to take advantage of the virtualization features AMD has built into its chips, like the new Quad Core AMD Opteron processor, code-named Shanghai. That close collaboration has paid off with record-breaking virtualization performance for the PowerEdge R905, R805, M905 and M805, plus a design that simplifies virtualization for our customers. Check out our VMmark Scores – PowerEdge with AMD holds no. 1 spots for two- and four-socket systems!

The point is, “Simplify and Save” isn’t just a slogan here at Dell. We’re deeply involved with technology – down to the chip level – to make it a reality.

Here’s a link where you can find more information on our new PowerEdge servers and blades. You can check out details on AMD’s new processor here.

Thin Provisioning Takes SANs to the Next Level of Efficiency

DELL-Kevin W — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Storage area networks (SANs) have greatly simplified the management of storage resources. By creating a centralized storage pool that can be allocated as needed, SANs have enabled many organizations to reduce both management and capital costs. Now, an approach has emerged to take SANs to the next level, with further simplification and savings. It's called thin provisioning.

Thin provisioning helps IT departments attack the fundamental problem of storage under-utilization. In many businesses, a significant portion of purchased storage is not in active use, although it is kept constantly available -- taking up real estate in the data center, consuming power, and increasing the load on data center cooling equipment. In addition to wasting opex dollars, there is a capex penalty to this approach. By buying storage capacity "too soon," IT organizations fail to benefit from the constantly falling cost per GB that each new generation of storage technology provides.

In essence, thin provisioning changes the process of allocating space on a SAN so that physical storage resources are only committed to a volume when data is actually written to it, eliminating significant waste.

Currently, to allocate space on a SAN, an IT administrator defines a logical volume and makes it available to a server. The SAN controller then responds by reserving physical space on the array of disk drives that it manages. Every byte of storage determined by the volume size is backed up with a physical location, whether it is used or not.

With this approach, unused space is effectively wasted, because it cannot be reclaimed for other volumes or applications. With thin provisioning, this space is available, because each volume claims physical resources only when needed. Furthermore, the allocation process is automated, so that administrators don't have to spend extra time.

The net result is that IT organizations can come much closer to the goal of purchasing storage when it's actually needed, while reducing the complexity of the administration process.

You can find more detail in my recently published article in Dell Power Solutions.

Smart Refresh: Rx for Shrinking IT Budgets

DELL-John D — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Global economic challenges are unquestionably putting increased pressure on corporate revenues – and that includes IT budgets. Analysts from Gartner, Forrester and IDC are predicting anywhere from a 2% to 4% average decline in those budgets, and economic reality may bring far deeper cuts. If you’re running an IT organization, you’re in for some tough decisions. Faced with budget challenges, do you cut uniformly across the board, or make more strategic choices?

Since the fundamental function of IT is to support the business, most CIOs will protect their “run the business” spend first. This means keeping the lights on and funding those programs that are most critical to the business. Typically, that’s the maintenance of existing applications.

But the money to protect those programs has to come from somewhere else – and the usual victims of a declining IT budget are innovation spend and infrastructure refresh. That’s because businesses are more tolerant of giving up planned features and functions than they are of losing current ones, and deferring new or refreshed infrastructure until later – often much later. The result? Dangerous stagnation in your IT capability, not just in terms of business functionality, but also in terms of IT efficiency and raw compute capacity.

Dell believes there is a better way: Simplify and save with a “smart refresh” of your infrastructure. Rather than sacrificing innovation and the latest technology in favor of short-term budget relief, you can make smart investments in your IT infrastructure that can quickly free as much as 8X your initial capital investment. For example, if your data center is currently on a five-year refresh cycle (pretty typical in the industry), then accelerating to a two-year refresh cycle generates some pretty surprising benefits. After two years, you'll see raw performance per watt across the data center that's 1,200% higher than you have today – allowing you to reduce physical servers through virtualization and consolidation by more than 80%. And 80% fewer servers means you'll save at least 80% (and probably more) on power and cooling costs in your data center. The net result? A complete refresh of your data center that literally pays for itself.

And if you're wondering if this strategy works in the real world, just ask Dell's internal IT organization. Just a couple of years ago, Dell itself was on the cusp of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new data centers around the globe because we had maxed out our capacity. But by making strategic investments in the latest servers and storage – instead of in buildings – we were able to significantly reduce the physical footprint of our infrastructure while still adding capacity. And we continue to grow without having to add a single new data center.

Actually, the potential savings go far beyond the data center. By taking advantage of the latest client technologies, coupled with Dell’s unique managed-services capabilities, you can take as much as 90% out of the lifetime TCO of each client system you own. Done properly, you might even see an ROI period as short as 12-18 months, meaning that you’ll accrue savings that will actually exceed the depreciation stream on your capital investment.

The bottom line, quite literally, is that taking the “obvious” strategy of protecting your application space at the expense of infrastructure is probably not the best choice. In fact, if you protect your infrastructure investments and spend those dollars smartly to simplify your IT and drive real savings, you can free up all the dollars you need to maintain your current investment in business functionality – and it’s likely that you’ll have money left over to deliver true innovation for your business.

Simplifying ‘De-Dupe’ with a Common Architecture

DELL-Brett R — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Lately, we’ve been talking a lot about server technology in this blog, but storage is an equally important component of how to Simplify and Save with IT. And we’ve got important news.

A few weeks ago, we announced a new commitment to dramatically simplify de-duplication via a single de-duplication architecture across our PowerVault EqualLogic and Dell/EMC product families.

The very practice of de-duping simplifies data management by eliminating redundant copies of data… residing in multiple applications… on multiple hardware products. It saves money by reducing the amount of storage capacity required for back-up, with compression ratios that can range from 10:1 to as high as 30:1. De-duping also reduces the amount of network bandwidth required, especially during back-up or archiving.

With the compatibility that comes with a common architecture, customers will now find it much easier to replicate and de-duplicate data across multiple sites, from departments or branch offices to the data center. They will spend less time and effort, and also benefit from the cost reductions that non-proprietary technology always provides over the long term.

To further simplify de-duping, Dell offers a full range of services to help customers assess their current situation, design a comprehensive de-duplication solution and then implement it.

For more details, please check out the vlog below.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Two Paths to Virtualization

Chris_Ratcliffe — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Earlier this week I posted about how virtualization can help you simplify and save in the data center. Yesterday, we presented a Virtualization Summit that covers everything from trends and new uses of virtualization technology (e.g. as a provisioning and migration tool) to technical, performance-gating factors (e.g. memory and I/O).

Virtualization technology can do some amazing things. In one instance here at Dell, we actually used it to replace 13 servers with one. Admittedly, that’s an extreme case, and only achievable under rare conditions. But it shows how much virtualization really can simplify hardware management – if it’s done right.

Through our continuing deep engagement with our customers, we’ve identified two different paths to virtualization, one that delivers on the promise of simplification, and one that leads to even more complexity.

The keys to simplification include:

· a clear set of objectives that begin with short-term ROI

· open, flexible technology

· empowerment of the IT staff and freeing up their time for other tasks

In contrast, the complex path begins with an unclear objective, or one that’s unrealistic, e.g. 95 percent usage rates. It also involves choices of inflexible, proprietary technology, and often leads to increased service costs that obliterate any savings.

At Dell, we make sure that virtualization really does lead to simplification by taking an end-to-end perspective that goes beyond a pure product focus to include planning, deployment, and highly-targeted, short-term consulting options that add to the ROI of virtualization rather than subtracting from it.

There’s a lot more to tell. Click on the link in the first paragraph to see the presentation and learn the full story.

Third Generation Blades: More Flexible, More Cost-Effective

armando_acosta — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:00:00 GMT

It’s hard to imagine a product category that fits the mantra of “Simplify and Save” better than blade servers. And now, with new, third generation technology, they make more sense than ever – even for companies that operate as few as six servers.

The ideas behind the first generation of blade servers make obvious sense. With blades, you deal with fewer racks, which means you get better use of limited data center floor space. (You may even be able to put off building a new data center - at an average cost of over $1000 per square foot!) With blades, you also deal with fewer chassis, which means you reduce extra connections while maintaining redundancy - making management easier. And finally, blades eliminate a lot of cable sprawl issues, and can save significant money with port aggregation.

The third generation of blade servers, as represented by our industry-leading PowerEdge M-Series Blades, make even more sense. In a word, we’ve simplified.

For starters, M-Series blades come pre-assembled right out of the box. With FlexIO, customers get flexibility allowing them to scale with I/O demands without creating change in network infrastructure. Additionally, FlexAddress limits downtime by maintaining persistence of network identity and easily integrates with existing network management tools.

Those are some examples of the “simplify” part of the equation. The “save” part is just as compelling, with dramatic improvements in performance per watt. Our M-Series blades consume up to 19% less power and get up to 25% better performance per watt than other blade systems on the market. So if you’re concerned about rising energy costs, blade servers can certainly be part of the solution.

Ziff-Davis just released a terrific new eSeminar on second generation blade servers, with plenty of detail. Whether you’re running 6 stand-alone servers or 6,000, it’s worth watching.

Server Virtualization: It’s a Priority!

Chris_Ratcliffe — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:30:00 GMT

If you’re looking for ways to simplify and save in the data center – or even “server closet,” one of the most important strategies available to you is server virtualization.

When you migrate several applications running on several different servers onto a single server, you save. For starters, you see a substantial reduction in energy costs because you’re powering fewer servers. Equally important, you’re also cooling fewer servers. And you have fewer servers to physically maintain, which means fewer maintenance hours for the technicians who maintain them.

This all adds up to OpEx savings that can be as high as 25 percent. And when a new replacement cycle comes up, you won’t need to purchase as many servers. This will let you actually lower your CapEx budget. As times get better, you’ll have more funds available to allocate to other projects. Regardless of the economic situation, virtualization is a smart strategy for any business with five servers or more.

The savings benefits of server virtualization are indisputable. But does virtualization really simplify your operations?

A few years ago, the answer might have been in doubt. But with today’s mature virtualization technology, the answer is definitely yes. To give just one example, virtualization streamlines application development and platform certification, because with virtualization there’s a single, common virtual interface, and there’s no need to deal with multiple hardware implementations or generations.

At Dell, we provide all the resources you need to make virtualization a cost-saving reality for your business, from workshops and assessments to design, implementation and support. If you’re interested in learning more, a good place to start is our white paper, Server Virtualization in the Scalable Enterprise. For details about the services we offer, check out our Virtualization Services brochure, which has links to even more resources. You can also visit these previous posts.

Be more energy efficient with the new OptiPlex

jj_davis — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:45:00 GMT

One of the key attributes of the new Optiplex line is its energy efficiency. For example, when compared to older systems in a customers’ environment – say the Optiplex 170L from about 4 years ago – the energy savings can be up to 84 percent (actual performance will vary based on configuration, usage and manufacturing variability). In fact, we just did a green makeover with Robertson Homes, a green-builder based outside of Orlando, Florida, where we replaced aging Opti 170Ls and non-branded systems with eight Optiplex 960s, a PowerEdge 400SC server with a PowerEdge T300, and provided eight new 19-inch EPEAT gold-certified flat panel monitors.

To view details on the makeover and hear firsthand from Robertson Homes co-owner and IT manager Clint Robertson on the value of green to his customers and his business, check out the “green makeover” video. We’ll be going back to visit Clint and his team in three months to see the REAL savings based on how companies actually use our technology on a daily basis vs. relying solely on our own engineering tests! We’ll update you on those results here and on our small business blog. A few things we do know from our energy calculations:

The Optiplex 960 enables up to 84 percent less power consumption over Robertson Homes older OptiPlex 170L desktops and up to 43 percent less power consumption over the previous generation of OptiPlex desktops to reduce energy costs (actual performance will vary based on configuration, usage and manufacturing variability);
The new PowerEdge T300 server is 23 percent more efficient than their previous 400SC server; and
Three CRT monitors were removed and replaced with EPEAT Gold-certified 19-inch widescreen monitors for an approximate 50-percent reduction in average power consumption per monitor.

Added up, these savings directly impact the bottom line! If you are in the market for new desktops and want to ensure you are getting the most energy-efficient Dell configuration possible to experience similar savings, consider these components and settings:

Energy Star 4.0 Category B or C, EPEAT Gold, Dell ESMART Settings (additional $20)
Intel Core 2 Duo Processors
88% efficient power supply
Quiet Kit (50% less noise; additional $50)
Integrated Graphics or DVI-add in card ($10)
2.5” hard drives (more energy efficient than 3.5” drives) ($16 more for 80GB 2.5” hard drive vs. 80GB 3.5” hard drive)

On average, this will add around $100 to the upfront cost per desktop, but with the energy savings expected over the life of the system, the benefits more than outweigh the cost.

For more Optiplex news, visit www.dell.com/seriousbusiness. Here you can learn more about the productivity, manageability and serviceability gains and security features of the new systems – all the more reason to give the new Optiplex a serious look. And stay tuned for a follow-up post and video tomorrow featuring Leigh Stringer, aka Greenette, editor of The Green Workplace blog and author of the upcoming book, "The Green Workplace." Leigh will be sharing additional tips for “greening” your business to save even more in energy costs.