Consolidation
Server Consolidation
Server Sprawl Chews up IT Resources
"Server sprawl" describes a situation in which multiple, under-utilized servers take up more space and consume more resources than can be justified by their workload. This is often the result of the one server/one application datacenter model.
When a company acquires or creates new applications, typically the organization deploys each new application on its own server. When there is a small-scale server deployment for a new department or a new branch office, seemingly inexpensive at the onset, additional servers are added to the infrastructure creating additional needs for power and operations management, not to mention floor space consumption. Mergers and acquisitions add to the plethora of servers and applications.
According to numerous estimates, most servers deployed in this one server/one app model are running at less than 15% of their capacity. This may be good for response time but it also means organizations are not getting the full value of their hardware. Additionally, costs for replacing the servers down the road must be planned for. Space consumption and networking costs escalate. Electric and cooling costs grow with each new machine.
However, the real cost of server sprawl lies in the administration. As one expert put it, "Each penny spent on hardware costs a dollar to manage."
As the number and types of server platforms proliferate, IT efficiencies drop. More often than not, multiple vendors are used and are rarely standardized on one operating system. Different hardware systems have different support requirements, demanding many skill sets of IT staff. On top of that, different operating systems require different patch-management strategies as well as different backup and restore procedures.
Inundated by server sprawl, organizations are increasingly turning to server consolidation as one means of cutting unnecessary costs and maximizing return on investment (ROI) in the datacenter.
Although server consolidation can substantially increase the efficient use of server resources, it may also result in complex configurations of data, applications, and servers. It is important to have a server consolidation expert on your team.
ENS-Inc Engineers and Project Managers are experienced and certified in the latest server consolidation technologies and best practices and can assist you in your strategic server consolidation project.
Server Consolidation - The Antidote to Server Sprawl
Server consolidation benefits organizations by allowing one physical server to host multiple virtual machine (VM) instances. The server can operate its original workload as a virtual machine, and host additional virtual workloads simultaneously, increasing total utilization of the physical server to as much as 80% of its total computing capacity. VM to server ratios can range from 4-to-1 to as many as 30-to-1, even 40-to-1, depending on factors such as hardware configurations, network topologies, hardware architecture, and application workloads.
With more workloads running on less hardware, power and cooling demands are lowered as are overall operating costs...and the IT infrastructure footprint retracts from its state of server sprawl.
- Server consolidation translates to lower operating costs and can also forestall capital-intensive facilities projects.
- Server consolidation delivers immediate efficiency gains by consolidating underutilized datacenter assets which saves money, improves energy efficiency, and extends lifespan
- Server consolidation sets the foundation for an IT architecture aligned to address today’s pressing challenges and emerging models such as cloud computing
- Server consolidation improves IT’s ability to respond to new business opportunities by accelerating the time and reducing the costs of new deployments, and with the ability to flexibly reassign workload.
The ENS-Inc team helps reduce risks in your server consolidation project by applying best-practice methodologies that have been proven in demanding enterprise environments.
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Consolidation and Virtualization - Two Sides of the Same Coin?
There is certainly overlap between consolidation and virtualization. Virtualization tools such as partitions, virtual machines (VMs), and resource management software all enable multiple dominant workloads to run simultaneously on larger servers which is a key aspect of server consolidation.
Server consolidation implies combining workloads from separate machines or applications into a smaller number of systems or applications.
Server virtualization involves decoupling a workload and its data from the functional details of the physical platform on which it is hosted.
Server consolidation with virtualization allows the flexibility to seamlessly migrate workloads between physical servers.
As an organization grows comfortable with virtualization, they dramatically expand their virtualization footprint and start to see the significant cost savings of server consolidation.
As companies shift from servers to virtual machines, they focus on the VM-to-server consolidation ratio and start learning about capacity planning, asking what’s the right number of VMs per server that won’t undermine performance?
Because virtualization does not require workloads to be separated from the operating system on which they are running, virtualization may reduce the number of physical servers that have to be managed. However, the number of operating systems remains the same or may even grow.
Virtualization does improve administrator productivity by dramatically lowering the time required to bring up new applications and by simplifying the test and development process. However, there are a number of cases where it will not fit.
While it is probably easier to virtualize workloads than it is to consolidate them, for most customers, some combination of consolidation and virtualization represent the correct solution.
ENS-Inc Engineers know how to explore both options together to solve your organization’s particular pain points.
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The ROI of Server Consolidation
A strategic server consolidation is one of the most effective ways to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a company’s data center. Multiple methods of server consolidation can be applied independently or separately.
Physical consolidation involves moving remote/branch office and business unit servers into a centralized data center. This improves management and strengthens business resilience. It can also eliminate the cost of moves, add-ons, and changes, and greatly reduce the cost of maintenance. There are risks of reduced performance and service interruptions at branch offices, but with proper planning most of these can be greatly minimized or even eliminated.
Workload optimization through virtualization can be configured to intelligently manage server resource allocation based on workload demands. Partitions can be established based on demand and schedule rules. The system allocates computing power to automatically meet needs. Fewer CPUs and fewer servers are needed to support the multi-application workloads, maximizing asset utilization, reducing software licensing requirements along with facilities costs and labor. Because the system manages the workloads and partitions, administration and support are minimized.
The right consolidation decision takes careful analysis of current TCO, proposed consolidation options and architectures, required investments, and potential savings.
ENS-Inc offers unmatched flexibility and competencies with proven success in large scale server consolidations. Through careful analysis of your current IT infrastructure and strategic server consolidation planning utilizing best practices, the ENS-Inc team can help your organization realize substantial IT infrastructure operational savings with typical ROI of less than one year.
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