|
|
Steps & Important Considerations
|
Output
|
| 1. Establish Scope and Goals |
- Data center consolidation vs. server consolidation
- High-level business-oriented system attributes
|
Target
Environments
and Strategies |
2. Attribute-Driven
Macro Analysis |
- Import business attributes - location, role, environment, primary application
- Intersection analysis against high-level business constraints
- Prioritize high-level regions of environment
|
Prioritized
Regions |
3. Gather
Detailed
Intelligence |
- Audit/import configurations (integrated audit process)
- Audit/import workloads
- Audit content gap analysis to determine data completeness
|
Populated
Repository |
4. Data-Driven
Macro Analysis |
- Per-region aggregate utilization (gives maximum consolidation potential)
- Visualization of OS and business boundaries
- Establish absolute and negotiated constraints
|
Subregions
Relative
to Strategies |
| 5. Micro Analysis |
- Risk assessment - identifies risk points in existing infrastructure
- Multi-strategy analysis process - databases, middleware (on residual) - virtualization, OS stacking, zones (on residual)
- Lifecycle-specific approaches - in-place “scavenging” onto existing gear - refresh-based analysis (onto hypothetical server models)
|
Detailed Transfer Functions and
Remediation Plans |
6. Technology
Decision Point |
- Target server vendors, blade strategy, VM technologies
- Database and middleware standardization
- Standard OS configurations/builds (uniformity promotion)
- Hardware and OS technology migration plans
|
Go-forward SOE (Hardware, OS,
Applications) |
7. Business/
Application Owner
Engagement |
- Data-driven discussion of plan and impact
- Review absolute constraints
- Refine negotiated constraints and iterate if necessary
|
Approved
Transfer
Functions |
8. Server
Consolidation
Implementation |
- Analysis “snapshot refresh” to ensure data currency
- Remediation of specific server settings
- Staging and vetting of new configurations
- Implementation via internal resources or services partners
- Process control (PMO, change/release management)
|
Consolidated
Environment |
9. Data Center
Consolidation |
- Pre-consolidation to minimize heat, power and swing gear requirements
- Overall move strategy (swing, lift and move, net new)
- Validation of target environment
- Further consolidation of combined servers
|
Consolidated
Data Centers |
10. Ongoing
Optimization |
- Post-implementation review - effectiveness of strategies - modeled vs. actual patterns and overheads - potential tuning issues
- Ongoing forward consolidation, rebalancing, deconsolidation
- Image cataloging and virtual environment management
|
Repeatable
Process with
Lasting Benefits |
