Managing Virtual
Environments:
Big Deal or No-brainer?
Andi Mann
Research Director
Enterprise Management Associates
Agenda
• Key Virtualization Outcomes
•
Data and examples from both the good and bad sides of
virtualization deployment
• Key Concerns for Virtual Systems Management (VSM)
•
Across multiple disciplines, with implications for people,
processes and technology
• Recommended VSM Solutions
•
To address the multiple layers of virtualization complexity,
and drive positive business outcomes
• Real-life VSM Experiences
•
EMA case studies of successful virtualization systems
management approaches
The Good News:
Multiple Use Cases,
Positive Outcomes
Not Only For Server Consolidation
5 Critical
for Virtualization
TopTop
5 Drivers
forDrivers
Deploying
Virtualization
69%
Server
consolidation/utilization
62%
Reduce downtime
62%
Reduce hardware
costs
60%
Enable DR/BCP
59%
Increased
flexibility/agility
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
% of Respondents
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and
Recommendations”, Enterprise Management Associates, 2008
Not Only In Test And Development
• Test and development is the leading use
case (79% of enterprises)
• Increasingly a production technology
•
•
75% deploy for production app
50% deploy for production Db/web
servers
• Fundamental for mission-critical
services
• Deployments for all workloads have
increased since 2006
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends,
Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Virtualization Delivers Measurable ROI
Overall, has your virtualization deployment resulted in
Has your virtualization deployment resulted in
real,
measurable cost savings?
real, measurable cost savings?
No - 10%
Vast majority report
real and measurable
cost savings
Yes 90%
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends,
Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Virtualization Delivers Multiple Outcomes
Top 5 needs Successfully
effectively being addressed
virtualization
solutions
Top 5 Outcomes
AchievedbyBy
Virtualization
Deployments
Server
consolidation/utilization
Reduce hardware costs
Increased flexibility/agility
Reduce downtime
Enable DR/BCP
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
The Bad News:
Multiple Layers of
Complexity
Multiple Platforms
On what operating systems or platforms are you using or planning to use
virtualization technology?
Windows
Linux (non-mainframe)
Storage Devices
UNIX
Network Devices
System i (AS/400)
z/Linux
z/OS
Other
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
% of Respondents
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Multiple Technologies
Percentage of respondents reporting at least some of their environment
Which of the following
virtualization
technologies
are you using or
is using
the following
technologies
planning to deploy in your environment?
Server Virtualization
Server
OS Virtualization
OS
Storage Virtualization
Storage
File System Virtualization
File System
Application Virtualization
Application
Network Virtualization
Network
Desktop Virtualization
Desktop
Streaming
Streaming
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
% of Total Respondents
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Multiple Vendors
Which of the following vendors/products, if any, do you have or are you
planning to implement (all technologies)?
VMware
Microsoft
Citrix
HP
Symantec
Oracle
IBM
`
Sun
Parallels
Quest
Virtual Iron
AppStream
SIMtone
Endeavors
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% of Respondents
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Multiple Layers of Complexity
Number of Virtualization Platforms, Technologies, And Vendors (Total)
per Enterprise
12%
% of Respondents
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Total number of Platforms, Technologies, and Vendors
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Multiple Layers Of Complexity,
Multiple Problems
Key Concerns for Virtual
Systems Management
(VSM)
Key VSM Concern -- Managing VM Sprawl
• Uncontrolled VM deployment
and migration results in:
•
Increased management
requirements
•
•
Software compliance issues
•
Configuration management
problems
•
•
•
Security and risk exposure
Best practice compliance
issues
Uncontrolled cost
Enterprises must automate and control
Service and performance virtual machine lifecycle processes to
prevent these exposures
problems
Key VSM Concern -- Managing Process
• Coordination
•
Maintaining configuration, patch
cycles, availability
•
Connecting dynamic VM environment
with existing processes, procedures
• Compatibility
•
Of human and process interfaces,
inputs, outputs
•
•
Of skill sets and other human issues
•
•
Of management tools
Of integration and orchestration
technologies
Of versions and releases
Source: Enterprise Management Associates
Key VSM Concern -- Security,
Audit, Control
• 41% cited “Improve Security and
Control” as a critical driver
• Only 31% cited Security and Control as
an effective outcome
• Security Administration is the #1
discipline that gets harder in a virtual
environment
• Complexity increases risk and security
issues
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Other VSM Concerns
• Abstraction and Visualization
• Managing the Rate of Change
• Dealing with Complexity
• Ensuring Consistency
• Governance and Risk Management
• Containing Costs
• Providing Support
• People and Human Issues
• Manageability
Virtualization is not a silver
bullet -- how well you
manage it is a critical
success factor
Compounding Issue -- Virtualization Skills
Do you believe you have sufficient skills in your enterprise
today to manage your virtualized systems?
4%
21%
1%
31%
Yes, definitely
Yes, probably
No, probably not
No, definitely not
Don’t know
25% of all enterprises
with virtualization
deployments do not have
the skills they need
43%
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends,
Forecasts, and Recommendations”, Enterprise
Management Associates, 2008
Result -- Questionable VSM Satisfaction
Overall, how satisfied are you with your ability to manage your
Virtualization environment?
0%
11%
Completely Dissatisfied (0%)
16%
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
20%
Somewhat Satisfied
Completely Satisfied
53%
Only 16% of enterprises
with virtualization
deployments are
completely satisfied with
how they manage them
Source: “Virtualization and Management: Trends, Forecasts, and
Recommendations”, Enterprise Management Associates, 2008
Recommendations for
Effective Virtual Systems
Management (VSM)
Virtual Machine Management
Recommendations
• Physical and Virtual
• Discovery
• Configuration Audit/Control
• Change Management
• Automation
Ensure compliance and
availability of virtual
systems with visibility
and control
Performance Management
Recommendations
• Discovery
• Physical infrastructure monitoring
• Virtual infrastructure monitoring
• Operating environment monitoring
• Connecting the pieces
Meet service levels
with end-to-end
monitoring and
control
Process Management Recommendations
• Automation
•
Reduce MTTR, embed skills, reduce errors
• Integration
•
Connect platforms, technologies, vendors
• Orchestration
•
Connect automation and integration
IT Process
Automation
Open Service
Request
Approval
Routing
External
Updates
React in
seamless,
automated
ways to
complex
business and
IT needs
Advise User,
Manager
Departmental
Coordination
Core Recommendation -- Connect Physical Systems
Management With Virtual Systems Management
Enterprise Systems Management
Performance
Monitoring
Event
Management
Database
Automation
Remote
Control/OOB
Change/Config
Management
Backup &
Recovery`
Virtual Infrastructure
Physical Infrastructure
Asset &
Inventory
Database
Automation
Compliance
Reporting
Provisioning
Patch
Distribution
Chargeback
Automation
Workload
Automation
Virtual Machine
Management
Core Recommendation -- Connect All Systems
Management With Business Objectives
Sales and
Marketing
HR
Management
Partner/Channel
Resources
Audit & Control
Requirements
Physical & Virtual
Systems Management
Web/ERP
Applications
Service
Desk
Inventory &
Fulfillment
Customer
Service
Virtual Systems Management
in the Real World:
Selected EMA Case Studies
EMA VSM Case Study:
Maintaining Compliance With Virtualization
Audit and Control
• “It
Edfinancial
Services
has been a huge
time
saving in validating that
the changes the
development group said
they were making, are the
changes that are actually
taking place,”
“It reduced the whole
interview with auditors
from 3 hours to around 45
minutes.”
“When problems
happen, we can cover
them with fewer
people.”
EMA VSM Case Study:
Managing VM Sprawl With
Virtual Configuration Management
• Leading North American finance company
“[We are] much better at
“We wrote script after
finding changes that are
script just to manage the
not appropriate. I don’t
environment. Now we can
think [the auditors] are
eliminate them all. I don’t
going to find any
have to worry about
problems this time.”
maintaining them, or
keeping a scripter on
“Things that would
staff.”
take an hour to
understand, now I can
have a report in
minutes.”
EMA VSM Case Study:
Managing Resource Utilization with
Performance Management
• Leading global consumer products company
“We were flying blindly …
not saving as much as we
could” by deploying a
maximum of 4 VMs per
core regardless of actual
utilization
“I can spend less time to
get the information that I
need. On a monthly basis,
this will save me about 56 hours.”
“We now have better
server-to-VM ratios
that are based in
reality, not just a ‘best
guess.”
Questions
Wrap Up
EMA Research Report -- Virtualization And
Management: Trends, Forecasts And
Recommendations Are Available Now!
• Over 70 pages of in-depth analysis from April 2008, including
over 50 charts representing over 200 data points from over
600 enterprises
• Comprehensive collection of data, analysis and advice covering
all aspects of virtualization and virtualization management
• The largest, most extensive, most in-depth independent
virtualization research study conducted to date
• First and only research study to provide data-driven long-term
trend analyses, forecasts and recommendations on best
practices
EMA Research Report -- Virtualization And
Management: Trends, Forecasts And
Recommendations Are Available Now!
• Includes invaluable four-page reference guide, A
Taxonomy of Virtualization
• To purchase the complete research report, or to
learn more about Enterprise Management
Associates’ portfolio of services:
•
•
•
Telephone: 303-543-9500
Email: sales@enterprisemanagement.com
On the Web at www.enterprisemanagement.com
Thank You For Attending!
Achieve IT
Management Success
with Guidance from
EMA
www.EnterpriseManagement.com