Cloud Matters

Microsoft SQL 2012 & EMC VMAXe - A Perfect Match

             

 

Successful companies do their best to stand out, to provide offerings of value and to balance quality, functionality and cost.  Of course, as individual consumers, we understand that “new and improved” is no guarantee of practical, useful, simple and effective.  So major product announcements will keep most of us a bit skeptical ‘til we have a closer look.  

Sometimes we’ll be disappointed.

Sometimes we may be both surprised and delighted.

Microsoft is releasing SQL Server 2012 with an emphasis on important customer needs: “Mission Critical Confidence”, “Breakthrough Insight” and “Cloud on Your Terms”.  All of this with flexibility and at scale.  

These messages respond to an accelerated business reality.  Respond now to new demands. React now to threats – business or technical. Prevent security breaches.  Be prepared for continuous operation, even if disaster strikes.  And do it all while managing exponential information growth.   

As customers create these critical business environments, Microsoft and EMC combine to supply the critical technical necessities.  And there are many. 

Here area a few examples:

• High Availability and Disaster Recovery with support for Microsoft AlwaysOn Availability Groups and Failover Clustering support across multi-sites and multi-subnets with storage replication. 

• Backup & Reporting that integrates Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and Virtual Backup Device Interface (VDI) with clones for fast backup, instant restore and Read/Write copies for reporting, testing and surgical restores.

• Five 9s stability through rigorous EMC testing that complies with the SQL Server I/O reliability program.

• Maximized performance through SQL Server 2012 I/O characterization and array testing that continuously helps to improve storage performance algorithms.  

EMC calls this a journey of transformation and we all know it takes some time and some fortitude.  But, while it isn’t a straight line, EMC and Microsoft are combining in ways that make the outcome more certain.  Fewer twists and turns.

 SQL Server 2012 and VMAXe 

SQL Server emphasizes cost efficiency, reliability, availability, simplified deployment, security, predictable performance and the capability to grow, especially in cloud environments. 

So does VMAXe.

VMAXe combines simple self-tuning in an advanced enterprise class storage system at a very cost-effective price.

The Microsoft Virtual Launch Event happens on March 7^th but there are already customers with SQL Server 2012 deployed. Browse their case studies and you begin to get a feel for the real business impacts in a “mission critical” environment:

We “must access and share operational data with global employees and partners all day, every day” with excellent service and no interruptions.

We need “to support ambitious growth plans, … increase profitability, simplify compliance, and gain better insight into customer relationships.”

We need “to increase availability for ... mission-critical online event management applications.”

These are business environments where saving just twenty minutes of downtime in a year “is huge for us and our customers.”

Always on

So, first order of business is absolute reliability. SQL 2012 is designed for mission critical application environments.  VMAXe has a Symmetrix pedigree with all the reliability, availability, serviceability and performance of that bloodline.  Its’ multi-controller architecture provides for scale out in capacity and up in performance with five nines of availability. This system architecture means that even with a rare component failure, the system continues to function with little or no performance impact.

Because of their critical business importance, these application environments are typically configured for high availability and disaster recovery.  That means a redundant design with the capability for fail-over to a second or third site.  Together, SQL and VMAXe have all the fail-safe functionality to provide that peace-of-mind.

Previous SQL environments may not have required this level of horsepower and uptime.  Becoming mission critical, now they will.

These are also Big Data environments and SQL 2012 is designed to create the “breakthrough insight” optimized for Big Data applications.  VMAXe compliments that with all the muscle Big Data needs to gain that insight quickly, without impacting normal operations.  

Virtualized

There’s more, especially for cloud and virtual environments.  A feature called FAST VP in VMAXe smoothly automates storage tiering to assure optimal performance for critical workloads. It places the most important data on high performance Flash drives and pushes aged data to lower, less expensive tiers but keeps it within easy reach.  It also simplifies array management and reduces weight/space requirements and saves energy and reduces total cost of ownership.

Cloud on your terms. 

VMAXe has features that make SQL layouts simpler, backups more flexible, and overall storage use more efficient when multiple data copies are required.

And while some SQL environments may be large enough to require an entire VMAXe, many customers will want to run other applications on the system simultaneously. 

There’s a lot of flexibility here to do that.

Storage groups can be set by application priority. 

SQL can have priority access to Flash storage.

Cache management and backend IOs can also be prioritized by app.

Need more storage capacity?  Add more drives, non-disruptively.

Need more horsepower?  Add another engine, non-disruptively.

Your particular use of SQL may be new to mission-critical requirements. Microsoft and EMC are not.  We have been doing this for a long time, decades. 

So go ahead. Get on the cloud.  Deploy for mission critical.  Embrace your Big Data.  We can help you make the transformation secure and comfortable.  Maybe not a straight line, but a well-traveled path nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

 

...by any other name...

On occassion I have reason to go back to earlier posts.  Sometimes I'm surprised. Sort of like coming across a an old college essay and saying to yourself "this is really interesting".  In this case, worth re-posting.  

So, here's one that I still find relevant.  How about you?

DS

By a different name - or no name in particular -  is it still a cloud?  We all know what Shakespeare said:

 

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose

 By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,"

Romantic eh?

In a more mundane realm, there are lots of organizations that have worked for years toward consolidated, optimized, automated and virtualized infrastructures and they just call it "efficient".  

No roses.  No cloud - until now maybe.

Many have taken that very practical approach to save expenses, to virtualize, and only recently adopted the cloud terminology.  Still, the underlying intent and capability fit the concept perfectly.  

Take the example of Ken Theis, CIO for the State of Michigan.  I recently had the opportunity to share the virtual stage with Ken for a webcast that highlighted some of the early innovations he put in place.  

Keep in mind that this is a huge operation - 1700 employees, 800 business applications, 55,000 desktops and 19 separate agencies being consolidated into one.

Not simple. Not easy. Not quick.  But in many respects the technology was easy compared to the operational, social and procedural change required.

Over several years, Ken's operation made huge strides before the cloud buzz and now he's embraced that too with a willingness to incorporate service providers into his plan - provisionally.  He offers five key ingredients that service providers must deliver:  

"To get it right, Theis has identified five critical areas that the state's cloud initiative must encompass to assure its success. They are:

• Ownership of data;
• Security compliance;
• Compliance with federal and state legal requirements;
• Location of data;
• Service-level agreements." 

Ownership of the data means two things.  First, it is the client's data and they need to control it.  Then, the service provider has to respect and protect it.  Make certain that even if their business fails that the customer's data is till intact and accessible.

Then there is security and compliance which go together with certifiable audit trails and adherence to regulations.  This is all pretty boring stuff 'til the sheriff shows up and then things can get exciting.

Finally you have the key IT premise that whatever you need for service levels can be assured at a bet-your-business level.  You make promises to your end users.  The SP must make guarantees to you.  (They will also charge you appropriately and that's the way they stay in business.)

Michigan started their journey in 2001 with a phased plan.

Phase I – Risk assessment - the good, the bad and the bloody awful...

    - Temperatures in the 80s, flood plain locations and scary DR

Phase 2 – Strategize & prepare - then get the critical stuff in motion...

     - Migrate the critical apps with special attention to the ones that impact lives and safety, and of course the State’s revenue collection

     - This is also where facilities need attention - infrastructure, capital   vendor contracts  and coming up with common processes for migration 

Phase 3 – Communicate & create momentum

    - Create the common vision, including agency buy-in and scary true stories that show vulnerabilities and wasted budget dollars with promises for improvements in security, delivery and cost.

Phase 4 – Consolidate!

    - Prove the case with a well executed pilot and create standards for moving forward

As the journey progressed Michigan increased security, began virtualizing applications, introduced ITIL best practices and created a strategic vision that accommodates primary and secondary service requirements and critical security functions.  

Through this process, they created their five key cloud factors:

• Ownership 

• Security

• Legal issues (privacy)

• Location for hosting

• SLAs

Those looking for proof that cloud delivers on its promise can look here.  Ken and his team developed  a strategy that used trusted vendors to assist and validate. They established standards.  Cloud wasn't what they started out for but they smartly adjusted with experience and new technology.  

They achieved a very good working model.

A rose. 

This was and continues to be an IT transformation.  More impressively it is a public sector business transformation.  

In August 2010, EMC awarded Ken Theis the Cloud Computing Visionary Award.  A recognition that puts the State of Michigan and Ken out front in their practical demonstration of vision. 

 

VMAXe - Expanding EMC Partners' Business

A system with a pedigree.  

Upper class.

Symmetrix. 

However, there are important differences with this generation and that's why it's really catching on.  

In large measure we are seeing adoption by customers that are brand new to VMAX. Nearly all are implementing virtual environments using VMware.  A significant proportion are implementing advanced replication / disaster recovery applications (SRDFe & Recoverpoint are both supported). And best of all, we are outpacing growth of our strongest competitor by 3x.  

But every silver lining has a few clouds.  Fortunately, these are clouds we can quickly disperse.

VMAXe delivers mission critical capabilities at a price point that the cost-conscious can appreciate.  EMC partners are a prime route to this market, especially in smaller or developing economies, but many are still building their understanding of how this is best positioned.  

Sort this out and the volume of partner successes will rapidly expand - because partners will see the value to their own business growth.  

Many have already seen it. 

Starting with a partner business value proposition, VMAXe expands the opportunity horizon.  

First, what are the customer's needs?  For example, is there a mission critical application requirement?  If so, partners can demonstrate that VMAXe offers the most competitive and feature rich capability.  We can cite explicit examples and detailed advantages - and one of them is an attractive price.

If a partner has application skills - Oracle, SQL, VMware - they can create sticky upsell opportunities supported by tight VMAXe integration with Oracle, SQL and VMware.

If they have customers already using RecoverPoint in a CLARiiON or VNX environment, they can move to VMAXe and continue using what they know - with the partner providing services to make the transition smooth.

EMC also continues to expand partner opportunities for cross-selling - backup, security, data deduplication...  The latest is VFCache.  Just announced, this product extends flash with EMC FAST into the high performance server environment.   That means every partner has a chance to expand their deal size, improve application performance, customer satisfaction and follow-on services business. Maybe sell a few more servers too.

We know that partners must be competitive.  We know that they will regularly see HP 3Par, IBM XIV, Dell Compellent and others trying their best to perform in this part of the market. We know that we can beat all of them and we do it consistently.  

Quick story:  I spoke to a partner last week that had been asked to do a comparison of VMAXe with 3Par and Compellent.  The request came from an international company with a very recognizable consumer brand and mission critical requirements.  

You may guess what comes next.  

VMAXe won the deal.

And the reasons sound like our marketing pitch: performance, scale, flexibility, reliability, non-disruptive upgrades, ease of use and price.

The partner had grown to expect the EMC high standard for product but, he said, "EMC has really been surprising me on price."  

All the best and affordability too.

 

 

 

 

 

Expanded Thinking

Awhile ago I attended a presentation by Daniel Esty, co-author of the book “Green to Gold”.  It was fascinating on several levels, in particular in his emphasis on long-term systems thinking for those seeking to take advantage of green business mainstreaming. 

 Esty told a story from his days as an EPA administrator, helping to create the Clean Air Act.  He spent thousands of hours engaged with the best and brightest from government and industry on the minutia, technology and theory of how to improve air quality.  In all that time and exchange, nobody ever made the connection to what ultimately was the biggest single factor in improved air quality – the deregulation of railroads. 

 It seems that with all of the debated smokestack scrubbers and pollution controls installed, the biggest impact came from the economic viability of railroads delivering cleaner, low-sulfur coal from the mid-west’s Wind River basin to the coal-fired power plants in the east.

The biggest influence but totally unforeseen.

Two things struck me about this story.  First, expand what you include in your “system” to achieve breakthrough thinking.  Second, you are on the right track when you see positive benefits from unforeseen results. 

None of this happens without our action and intent to improve but every "improvement" has potential to unintended negative side effects as well.  Still, what we have to hope for are those best results you didn’t see coming. 

That's why this whole cloud thing is so very interesting. 

We should expect the unexpected.

 

Partners' Lightning Strike

 EMC today announces a product that's already sort of announced.  Now we have the details.  

EMC has a unique offering here.  It builds upon the story line of automation that places data in the most appropriate place at the right time.  And it gives customers extraordinary performance with proven, array-based data protection.

The official product name is EMC VFCache.  (See emc.com for product details.)

Last year at EMC World Pat Gelsinger put out a teaser on "Project Lightning". Essentially a new product family that brings flash storage and Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST) into the server.

What this means is that customers have a unique, secure and protected way - VFCache - for handling the data that requires the best performance.    If data had a temperature, "the hottest of the hot data" would be right inside the server with the application - VFCache.  That means the most IOPs and the shortest response time. Inside the storage array, using FAST,  data will cascade according to its utilizaton and will move automatically as its temperature changes.  So VFCache for the hot hot.  Flash drives in the array for hot.  Fibre Channel for cool.  SAS / SATA drives for cold.  

Performance gets a boost where it's needed and at a reasonable cost.

Partners will like this too...

EMC has thousands of resellers and most of them sell servers.  The value add for most is in providing integrated soluitons with some unique differentiation.  VFCache is a great candidate for that spotlight.

Think about on-line transactional business, or Finance or Government.  Think about applicaitons like data-bases, OLTP, email or web applicaitons.  

For partners this should be an easy way to get incremental business, to increase the deal size.  Sell a VMAXe for example.   Then sell-up with VFCache for a high-performance environment.  Extending flash with EMC FAST into the server environment not only increases performanance, it protects customer data with all of the functionality of the array.  That increases account stickiness and broadens services opportunities as well. 

I'm pretty sure that partners will like that.

 

 

Unforeseen Benefits - Cloud Adolescence

In the late 1970s and early 80s the number of Personal Computers  was growing quickly.  Some organizations moved from a few dozen to hundreds of machines in a matter of months.

PCs were the cool new toy and universities were among the first to the toy box.  

I worked in IT at Harvard during that time and the big buzz was about connecting all of those machines together in  local area networks (LANs).  Seems easy and natural now but from about 1983 on, every year was "the year of the LAN" – a year that was nearly a decade long.

It did finally happen though.

The campus was finally wired and once everyone was connected the real fun began. Yes, there were some cost savings in shared resources but the clearest benefits were unforeseen improvements in communications, productivity, information access and collaboration.  For the students there were lots of neat games, and then we all discovered browsers and the internet.  Anybody remember Mosaic?

There are a number of parallels in the present move toward the cloud transformation of IT.  But it hasn't taken a decade to reach cloud adolescence.  It’s already very real – for us, for our partners and for our customers.

Clouds Quicken 

In just a few years, cloud has become core to EMC business.  It’s happened at a very aggressive pace.  Just look at our 2011 numbers.  We’re spending a lot of R&D energy on the cloud technology pieces - our virtual storage, major leaps forward in infrastructure, software, services, automation etc..  These are combined with lots of other cloud essential bits - networking, virtualization, cloud friendly applications - and then implemented to build private, public or hybrid clouds.   

Each bit is needed to make the cloud work but none are certain to make it effective.  That requires even more work, creativity and experimentation.  

Sometimes you just have to try it and see what happens. 

EMC customers and partners are all most interested in this part - what makes it effective?  What are the benefits? What are some exciting positives?  What are the unforeseen use-cases that can provide a competitive edge?

 

Think About Virtual Everything 

I start with the premise that a comprehensive approach - systems thinking -  is essential to successfully achieve efficient and sustainable IT.  That surely carries forward to the cloud.  But the potential impacts reach way beyond the obvious costs and predictable IT or business implications.  And the scope of the "system" is rapidly growing.  

Take the technology and the cost savings as a given.  Once you have embraced the cloud, what can you do with it? 

Using technology, workers can function remotely.  This has been happening for a long time.  Then come virtual companies.  Amazon may be the best known but many others have followed.  Some have been successful beyond any expectation - Facebook,  about to go public at a value of at least $5B. 

Clearly no longer limited to a few edgy start-ups, it's mainstream.  

Although not strictly virtual, many companies have standardized arrangements for virtual teams, scattered across the country or around the Globe.  Although the time zone differences can make for some weird hours and sleepy conference calls.

Of course there are the expected outgrowths of cloud capabilities.  Service Providers are offering platform, application, computing services.  Consumer options are providing on-line backup and synchronization of multiple devices and access to your personal data from any connected device. 

Then there are some not-so-obvious developments.  How about virtual schools?  Yes, I know that colleges have been doing on-line learning for years and all sorts of education gets delivered over the web.  But how about substituting virtual grade schools for the local town classrooms?  The state of Massachusetts now runs a virtual school - Kindergarten through High School.  The company, K12 Inc.,  is contracted to run it and is already doing this in 25 states.  

I know of one service provider that offers virtual city government from their cloud.

It may be news that these businesses exist but they have found a profitable model and the imitators are growing quickly. These are not edge cases.  These are fundamental changes enabled by network, virtualizaiton and cloud capabilities that change every dimension of how we interact with each other, for better or worse.

In its adolescence, the cloud technology has already enabled a unique creativity to construct new models of commerce and education, and social interaction that will continue to surprise and I hope mostly delight us. 

Imagine what it will do in maturity.