Is Server Virtualization Right for Your Business?
- Is your data center hardware underutilized?
- Are your power and cooling costs continually increasing?
- Are you running out of physical space in your data center?
- Are you concerned about your disaster recovery abilities?
- Do you want to consolidate your servers?
If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, your business may be a good candidate for server virtualization. A proven method of determining what infrastructure best meets your specific needs is a Server Virtualization Assessment.
Server Virtualization Assessment Details
A server virtualization assessment provides a clear look at your current data center environment and how hardware and storage space are being used. We then use this information, along with details about your hardware, power and cooling costs, to develop a server virtualization plan tailored to your business operations.
The process is simple:
You meet with an MCPc Data Center Solution Architect to discuss your current environment, challenges and desired results.
We install a capacity planning software console on one PC in your network, and the associated agent on all servers to be analyzed for virtualization readiness. The software runs for 7-30 days depending upon your organization’s complexity.
Reports are generated with details about your server environment and usage including:
- Total number of systems analyzed
- Average and peak CPU utilization on system
- Memory utilization
- Storage on each system and amount of storage in use
- Power consumption
Your MCPc Solution Architect then analyzes the data, along with any details you’ve provided regarding typical hardware, power and cooling costs. With information in hand, he or she develops a recommendation for your data center, including:
- Scope of virtualization
- Estimated costs
- Estimated power savings
- Data center design mockup
- Bill of materials for all recommended hardware and software
- Estimated time to achieve 100% ROI
Lastly, your Solution Architect meets with you to discuss the proposed server virtualization plan, explain recommendations and answer any questions you may have.
Even if you have done some kind of server virtualization in the past, due to enhancements in the technology — such as the ability for tier 1 applications to be virtualized — you may be a candidate for additional virtualization.
If you have many of the questions or challenges posed here, your next best step in optimizing your company’s data center may be a server virtualization assessment. Contact MCPc to speak with a Solution Architect.
For more information, read these MCPc blog posts: