Optimizing Your Data Optimizing Your Data CenterCenterUsing Microsoft System Using Microsoft System CenterCenterVu Nguyen Cao SonVu Nguyen Cao SonEPG Technical SpecialistEPG Technical Specialisti-sonvu@microsoft.comwww.CaoSonBlog.comwww.CaoSonBlog.com

AgendaAgendaThe Changing Data CenterThe Changing Data CenterMicrosoft’s ApproachMicrosoft’s ApproachSolutions for the Data CenterSolutions for the Data CenterBenefits and ConclusionBenefits and Conclusion

Changes Affecting the Data Changes Affecting the Data CenterCenter

Data Center PressuresData Center Pressures

Dynamic IT and the Optimized Data Dynamic IT and the Optimized Data CenterCenter

Unified & Virtualized

Process-Led, , Model-Driven

Service-Enabled

User-Focused

Infrastructure Optimization Models

Management Moves Front and Management Moves Front and CenterCenter

Servers must be configured Servers must be configured and optimizedand optimized Increasing power and space Increasing power and space

concernsconcerns Greater number of deployments Greater number of deployments

and updates and updates

Must support compliance, Must support compliance, process and controlsprocess and controls More internal and external More internal and external

pressurespressures Access drives security and Access drives security and

protection protection

Must ensure business Must ensure business continuity continuity and dependable recoveryand dependable recovery Centralized assets drives disaster Centralized assets drives disaster

contingency contingency Virtualization for business Virtualization for business

continuitycontinuity

Must be available Must be available and responsiveand responsive Higher service levels demandedHigher service levels demanded Importance of interoperability Importance of interoperability

and openness and openness

Automated Automated Provisioning Provisioning and Updating and Updating of Physical of Physical and Virtual and Virtual EnvironmentsEnvironmentsServer Server Consolidation Consolidation Through Through VirtualizationVirtualization

Proactive Proactive Platform Platform MonitoringMonitoringApplication & Application & Service Level Service Level MonitoringMonitoringInteroperable Interoperable and Extensible and Extensible PlatformPlatform

Configuration Configuration Controls and Controls and ReportingReportingCentralized Centralized Security AuditingSecurity AuditingComprehensive Comprehensive Security & Security & Identity and Identity and Access MgmtAccess Mgmt

Business Business Continuity Thru Continuity Thru Virtualization Virtualization MgmtMgmtBackup Backup and Recovery of and Recovery of Physical and Physical and Virtual Resources Virtual Resources Disaster RecoveryDisaster Recovery

Configuration Configuration

ManagementManagement

End to EndEnd to EndMonitoringMonitoring

Server Server ComplianceCompliance

Data Data Protection Protection

and Recoveryand Recovery

Data Center Management Data Center Management SolutionsSolutions

Configuration Configuration

ManagementManagement

End to EndEnd to EndMonitoringMonitoring

Server Server ComplianceCompliance

Data Data Protection Protection

and Recoveryand Recovery

Solutions begin with System Center technologies

Integration with Microsoft applications and platform broaden the value

Software partner ecosystem extends it

Best practices and experience gets it done

Data Center Management Data Center Management SolutionsSolutions

Configuration ManagementConfiguration ManagementAutomated provisioning and server consolidationAutomated provisioning and server consolidation

Power, space and maintenance costs forcing more Power, space and maintenance costs forcing more efficient use of resourcesefficient use of resourcesDispersed servers and applications difficult to manage Dispersed servers and applications difficult to manage and update resulting in higher costs and underutilized and update resulting in higher costs and underutilized systemssystems

Power consumption was a top priority. “We understood that if Power consumption was a top priority. “We understood that if we consolidated servers we would reduce energy consumption, we consolidated servers we would reduce energy consumption, [System Center is a] one-stop, single-point approach to [System Center is a] one-stop, single-point approach to managing hundreds of Virtual Server–based virtual machines managing hundreds of Virtual Server–based virtual machines and all the hosts, while also easily performing physical-to-virtual and all the hosts, while also easily performing physical-to-virtual migrations.”migrations.”

- Jason Foster, Systems Architect Sr. Manager of Technology at Continental. - Jason Foster, Systems Architect Sr. Manager of Technology at Continental.

Configuration Configuration Management Management CapabilitiesCapabilities

Challenges Challenges AddressedAddressed

Manage virtual machines to consolidate physical Manage virtual machines to consolidate physical serversserversCentralize, automate and manage both physical and Centralize, automate and manage both physical and virtual server software deployments in the data centervirtual server software deployments in the data center

Configuration ManagementConfiguration ManagementAutomated provisioning and server consolidationAutomated provisioning and server consolidationManage virtual machines to consolidate physical

serversIdentify candidates servers and do quick physical-Identify candidates servers and do quick physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-virtual conversion for to-virtual and virtual-to-virtual conversion for server consolidationserver consolidationEffective and secure patching and upgrading of Effective and secure patching and upgrading of VM’sVM’sControl VM sprawl by consolidating workloads, Control VM sprawl by consolidating workloads, moving virtual machines, and shutting down moving virtual machines, and shutting down unneeded virtual hostsunneeded virtual hostsGuidance and best practice services to reduce Guidance and best practice services to reduce server sprawl and improve virtualization server sprawl and improve virtualization managementmanagement

Centralize, automate and manage both physical and virtual server software deployments in the data centerCapacity planning and resource optimizationCapacity planning and resource optimizationQuick provisioning of operating systems, applications, Quick provisioning of operating systems, applications, patches and updates on both physical and virtual serverspatches and updates on both physical and virtual serversGuidance and tools for planning and server deployment Guidance and tools for planning and server deployment Up-to-date inventory and visibility of the servers and Up-to-date inventory and visibility of the servers and applications which reside in the data center applications which reside in the data center Guidance and best practice services for configuration Guidance and best practice services for configuration management optimization to streamline IT operationsmanagement optimization to streamline IT operations

End to End MonitoringEnd to End MonitoringProactive platform, application and service-level Proactive platform, application and service-level monitoringmonitoring Unintended configuration changes resulting in Unintended configuration changes resulting in

greater cost and riskgreater cost and riskHeterogeneous mix of services, applications and Heterogeneous mix of services, applications and servers causing inability to find root cause and servers causing inability to find root cause and increased downtimeincreased downtimeIncreasing service level agreements difficult to meet Increasing service level agreements difficult to meet

End to End End to End Monitoring Monitoring CapabilitiesCapabilities

Challenges Challenges AddressedAddressed

“I can provide our system administrators with more in-depth monitoring and more explicit alerting. We can configure server reports to show downtime warnings, downtime events, and the start time and end time of every occurrence. We can also quickly learn why a server experienced downtime—whether it was a power outage, a hardware or software malfunction, or a server maintenance issue.”- Paul Johnson, Windows Monitoring Architect & Systems Engineer, Gates Corp.

Availability, performance, and configuration Availability, performance, and configuration monitoring to proactively address IT issuesmonitoring to proactively address IT issuesDeep application and service -level monitoringDeep application and service -level monitoring

End to End MonitoringEnd to End MonitoringProactive platform, application and service-level Proactive platform, application and service-level monitoringmonitoringAvailability, performance, and configuration monitoring to proactively address IT issues

Monitor multiple platforms (e.g. Windows, Linux, Monitor multiple platforms (e.g. Windows, Linux, and UNIX) for both your physical and virtual serversand UNIX) for both your physical and virtual serversProactively keep systems up and running with best-Proactively keep systems up and running with best-practice knowledge on how to resolve problemspractice knowledge on how to resolve problemsAllow configuration change monitoring by Allow configuration change monitoring by identifying configuration errors and changesidentifying configuration errors and changesDiagram data center operations and visualize Diagram data center operations and visualize statusstatusReport on status of configuration and system issues Report on status of configuration and system issues affecting availability, performance, and reliabilityaffecting availability, performance, and reliability

Deep application and service -level monitoring Monitor service levels across applications and IT Monitor service levels across applications and IT processes through operational IT service viewsprocesses through operational IT service viewsTrack and report service levels through dashboardsTrack and report service levels through dashboards Extend to monitor non-Microsoft applications with Extend to monitor non-Microsoft applications with partnerspartnersGuidance and best practice services to meet Guidance and best practice services to meet service-level goals and improve IT productivityservice-level goals and improve IT productivity

Server ComplianceServer ComplianceConfiguration controls and centralized audit of system Configuration controls and centralized audit of system securitysecurity

Regulations and business policies mandating Regulations and business policies mandating configuration and security controls are enforcedconfiguration and security controls are enforcedIncreasing demands to retain security event Increasing demands to retain security event information to improve security and meet information to improve security and meet compliance needscompliance needs

Server Server Compliance Compliance CapabilitiesCapabilities

Challenges Challenges AddressedAddressed

“SAS 70 is a huge initiative for us with regard to our data centers and all of our applications, and SOX is obviously important as well. With [System Center] my team has reduced the amount of time that we spend collecting security log information, for example, we just completed an investigation and pulled the security report in less than 5 minutes. In the past it would have taken days.”- Jeff Skelton, Manager, Enterprise Management Center, Stewart

Create, maintain and report on configuration controls for the Create, maintain and report on configuration controls for the data center environmentdata center environmentGather and report security related events Gather and report security related events Manage identities, access and improve security in the data Manage identities, access and improve security in the data centercenter

Server ComplianceServer ComplianceConfiguration controls and centralized audit of system Configuration controls and centralized audit of system securitysecurityCreate, maintain and report configuration controls for the data center environment

Establish desired configuration states and assess Establish desired configuration states and assess server compliance server compliance Assess potential datacenter vulnerabilitiesAssess potential datacenter vulnerabilitiesProvide visibility into the status of compliance with Provide visibility into the status of compliance with configuration controls to support internal and configuration controls to support internal and regulatory compliance effortsregulatory compliance efforts

Gather and report security related events Collect events for reporting and tracking on such Collect events for reporting and tracking on such areas as user access audit, account lockouts, areas as user access audit, account lockouts, privilege changes, asset inventory and regulatory privilege changes, asset inventory and regulatory compliancecomplianceBackup and store data to meet data retention Backup and store data to meet data retention policiespolicies

Manage identities, access and improve security in the data center

Easily Manage passwords, privileges, and user Easily Manage passwords, privileges, and user provisioningprovisioningSecurely protect the data center IT infrastructure Securely protect the data center IT infrastructure from malware and viruses on Windows Serverfrom malware and viruses on Windows Server

Data Protection and RecoveryData Protection and RecoveryBackup and restore & business continuity through Backup and restore & business continuity through virtualizationvirtualization Demand for business continuity driving increased Demand for business continuity driving increased

costs related to geoclustering and new technology costs related to geoclustering and new technology investments investments Centralized data centers causing more risk of Centralized data centers causing more risk of downtime and data loss in the event of a disaster or downtime and data loss in the event of a disaster or outageoutage

Data Data Protection and Protection and

Recovery Recovery CapabilitiesCapabilities

Challenges Challenges AddressedAddressed

“We really liked the looks of [System Center] for three key reasons, its disk-to-disk-to-tape design, the fact that we could eliminate full backups altogether and simply take snapshots, and its disaster recovery features.”- Ed Olson, Lead Windows Infrastructure Engineer, AutoNation

Ensure business continuity and responsiveness with Ensure business continuity and responsiveness with server virtualization management server virtualization management Recover and restore physical and virtual Recover and restore physical and virtual environments after an outage, data loss or environments after an outage, data loss or corruptioncorruption

Data Center Solution BenefitsData Center Solution Benefits

Integrated ManagementIntegrated ManagementUnified user interfaceUnified user interfaceManage physical and virtualManage physical and virtualManage Microsoft and non-MicrosoftManage Microsoft and non-Microsoft

Optimized ResourcesOptimized ResourcesImprove efficiency and reduce costsImprove efficiency and reduce costsQuicker time to valueQuicker time to value

Available and ResponsiveAvailable and ResponsiveIncreased uptime through knowledgeIncreased uptime through knowledgeExtend and interoperate to non-Extend and interoperate to non-Microsoft technologiesMicrosoft technologies

System Center has solutions to System Center has solutions to meet the changing data centermeet the changing data center

To meet the data center’s needsTo meet the data center’s needspower managementpower managementserver consolidationserver consolidationprovisioning and updatingprovisioning and updatinghigh availabilityhigh availabilityservice level monitoringservice level monitoringaudit and complianceaudit and compliancebusiness continuancebusiness continuancedisaster recoverydisaster recovery

To deliver quick ROITo deliver quick ROIintegrated solutionsintegrated solutionsdeep knowledgedeep knowledgebest practices skills and toolsbest practices skills and tools

In an easy to acquire, high value In an easy to acquire, high value Suite for server managementSuite for server management

ConclusionConclusion

Managing the Server Lifecycle Managing the Server Lifecycle

© 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.