pre-configured cloud solutions

Pre-configured Cloud Solution Demystified

SOUGATA MITRABUSINESS MANAGER

SI –GOVERNMENT, SIFY TECHNOLOGIES

outsourcing

premises-based

co-location

from ownership to on-demand, cloud computing

changes how companies consume IT

savings on skills and resources

24 x 7 support, L2/L3 expertise across all technologies

continuous infrastructure refresh

economies of scale

no hardware purchase

multi-tenanted infrastructure and shared support

flexibility

enable new applications across multiple locations

dynamic allocation of resources

on demand, self-service

usage-based payment

cloud computingvs

INVESTMENT PROTECTION• Can an existing infrastructure be redeployed in the cloud?

• Can the offer scale as demands grow?

EASE OF USE• How easy is it to implement and train staff?

• Is incremental training required?

OPEN • Can the products be integrated with a range of virtualization technologies?

• Is there broad support for mixed heterogeneous infrastructure of compute, storage, and network technologies ?

• How easy will it be to integrate emerging products in the future?

RISK• What level of success is probable?

• Can the vendor be counted on in the future to innovation and support?

• Are the underlying technologies critical products in the vendor portfolios?

SUPPORT• What support is provided from implementation throughout the lifecycle?

• How supportable are these clouds for customer IT staff?

DEPLOYMENT • How quickly can the initial cloud be deployed, and how easy is it to change?”

• Does the cloud enablement toolset provide for rapid setup of new instances?

HP allows the use of HP physical servers and HP Blades (bothx86 and Itanium-based) that are already installed at a customersite for the compute resource. HP also supports the integrationof server, storage, and network components from other vendorsthat may already be installed at customer sites. HP CloudSystemprovides the most flexible offering available in the market today.

The IBM PureSystem is completely disruptive hardwaretechnology because it cannot use an existing Blade Centerchassis or other servers. This shortcoming is disappointingconsidering the large IBM-installed base of x86 and Powerplatforms. Scalability (at least scale-out) appears robust. IBMalso includes support for DB2 and WebSphere, so currentcustomers may be able to leverage their knowledge base easilyin those products.

VCE does not permit the inclusion of any other products, evenidentical hardware from VCE partners. Customers must order anew freestanding environment.

Investment Protection

HP Cloud System includes several underlying software tools fororchestration, lifecycle management, and self-service portals.There were initial issues with the inconsistent look and feel ofthese tools, but with the most recent release of CSA, HP hasmade great strides in delivering a cleaner and simpler userexperience.

The IBM Workload Deployer tool has administration and self-service portals in a single interface. However, other tools, suchas IBM Flex System Manager, are required to manage the fullenvironment. Further tool integration is required to improve thisscore.

Setting up this new environment should be relatively easy forcustomers because VMware technologies are already in use atmany customer sites.

Ease of Use

Ordering and shipping appear to be within 30 days. Cloud Mapsprovide the templates and proven methods to accelerateimplementation of strategic applications. Extensive consultingservices that range from workshops to full cloud rollouts areavailable.

IBM claims delivery within 30 days of receipt of order. IBMpatterns of expertise provide methods and processes to set upservices quickly. However, manual scripting appears necessaryto optimize deployments. IBM offers a broad range ofimplementation services and expertise to help customers duringstartup.

VCE offers a simple process to order one of the pre-designedsystems with delivery in 30 days. The time required to stand upthe virtualized environment is not stated, but it should berelatively fast because VCE’s rigid product offerings keep thescale limited. However, setting up a VM is a more limitedcapability than standing up an application, so this offering is lesscomplete than HP’s or IBM’s.

Deployment timelinesMultiple hypervisors are supported by HP CloudSystem,including VMware ESX/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Red Hat KVM,and HP Integrity Virtual Machines. In addition, HP Cloud Mapscan be deployed across various devices, from HP and othervendors, including rack-based servers and SAN-based arrays. HPalready supports infrastructure provisioning throughOpenStack.

IBM supports the full range of hypervisors. The integration ofother storage through the IBM Storwize V7000 virtualizationcapability provides a certain level of openness. The inclusion ofother heterogeneous infrastructure components isdisappointing and will raise the cost of these implementations.

VCE is focused on VMware and does not offer support for otherhypervisors. The environment is very closed, with noconnectivity to other vendors’ components. All server, storage,and network resources must be purchased as part of Vblock.OpenStack is not included.

Open Architecture

HP Cloud System IBM Pure System VCE Vblock

HP CloudSystem has been evolving for morethan two years and continues to showtremendous improvement with each newrelease. Turmoil at the senior executive levelappears to have quieted and has not negativelyaffected commitment to the strategy.

IBM is always a low-risk partner for customers,but it may take some time to get products andpeople ramped up. Although the PureFlexsolution is relatively new, the underlyingtechnologies are proven. It may be a safechoice, but it has limitations for customers whoare not committed to IBM software.

The VCE partnership of EMC and Cisco is morethan reference architecture but it is much lessthan a stable company. Customers wanting fullcloud features are required to invest in softwarefrom BMC, CA, or limited offerings fromVMware, which further complicates the entirerollout. In our opinion, the long-term prospectsfor this partnership are not good and compoundthe risks associated with this offer.

Risk


HP offers a broad range of support options withvarying degrees of features and response times.If a customer decides to purchase a fullyintegrated HP CloudSystem, they can – with asingle call – expect to enjoy the highest degreeof support across all layers. Testing of firmwarereleases across CloudSystem is comprehensive.

IBM has the expertise and organization toprovide very high levels of support that canmeet customer needs. The base technologieswithin the PureFlex systems are well known andwidely supported, so technology supportshould not be a problem.

As VCE is focused on a limited product set, thesupport should be good. They promise that asingle contact will be able to provide supportacross the technology stack. Problems mayoccur when more complex problems arise,which may require inter-partner teams toresolve. This problem can only increase ascustomers add cloud management software.

Support

Compute Is there broad acceptance of the platform outside the cloud so that there is a support base? Are there options for Linux, Windows, and UNIX?

Storage Do storage options provide sufficient power utilization efficiency to meet the demands of a virtualized

environment? Are there robust replication technologies to protect the data?

Network Does the internal cloud network provide the low latency and high throughput required to move data

between the VMs?

Virtualization Is there support beyond VMware for multiple hypervisors? Does this support include the ability to create server system pools, deploy virtual appliances, and

implement services across all hypervisors?

Management/ Automation How robust and mature are the products that make up this layer? Can these tools be used to manage heterogeneous infrastructure across different vendors? Is integration with other enterprise-wide management platforms possible?

Security Is multi-tenancy available to allow for secure sharing of resources supported in the offering? Is security built into the offering, or are additional security tools required?

Hybrid Deployment Can application and infrastructure services be brokered with the same toolset in the hybrid cloud? How easily can integration with public clouds be established, such as Amazon EC2?


HP Blades account for approximately 50% of theinstalled base of the x86 blade market worldwide. Thechoice of Intel or AMD blades and management toolsmakes HP the clear leader in this area. The inclusion ofsupport for physical servers, x86 Blades, and IntegrityBlades for HP-UX is a benefit for this customer base.HP CloudSystem also extends this support to other x86physical servers.

IBM offers customers the choice of POWER7+ or x86servers. Although IBM blade sales have recently laggedbehind the market, they still provide a solid foundationin this area. Support for POWER7+ is a niche advantagefor existing IBM customers.

Cisco claims sales of UCS blades have moved them tosecond place in terms of the U.S. blade market share.They may be gaining traction, but product capabilitiesstill lag well behind HP, who is both the worldwide andU.S. market leader.

Compute


With the acquisition of 3PAR for SAN and LeftHandNetworks for iSCSI, HP now has the most modern andfeature-rich product line in the industry. HP deservescredit for offering the ability to integrate the older XPand EVA arrays in CloudSystem, but customers shouldconsider CloudSystem, which includes HP 3PARStoreServ, because it is optimized for the cloud.Purchasing HP storage is not a requirement becauseHP supports the use of storage from EMC and NetAppwith CloudSystems.

IBM claims that the Storwize V7000 can provide therequired IOPS to satisfy the demands of the PureFlexSystem. Performance could be an issue when othervendors’ storage is accessed through the virtualizationcapability of the V7000.

EMC VNX and VMAXe storage arrays are the core of theVCE Vblock and are the strongest part of the productset. EMC’s tight alignment with VMware productdirection ensures that this storage will perform well inthis environment. VCE also offers integration with EMCAvamar and Data Domain backup/deduplicationproducts as an option for additional data protection, afirst among the vendors.

Storage


HP Virtual Connect provides SAN and TCP/IPconnectivity with network virtualization and “wire onceand change on the fly” infrastructure, which are criticalto the cloud. There is also an emphasis on east/westnetwork communications, critical for inter-applicationcommunication and movement of virtualized instancesacross the chassis.

The IBM PureFlex System network supports a widerange of network connectivity components that arevirtualized and managed. Inter-chassis communicationappears adequate.

Cisco Nexus and MDS switches are included in Vblock,and Cisco is the largest player in the network industry.However, internal cloud performance demands lowlatency and high throughput east/westcommunications. VCE uses traditional north/southcommunication paths, which can generate bottlenecksduring peak I/O periods, such as when using vMotion.The critical in-cloud communications drive performanceand end-user satisfaction.

Network

Virtualisation


HP CloudSystem provides customers a choice ofproducts from HP, VMware, Microsoft, and Red Hat. HPaddresses the large installed base of VMware sites withextended VCloud Director integration. HPCloudSystem includes auto flexing technology that canscale the entire cloud stack in minutes.

Support for a broad range of offerings, includingVMware, AIX, and Linux KVM, appears strong;however, the functionality for VMware and MicrosoftHyper-V appears to be limited to only deploying virtualmachines.

As VMware provided initial funding for VCE, theintegration of this hypervisor should be very tight. Thelack of inclusion for support of other hypervisorsnegatively impacts this rating. Even if VCE starts tooffer other hypervisors, it will have limited experiencecompared with competitors.


All CloudSystem solutions provide hardware andapplication provisioning, monitoring, access toperformance advice, and the ability to use the library ofCloud Maps for rapid deployment. Customers canmanage applications to infrastructure throughout theentire lifecycle via a single services view. The CloudService Automation software adds the self-serviceportal, lifecycle management, andchargeback/showback features. CloudSystems aredesigned to integrate with additional HP cloudempowerment software, such as Tipping Point andAsset Manager. It is the most complete cloudmanagement offering supported by a single vendor.

IBM loosely integrates multiple products to achieve thefull range of capabilities for a private cloud. Today, IBMFlexSystem Manager is a management island that canmanage only the IBM PureSystem, not external orheterogeneous resources. IBM Workload Deployer andSmart Cloud Entry provisioning tools are also requiredto round out the offering.

Vblock includes Vision Intelligent Operations to mediatecommunication between the hardware and the othercompanies’ tool sets. VCE does not offer any cloudenablement software, which forces customers thatwant to build out a private cloud to purchase thisfunctionality from other companies. Customers thatwant an integrated cloud solution from a single vendorshould consider this shortfall before making this choice.

Management

SecurityHP Cloud System IBM Pure System VCE Vblock

As part of CloudSystem, HP supports multi-tenancy,allowing all cloud resources to be shared dynamicallyand securely. Three levels of roles can be defined(console, organization administrator, and self-serviceportal), each of which has control of its own virtual I/Osystem. Roles are defined through a series of templatesthat ensure consistency and are integrated with ActiveDirectory. With the addition of HP TippingPoint toCloudSystem Enterprise, customers can extend thefirewall protection and intrusion detection technologybeyond the traditional physical data center to thevirtualized environment with, for example, integrationin VMware vShield products.

The centrally controlled access and permission shouldprovide a typically-desired level of security for theprivate cloud.

VMware vShield allows customers to secure remoteaccess, meet compliance requirements, and shareinfrastructure. There is no support for resources that sitoutside the cloud. Additional software from anothervendor should be considered if management extendsbeyond Vblock.


HP CloudSystem provides out-of-the-box capabilities toextend into other private or public clouds. Workload canbe shifted for additional computational capabilities on apay-as-you-go basis. With CloudSystem, customers canconnect from one CloudSystem to another to shareresources and obtain optimum utilization. Customerscan become their own in-house service providers andmanage internal resources and capacity. Supportedpublic cloud providers include Savvis, Amazon EC2, andHP Cloud Services. HP has also published specificationsthat will allow other partners to certify their own hybridconnectors, so this list should quickly increase. HPsupports Hybrid Cloud delivery through OpenStack.

IBM patterns of expertise allow customers to create andmigrate proven instances between private, public, orhybrid clouds. Support for OpenStack has beenannounced, but the interface with the product set to aidwith hybrid deployment is not yet available

Access to other clouds is limited to the portability ofVMs. It is possible to create a copy of a VM and port orreplicate that copy to another VMware-enabled cloud.There is nothing unique about this capability becausecustomers can implement it across IBM or HPinfrastructures, which run VMware.

Hybrid Development

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