Many midmarket organizations face challenges in equipping their IT infrastructure to support privacy and regulatory protocols and ensure consistent uptime, but those in the health care field have a unique challenge. For a healthcare professional, the reliability needed in their IT environment can literally be the difference between life and death. Finding an IT solution that supports compliance and ensures utmost performance is essential.

Pivotal Turning Points

Laurens County Health Care System, a 90 bed health care organization in Clinton, South Carolina was looking to deploy the Meditech clinical information system to improve patient information and care, as well as enable computerized physician order entry (CPOE). With 30 physical servers in their data center, an offline server could cause multiple facets of their infrastructure to go down. Additionally they found their staff of 11 IT workers often fighting fires instead of proactively addressing business needs. Hospital employees were using so many different laptops and desktops that just maintaining current versions of basic software was difficult. Downtime was up to 40% in the physical data center.

Running Meditech in the current environment was not feasible. Laurens County Health Care System needed to deploy a cost-efficient plan and looked to VMware for a solution.

The Solutions Journey

By deploying VMware vSphere ^®, the IT staff virtualized their domain controllers, then implemented Exchange Server internally and moved it to a virtualized infrastructure. By adding vSphere vMotion, they enabled high availability for their virtualized file and print servers, as well as various applications.

“It’s a nightmare maintaining 50 physical PCs on nursing carts. Today, I can roll out 30 virtual desktops in 15 minutes and manage them all from a central location,” said Joe Lovell, IT Infrastructure Manager at Laurens County Health Care System. “Obviously, there are other vendors out there, but given the technical strengths, ease of implementation, and the centralized management capabilities, VMware was the obvious choice.”

VMware View enabled the organization to employ a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for physicians, while also solving compliance and security concerns and ensuring the mobility necessary for excellent patient care.

“Physicians are very excited that they can use their own devices from anywhere to access Meditech and review EMRs [electronic medical records] and patient data without physically having to come into the hospital,” says Gina Driggers, IT Director at Laurens County Health Care System.   “With View, no matter what device they’re using, all the computing happens here in the data center, which is a huge security and compliance safety net.”

Immediate Business Benefits and Looking Forward

Using VMware vSphere, Laurens County Health Care System successfully deployed Meditech in a virtualized environment and is on target to Stage 1 of Meaningful Use.

In addition, the virtualized data center servers now see uptime in the 99.999% range. On top of that, by switching from PCs to thin clients, the organization was able to decrease hardware costs by 65%.

Next up, Laurens County Health Care System is looking to tackle disaster recovery with vCenter Site Recovery Manager. “ And VMware is not just for large hospitals,” says Lovell. “It is definitely something that can help smaller hospitals that don’t have the financial resources and the IT resources of a larger organization.”

Read the full success story about Laurens County Health Care System here.

I look forward to continuing to share these stories and demonstrating how VMware can help you simplify your infrastructure and deliver real world results for your business.

Have you faced similar IT or compliance challenges in your organization? How have you solved them?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.

Until next time,

Brandon

Follow VMware SMB on Facebook, Twitter, Spiceworks and Google+ for more blog posts, conversation with your peers, and additional insights on IT issues facing small to midmarket businesses.

vSphere Host Profiles are an often overlooked valuable feature for virtualized environments. Whether your environment is growing rapidly and adding hosts has become a management nightmare, or there have been too many cooks in the kitchen, and host configurations have gone awry, vSphere Host Profiles can save both time and headaches by creating a template for common host settings. As many of you may know, small inconsistencies between hosts in your environment can cause real problems in the ability to implement common vSphere features.   This is a common discussion I have with my customers.  Below are some advantages and the process for creating host profiles to help you continue advancing your IT infrastructure.

Host Profile Advantages

Host Profiles work by taking an accurate known host configuration and applying those settings to other hosts in your environment. Profiles contain the configuration information that most administrators manually enter when configuring a host, such as, storage, virtual switches, domain, time and vSphere features.   Applying Host Profiles is typically applicable to the addition of a new host or to satisfy the need to easily enforce consistency amongst hosts.   By applying the Host Profiles, you will be able to automate compliance to your configurations.  In turn you will be able to simplify your operational management and reduce errors caused by any misconfiguration.

The Simple Process for Creating Your First Profile

Below I will outline the process of – extracting a profile from a known configuration, checking the profile against another host in the cluster and ultimately applying the profile to create consistency.  The current requirements for Host Profiles are, ESX 3.5 and vCenter 4.0 or later, combined with an appropriate Enterprise + vSphere license.

From the vSphere Web Client, navigate to Rules and Profiles/Host Profiles. Click the green plus symbol and select the host with the configuration you wish to use as the profile (your blueprint) for other hosts in your environment. At this point you are able to provide a name and description for the profile.

Once the profile has been extracted, right-click the profile and attach the cluster or hosts you wish to associate with the profile. It is important to note, this action only references the profile to the hosts, but does not make any changes just yet.

Now that the profiles are associated, right-click the actions tab and select “Check Host Profile Compliance.”  This action will scan the hosts attached to the profile and report back on the inconsistencies. If your host is joined to a domain, you will receive a message stating “Host may require some additional settings.” Simply fill in the credentials for the domain admin and this should clear up.

Once the compliance check is complete, each associated host is designated as either compliant or not complaint. If not compliant, the compliance section can be expanded to show an outline of the differences between the current host settings and the attached profile.

Once the differences are reviewed, you then have the option to enter the host into maintenance mode allowing the profile to be enforced. Once in maintenance mode, it may be necessary to manually migrate your VMs running on this host to another resource.

Once the host is in maintenance mode the host profile can be enforced. You are provided a summary of changes to be applied to the host. Click finish.

After the profile is enforced, the host should be in compliance and can be brought out of maintenance mode allowing VMs to be migrated back either manually or with the assistance of the Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).

As you can see, the process for creating and enforcing vSphere Host Profiles is fairly simple and yet also very powerful.

In addition to harvesting a profile from a known configuration, it’s also an option to edit an existing profile. This could be very useful for task such as, adding a datastore to all hosts, or nearly anything that would typically require a manual update to all hosts. Host profiles can also be used in conjunction with Auto Deploy to rapidly add host to your environment.

I encourage you to check out this link which I often provide to my customers to learn more about the Host Profile feature.

http://www.vmware.com/products/datacenter-virtualization/vsphere/host-profiles.html

If you haven’t virtualized yet, I encourage you to go here for more information that can help you understand the benefits you’ll gain for your IT infrastructure.

How has the Host Profile feature helped you?  I look forward to your comments.

Kevin Lubojacky

Follow VMware SMB on Facebook, Twitter, Spiceworks and Google+ for more blog posts, conversation with your peers, and additional insights on IT issues facing small to midmarket businesses.

Find out on May 21^st – VMware is hosting a live webcast with VMware Executives Pat Gelsinger and Bill Fathers, where they will be unveiling a new cloud service from VMware, The webcast will provide mid-sized businesses with details to better understand the new VMware vCloud Hybrid Service and how they can best take advantage of its potential.

Register now for this free, LIVE online event: http://www.vmware.com/go/vmwarehybrid

For more information, be sure to follow the VMware vCloud blog and VMware SMB Blog, and follow the hashtag #VMwareHybrid leading up to and during the webcast.

VMware is also promoting a chance to win prizes each week leading up to the webcast. By sharing the event and using the hashtag #VMwareHybrid on your social media channels, you could be eligible to receive a Starbucks gift card or a Netflix gift subscription! See full details below.

Follow VMware SMB on Facebook, Twitter, Spiceworks and Google+ for more blog posts, conversation with your peers, and additional insights on IT issues facing small to midmarket businesses.

PROMOTIONAL DRAWING TERMS & CONDITIONS

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. All federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. Promotion commences at 12:01AM PST on April 30, 2013 and ends at 11:59 PM PST on May 17, 2013.  To enter, tweet the May 21st registration link and include the #VMwareHybrid hashtag.  Or, you may enter without completing the survey by sending an email with “Enter Me in the Drawing” in the subject line to: vCloud@lewispulse.com by 11:59 P.M. PST on May 17, 2013.  Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the promotion.  One entry per person/email address per survey.  Multiple participants are not permitted to share the same email address.  Any attempt by any participant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that participant’s entries and that participant may be disqualified.  Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Anu comments left on Facebook, via email or other sources will be considered ineligible and will not be included. 

Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Terms and Conditions, and VMware’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the promotion. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

Entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incorrect, garbled, or incompletely received, for any reason, including by reason of hardware, software, browser, or network failure, malfunction, congestion, or incompatibility at VMware’s servers or elsewhere, will not be eligible. VMware, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or the operation of the web site. Use of bots or other automated process to enter is prohibited and may result in disqualification at the sole discretion of VMware. VMware further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the promotion for any reason, including inability to complete as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure or technical failures of any sort. In the event of a dispute, entries will be deemed submitted by the account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry.

Drawing is offered to all natural persons who are at least the age of majority. Employees, officers, and directors of VMware its parent and affiliate companies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee, officer and director are not eligible. The drawing and the rights and obligations of VMware and participants will be governed and controlled by the laws of the State of California, applicable to contracts made and performed therein without reference to the applicable choice of law provisions.  All actions, proceedings or litigation relating hereto will be instituted and prosecuted solely within the State of California, Santa Clara County.  The parties consent to the jurisdiction of the state courts of California and federal court located within such state and county with respect to any action, dispute or other matter pertaining to or arising out of the promotion. Prizes will not be awarded to residents of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria.  Government Employees: VMware is committed to complying with government gift and ethics rules and therefore government employees are not eligible.

(7) Prize winners will be selected by random drawing every Friday from May 3, 2013 to May 17, 2013.   Each receive a Netflix gift subscription OR Starbucks gift card with the Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): USD $7.99 – $10.  Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason.  Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.  Odds of winning a promotion prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the promotion.

Winners will be notified via Twitter and will be publicly announced on the @vCloud Twitter handle every Friday from May 3, 2013 to May 17, 2013. Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected.  Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.  Potential winners may also be required to sign and return to VMware, within ten (10) days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (or Declaration of Compliance, if a non-US resident) in order to claim his/her prize.  If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (or Declaration of Compliance, if non-US resident) within the required time period (if applicable), or if prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.  If a Canadian resident, the potential winner will be required to correctly answer a time-limited skill testing question without any assistance in order to be eligible to receive a prize.  If the potential winner is a Canadian resident and the question is answered incorrectly, the prize will be forfeited.  In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, VMware will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries.  Only three (3) alternate drawings will be held after which the prize will remain unawarded.  For U.S. residents, prizes will be fulfilled 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the promotion.  For Canadian residents, prizes will be fulfilled the latter of 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the promotion or 2-3 weeks after receipt of the skill testing question.

By entering the promotion or receipt of any prize, each entrant  agrees to release and hold harmless VMware and its subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

The Released Parties are not responsible for:  (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the promotion; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the promotion; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the promotion or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.  If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the promotion, provided that if it is not possible to award another entry due to discontinuance of the promotion, or any part of it, for any reason, VMware, at its discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein.  No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded.

The Sponsor of this promotion is VMware, Inc., 3401 Hillview Drive, Palo Alto, CA  94304 U.S.A.

For a list of prize winners and/or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: LEWIS Pulse 575 Market Street 12th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105.

Does your business have an IT pro that you couldn’t work without? Are you an IT whiz that keeps your company’s tech running smoothly? We want to hear from you! The VMware SMB team is on the search to recognize the unsung IT Heroes that make a business hum. An added bonus: the IT Heroes selected will win some awesome prizes and VMware loot!

Enter Today!

Over the next 6 months we’ll be searching for IT professionals who have performed so well at their jobs that many would call them an ‘IT Hero’.  Nominations are open to individuals who are themselves IT Heroes as well as anyone who would like to get their IT Hero some recognition. Each month a committee from the VMwareSMB team will review the submissions received and select one to represent that month’s official IT Hero. We’ll recognize a total of 6 VMware IT Heroes over the course of our search.

Once selected, monthly IT Heroes will win a prize pack from VMware plus special graphics for their social media channels to highlight their IT Hero distinction. Each hero will also be recognized on the VMware SMB blog to share their IT insights and best practices with the community.

What are you waiting for? Make your nomination today! Follow VMware SMB on Facebook, Twitter, Spiceworks and Google+ for more blog posts, conversation with your peers, and additional insights on IT issues facing small to midmarket businesses.

For more contest information and official rules, see Terms and Conditions below:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. All federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. Promotion commences at 12:01AM PST on May 14, 2013 and ends at 11:59 PM PST on November 17, 2013.  To enter, submit your entry through the IT Hero Facebook Application found on the VMware SMB Facebook Community Page.  Or, you may enter without completing the survey by sending an email with “Enter Me in the IT Hero Contest” in the subject line to: VMwareSMB@lewispulse.com by 11:59 P.M. PST on November 17, 2013.  Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the promotion.  One entry per person/email address per survey.  Multiple participants are not permitted to share the same email address.  Any attempt by any participant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that participant’s entries and that participant may be disqualified.  Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Any comments left on Facebook, via email or other sources will be considered ineligible and will not be included. 

Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Terms and Conditions, and VMware’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the promotion. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

Entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incorrect, garbled, or incompletely received, for any reason, including by reason of hardware, software, browser, or network failure, malfunction, congestion, or incompatibility at VMware’s servers or elsewhere, will not be eligible. VMware, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or the operation of the web site. Use of bots or other automated process to enter is prohibited and may result in disqualification at the sole discretion of VMware. VMware further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the promotion for any reason, including inability to complete as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure or technical failures of any sort. In the event of a dispute, entries will be deemed submitted by the account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry.

Drawing is offered to all natural persons who are at least the age of majority. Employees, officers, and directors of VMware its parent and affiliate companies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee, officer and director are not eligible. The drawing and the rights and obligations of VMware and participants will be governed and controlled by the laws of the State of California, applicable to contracts made and performed therein without reference to the applicable choice of law provisions.  All actions, proceedings or litigation relating hereto will be instituted and prosecuted solely within the State of California, Santa Clara County.  The parties consent to the jurisdiction of the state courts of California and federal court located within such state and county with respect to any action, dispute or other matter pertaining to or arising out of the promotion. Prizes will not be awarded to residents of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria.  Government Employees: VMware is committed to complying with government gift and ethics rules and therefore government employees are not eligible.

(7) Prize winners will be selected based on submissions received and judged by a VMware committee each month from  May 14, 2013 to November 17, 2013.   VMware branded prize bundle AND Social Media Recognition on VMware SMB accounts AND custom digital awards in the form of Facebook cover photo, Twitter Background and Blog Badge: Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): USD $80 – $100.  Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason.  Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.  Odds of winning a promotion prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the promotion.

Winners will be notified via email and will be publicly announced on the @VMwareSMB Twitter handle every month from May 14, 2013 to November 17, 2013. Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected.  Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.  Potential winners may also be required to sign and return to VMware, within ten (10) days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (or Declaration of Compliance, if a non-US resident) in order to claim his/her prize.  If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (or Declaration of Compliance, if non-US resident) within the required time period (if applicable), or if prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.  If a Canadian resident, the potential winner will be required to correctly answer a time-limited skill testing question without any assistance in order to be eligible to receive a prize.  If the potential winner is a Canadian resident and the question is answered incorrectly, the prize will be forfeited.  In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, VMware will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. For U.S. residents, prizes will be fulfilled 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the promotion.  For Canadian residents, prizes will be fulfilled or 2-3 weeks after receipt of the skill testing question.

By entering the promotion or receipt of any prize, each entrant agrees to release and hold harmless VMware and its subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

The Released Parties are not responsible for:  (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the promotion; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the promotion; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the promotion or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.  If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the promotion, provided that if it is not possible to award another entry due to discontinuance of the promotion, or any part of it, for any reason, VMware, at its discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein.  No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded.

The Sponsor of this promotion is VMware, Inc., 3401 Hillview Drive, Palo Alto, CA  94304 U.S.A.

For a list of prize winners and/or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: LEWIS Pulse 575 Market Street 12th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105.

In today’s market there is no shortage of backup technologies to address virtual infrastructure.  There are dozens of vendors with multiple solutions and this can easily and quickly contribute to confusion.  Very quickly you will find yourself buried in questions like:

• Can I understand the complicated licensing model?
• How hard is it to deploy in my virtual environment?
• Do I need to deploy agents?
• What kind of overhead will be required of the virtual machine itself?
• How will I get my staff trained on this solution?

It’s clear that during my daily conversations with customers, IT leaders and staff are constrained and are actively looking for ways to streamline processes and make the best of their time…. aren’t we all?  With this in mind, I often recommend VMware Data Protection (VDP).  I feel this comes up often enough that I should extend the solution to all of you and how I walk through this with my customers.

What is VMware Data Protection?

VMware Data Protection was first introduced in vSphere 5.1.  It was a joint solution from VMware and EMC based from EMC’s mature Avamar product.  Data Protection is a disk based backup virtual appliance that is imported into vCenter via OVF files (provided on our website) which integrates into your existing virtual environment.   There are two version of Data protection: Standard and Advanced.  The standard version comes free as a part of all vSphere editions.  The Advanced version is licensed per processor which comes with some advanced features that are not contained in the Standard version. You can read more about the differences at this link: Data Protection Edition comparison.

Installing the Appliance

While there are some requirements that need to be met before you can import and deploy the virtual appliance, chances are if you are already running a virtual environment on VMware, you will have most of these (if not all) in place.  You can read more about these under the “requirements” section on page 3 (as well as a complete walk through of the install process) in the Data Protection Eval Guide.

The process starts out simply by deploying the OVF files from vCenter.  (deploying a VMware OVF file).  Make sure you chose your OVF file carefully and plan accordingly. Data Protection Standard comes in 3 preconfigured sizes of .5TB, 1TB and 2TB.  Each version has its own OVF file and once deployed you cannot extend the storage. Data Protection Advanced comes preconfigured with 2TB and can be expanded as needed up to 8TB. At first glance you might think these sizes are too small.  However, it is important to understand that Data Protection uses both change block tracking along with Variable, Global and Client-Side de-duplication to achieve de-duplication rates from 95% to 99%. Don’t worry, if these sizes are still too small for your environment, you can deploy up to 10 of these Data Protection appliance per vCenter Server.

Using Data Protection

It’s important to note that only the vCenter Web Client can be used to access the Data Protection appliance.  The solution fully integrates into your existing vCenter and can be located on the left hand side under “vSphere Data Protection”.  Here you can simply run backups and do restores.  The backup process is clean, straight forward and utilizes backups via snapshots of the virtual machine.  This provides quick backup times and eliminates overhead from the virtual machine.   Even though the backups are based from snapshots, you are still able to get file level restores from these backups.  We even take that one step further by providing a way for end users to be able to restore deleted files themselves, without having to engage IT.  Because it fully integrates into your existing vSphere environment the product requires no agents for the Standard version and an available agent for the Advanced version which offers agents for Microsoft SQL and Microsoft Exchange to allow for granular recovery options.  For a full list of these options in Advanced, please see VMware Data Protection Advanced Data Sheet.

Result – An Easy, Flexible Data Protection Solution

As you can see, vSphere Data Protection offers a flexible solution for anyone’s environment.  We make it easy by providing you the files necessary to deploy these solutions in your environment.  The deployment processes is easy, straight forward and removes any complications that might come along with other solutions.  The licensing model is easy to understand as there is only one option for the Advanced version (per processor).  I recommend the Advanced version of VDP bundled into the Enterprise and Enterprise Plus editions of vSphere, and our vSphere with Operations Management.  There is little overhead on the virtual machine itself due to the fact that we leverage snapshots for our backups with the ability to restore the entire virtual machine from the snap or recover individual files.

If you are still new to virtualization and have yet to implement virtualization in your environment, please be sure to check out our available versions of vSphere with Operations Manager editions which contain our VDP appliances. I also recommend the following links to my customers.  Please be sure to check these out to help you advance your knowledge about our VMware Data Protection solution:

Data Protection Data Sheet

Data Protection Evaluation Guide

Data Protection Administrator Guide

Data Protection FAQs

Complete install, configuration and usages of Data Protection

I welcome any comments or feedback.

Mike Rose

So how do you know when it’s time to move to desktop virtualization (VDI)?

Read this whitepaper on When It Makes Sense to Move to Desktop Virtualization to learn more about the 7 key indications that your business is ready for VDI. Find out how deploying VMware Horizon View can improve your IT infrastructure by:

• Giving IT easy control over data access
• Making regulatory compliance more manageable
• Enabling quick and scalable management for you while avoiding crippling downtime for users

Read now!

How else has desktop virtualization benefited your business?    We look forward to your comments.

Post by Michael Brunner, Director, Midmarket and Small Business Team

Recently I attended the Midmarket CIO Forum event in Bonita Springs, Florida, joining a group of leading CIOs to discuss the challenges and opportunities that midmarket organizations are facing. Many CIOs who attended were looking for insights from their peers and midmarket solution vendors, to discuss challenges and create actionable plans to move their business forward by leveraging new and existing IT opportunities.

During the discussions in our Boardroom presentations (shown here with Kyle Martin, VMware Regional Account Executive) the specific challenges cited by midmarket IT leaders ranged from balancing limited resources to meeting end-user demand, to quickly increasing agility to respond to new business requirements.

Attending CIOs agreed and felt that VMware helped them to meet these challenges, voting VMware as the company with best solution or service suited to meet the specific needs of the midmarket.

With this in mind, there were a couple of key conversations that came out during the Forum.

Key Conversations – Mobility Through Desktop Virtualization (VDI) and Disaster Recovery (DR)

With a recent survey showing that 85% of employees at small to midmarket businesses are using personal devices for work, it’s no surprise that mobility thru desktop virtualization and disaster recovery dominated the conversation among attending CIOs. From costs, to security, to reliability, midmarket IT leaders are looking for a way to ensure they’re providing the best solutions for their business.

The overwhelming answer to challenges relating to mobility and “bringing your own device (BYOD) among attendees was desktop virtualization. As many midmarket organizations that attended have already taken the initial step into server virtualization, many are looking to expand their virtualization infrastructure with VDI to ensure security for an expanding mobile workforce. A recent Spiceworks study reported that 65% of small to midmarket business have already deployed virtualization in 2012, with 39% using or planning to deploy desktop virtualization in the early part of 2013. Having benefited from initial cost savings when virtualizing, many CIOs discussed how virtualization expansion allows IT infrastructure to increase agility and quickly respond to new business requirements.

Aside from cost savings, many CIOs who had already expanded their virtualization spoke of additional benefits such as:

• Increased efficiency and agility for their end users (end user computing (EUC))
• Consolidated hardware, with more productivity from remaining servers and having a greener footprint (lower cooling costs)
• Having fully automated site recovery and migration capabilities (DR)
• Real simplification of IT management that allows them to operate strategically as a business unit rather than a reactionary help center, with existing resources and staff.

One of VMware’s key objectives is to stay closely connected with midmarket and small businesses.  It is very important for us to take the opportunity to share trends and learnings that you can use to shape your IT infrastructure and take it forward, and hear what your peers have to say.

We will continue to share recaps from these events through the year.   I welcome your thoughts below in the comments.

For those of you exploring disaster recovery, desktop virtualization solutions and mobility, I urge you to review these helpful resources to assist in moving your organization forward:

• http://www.vmware.com/products/site-recovery-manager/overview.html
• http://www.vmware.com/solutions/desktop/
• http://www.vmware.com/solutions/desktop/mobile-secure-desktop/overview.html

Until next time,

Mike

Everything has been progressing as planned at PBS. The Vancouver disaster recovery center is already up and running with a full 3-2-1 redundant high availability (HA) configuration based on a SAN, two switches and three servers. Throughout the makeover and our discussions with Todd Leavitt, IT Manager at PBS, there’s been one recurring theme – he wishes he would have started virtualization sooner.

So why didn’t he? “I implemented a little slower than I should have because I was very cautious that virtualization was different than what I was used to,” he explains. “I started out with one machine and then virtualized a couple machines with a free version of ESXI host. I ran that for a while to see if I’d have any problems, and it was just incredible. There were no problems, and it became absolutely trustworthy.”

We often hear similar stories from customers who wish that they would have started virtualization, or expanded their use of virtualization, earlier. So we thought it would be helpful to dispel some of the common misconceptions surrounding virtualization for small to medium-sized businesses.

Debunking the Top 5 Virtualization Myths Through One Company’s Experience

Myth 1: Change is scary.

IT professionals are understandably wary about rocking the boat, but as PBS’s experience shows, there really is nothing to fear. Or, as Todd puts it, “I think a lot of small businesses might be afraid – the technical people, the IT managers, the network administrators – because virtualization is just different. Everyone is used to one machine with one OS installed on it, and they get stuck on that. It’s amazing, once they take that first step, how easy it is to implement and manage. Don’t fear the change – it’s for the best. It is the future.”

Myth 2: My company doesn’t have the manpower.

On the surface, it may seem like implementing or expanding a virtualized environment would require a lot of resources; however, many of our small and medium-sized business customers operate with one-person IT departments. Without virtualization, these businesses would need to hire additional IT staff. As Todd has discovered, virtualization allows you to remain nimble, dynamically adapt to change, address problems as they arise, and accomplish more with far fewer resources.

Myth 3: I don’t have the time.

In most cases, virtualization doesn’t take long – usually anywhere from a couple days to a month, depending on the project scope. For example, the timeline for the $100,000 PBS virtualization expansion is roughly one month. And, think of the time and headaches you’ll save in being able to schedule server downtime or take vacation without having to worry about potential server issues. “It’s extremely efficient to be able to do maintenance on servers during the workday now, instead of having to stay until 7:00 p.m.,” Todd says. “And now, there’s significantly less maintenance overall.”

Myth 4: Virtualization is expensive.

Virtualization can actually save you money. For instance, at PBS, 30 machines now get rolled up into three servers. And this is common with many of our customers – since everything is virtualized, there is no new equipment to purchase, and in most cases, you can reuse your existing computers and servers and even squeeze additional computing power from them. Plus, with less hardware, you gain additional savings in both space and energy consumption.

Myth 5: I lack the expertise.

With VMware and Dell, you don’t need any experience with virtualization. We have dedicated support teams to guide you through implementation and expansion, regardless of the specific challenges you may face. We also provide tutorial videos and in-depth instructions, as well as special VMworld classes for every experience level, from beginner to expert.

“The best thing that happened to me was going to VMworld 2011. I already had a basic understanding of virtualization, and that first year, I took all the introductory courses. The volume of information I got there allowed me to come back and immediately create my first storage backend to enable HA. That was like the university of VMware for me.”

Make sure to check back often as we continue to follow the PBS team through their expanded virtualization makeover and beyond.

Do you have similar concerns related to virtualization? Are you thinking about taking the next step? Let us know in the comments below. If you’d like to begin debunking these myths for your business, or if you’re interested in learning more, contact a VMware Account Executive at 1-800-964-8559.

See previous posts in this series:

• Announcing the Journey to Your Cloud Makeover Contest Winner
• Following One Company’s Implementation Makeover – Including VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus, vCenter Site Recovery Manager, and vCenter Operations Management Suite

In a recent survey of more than 1,000 small to midmarket businesses, 68% say they plan to spend more on virtualizing their infrastructure this year than they did last year. Although cutting costs remains a key driver of virtualization, companies that have already implemented virtualization are seeing plenty of additional benefits.

Demands on IT departments are changing, from increased pressures to implement BYOD policies for users to scalability issues, and expanding on virtualization remains a key step for laying a foundation for a small to midmarket organization’s infrastructure.

Download this free eBook to get the top 4 reasons why you need to expand virtulization in your IT environment  and what your midmarket or small business stands to gain – beyond cost savings:

• Learn how to prevent outages with a resource-constrained environment
• Discover how you can be among the 73% of companies that have reduced significant time investments in routine administrative tasks.
• Hear from other companies on how expanding virtualization has improved their business.

What were your top reasons for expanding virtualization? Share them with us here.

This classic story about a computer game made us feel empowered, threatened and violated all at the same time.  The point of the story still holds true today: Computers train us and validate our Credibility.  Whether we possess “chilies” from Spiceworks or “badges” from our HR department for completing certain learning tasks, software continues to measure our success, knowledge and credibility.  Let’s face it: we are a task-recognition badge-junkie society.  And why not, it’s a fun way to learn…and get a few prizes.

So join us at VMware as we take you on your Cloud Credibility journey.  CloudCred is the hub for all things cloud-related. The game is your gateway to building your cloud expertise, broadening your professional network and earning rewards and certifications based on your CloudCred score.

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