Cloud computing and virtualization

The basic idea behind cloud computing and virtualization is twofold. On the surface, it entails taking IT services that are normally on-site, such as data storage or web servers, and moving them onto third-party servers which are accessible from anywhere over the Internet. Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) is a fine example of this. Thousands of highly successful websites are being hosted by Amazon rather than their company, because Amazon has a more robust and stable platform.

The other main aspect of cloud computing and virtualization is conceptual: it redefines IT as being a service rather than an infrastructure investment. Activities such as data storage, which traditionally involves expensive purchases of servers and people to maintain them, can now be considered an on-demand service. A company pays for (X) Terabytes of storage and data transfer, and if they need more, they simply call up the provider and ask for it.

From a business perspective, there are numerous benefits to this shift towards a cloud-based infrastructure. Among these are:

• It is almost always cheaper than on-site solutions, although often not as much as some cloud proponents claim.
• It frees up internal resources to deal with your business’s core competencies, by shifting the IT burden onto a third party.
• Because cloud services can be accessed through any Internet-connected device, it becomes far easier to integrate new technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, into the system regardless of platform.
• For businesses with end-user software, the customers also benefit from this universal access.
• Businesses can become much more flexible with their computing needs and demands. Future-proofing is also simplified.

Basically, cloud computing and virtualization services are growing at an astounding rate. According to a recent survey, over 60% of servers will be virtual by 2014. Cloud computing is a rising tide, and one that businesses are finding hard to ignore. The many overall benefits to efficiency and the TCO of their IT operations are simply too significant to overlook.

IBM has announced that it is withdrawing service for the IBM i V5R4 operating system as of September 30, 2013. As a result, it is recommended that end-users of the old iSeries, System i, and Power platforms with the legacy IBM i V5R4 OS migrate to the IBM Power7 platform and IBM i V6R1 or IBM i V7 operating systems prior to that deadline next year.

IBM is offering an additional discount for end-users to migrate to Power7, and the additional discount must be approved by IBM. Most, but not all, older systems will qualify for the discount.

Power7 systems have more computing horsepower than previous IBM servers. The system price includes three years of next-business-day hardware maintenance service. Power7’s cooling requirements and energy usage costs are significantly lower than older models. Please contact an ABC Services representative to learn more about the benefits of migrating to IBM Power7 servers.

Veeam Backup & Replication v6 has a two-agent architecture allowing virtual-machine data to be collected at the source site by one backup proxy server, and then directly sent to the target backup proxy server at the destination site, bypassing the Veeam backup server. This eliminates questions about push-vs.-pull replication and differences between ESX and ESXi targets, according to Veeam.

For replica state protection, incremental runs in v6 don’t update the latest restore point. This means a terminated job run does not render the latest restore point unusable until the next run rolls it back to the last known good state. With v6, the latest restore point can be powered on instantly at any time.

With the two-agent architecture, replication traffic can be compressed regardless of where the Veeam backup server is located and whether the destination host is ESX or ESXi. Traffic compression levels are also customizable. This results in a reduction of up to 5x in replication traffic to an ESX host.

Replica disks on virtual machines are now populated by the target backup proxy server using the hot-add process. This cuts replication traffic by up to 4x while replicating to an ESXi host.

Other new features of v6 include one-click permanent failover, active rollbacks, improved replica seeding, replica mapping, specifying re-IP rules for static Internet protocol addresses, cluster targets, full support for VMware’s Distributed Virtual Switches (DVS), automatic job updates, multi-select operations, and enhanced job configuration.

On balance, we think you’ll agree that Veeam Backup & Replication v6 makes replication chores less onerous and time-consuming.

Photo Credit: Bob Rosenbaum

When it comes to backing up your virtual environment, Veeam Backup & Replication has your business covered. From one console, you can support your virtual infrastructure with instant file-level recovery and streamlined virtual-machine recovery, scalability, two-in-one backup and replication, built-in deduplication, and centralized management.

Simpler and less expensive than legacy backup tools, Veeam Backup & Replication is licensed per CPU socket and offers multi-hypervisor support, among other features. You can also save time on data backups, since Veeam Backup & Replication offers image-based backups for faster recovery of an entire virtual machine, file, or application item. That’s in contrast with traditional file-based backups.

Among other accolades, Veeam Backup & Replication received the Gold Award for New Technology in the “Best of VMworld 2011” competition.

In short, our answer is yes, Veeam Backup & Replication is the right choice for your business.

Photo Credit: Anthony Kelly

1. Veeam Software solicited customers for their suggested enhancements to the software, and incorporated the most-requested enhancements into version 6.

2. The v6 release emphasizes enterprise scalability. According to the company, it streamlines deployment and maintenance of remote office/branch office installations and larger installations.

3. Performance is enhanced. A new distributed architecture, working together with new WAN optimizations, improves the software’s performance, especially for remote sites.

4. Replication is enhanced. V6 accelerates replication by 10x, streamlines failover, and provides failback with delta sync.

5. How about 1-click file restore? V6 extends the company’s existing instant file-level recovery with delegated, web-based restore directly to the virtual machine, without needing a direct network connection or an in-guest agent.

Pricing for the standard edition and enterprise edition of v6 is scheduled to increase on February 1, 2012. For more information or to purchase V6, contact ABC Services!

Photo Credit: Cliff

1. Power7 servers can provide high qualities of service at affordable prices. The computers are available as blades, 2-U/4-U rack configurations, and as tower systems. They also offer greater energy efficiency, saving on operating costs.  For those customers who want to choose equipment financing or leasing, IBM Global Finance stands by to provide flexible payment plans, along with asset buyback and disposal.

2. IBM Power Systems Express servers have more than 15,000 business solutions running on them, offering the variety of applications businesses need to grow. These software packages are available for the AIX, IBM i, and Linux operating systems.

3. Power7 server users can further reduce costs with PowerVM , while managing risk with PowerHA resiliency.  PowerVM has IBM’s Micro-Partitioning feature, with the capability to operate up to 10 partitions per processor core and to move processor, memory, and I/O resources between partitions. IBM’s decades of experience in high-availability hardware and software is embodied in its PowerHA SystemMirror disk-clustering solutions, which keep your systems running on a nonstop basis.

4. When you buy or lease from IBM, you get not only superior support from IBM, but also the expertise of IBM Business Partners, who can help you tailor your product or service to the local market. IBM provides a wide range of ways to help you with business and IT infrastructure strategy, from online self-evaluation tools for your business to comprehensive assessments, migration services, and product upgrades.

For a more cost-efficient way to select and maintain your IT infrastructure, consider using IBM’s Power7 servers and software.

1. Understand what losing your data can really cost you. It is estimated that nearly three-quarters of all small businesses in the U.S. experience a data loss due to one cause or another every year, and these data losses cost $4,700 on average for each small business. Imagine how catastrophic it would be if all of your data was on one hard-disk drive, and that drive experienced an unrecoverable failure, or if that drive was lost or stolen.

2. Prevent the risk of business failure. The University of Texas once published a study showing that 43 percent of businesses that experienced a natural disaster yet had no business recovery plan went out of business. Not being able to get your systems working again and/or losing your data can cause your customers to lose trust in your business.

3. Reduce the possibility of liabilities and penalties from failing to comply with government regulations. Financial services firms and insurance companies are often legally mandated to keep years of records available for inspection at any time. Many more companies have their own data-retention policies. If your business is required to keep records on a long-term business, or your business is entrusted with the safekeeping of such records, it becomes highly necessary to have a system recovery plan in place and to know how you will respond in a disaster recovery situation.

4. Increase employee productivity. Taking the precautions for the safekeeping of your data and knowing how to deal with a system failure can pay off in other ways, such as making your employees more productive. Businesses are always looking for ways to improve data management (thus making data more accessible to responsible employees), and implementing a system recovery plan can address this issue.

5. Find peace of mind for yourself and your business. Getting a good night’s sleep is important to the health of any business owner, and not having to worry about data loss is one way to achieve that restful sleep.

In summary, a system recovery plan is a good idea for any growing business, whether it’s specifically aimed at disaster recovery or more generally conceived. Getting advice from IT professionals on a recovery plan is a good first step.

1. Inventory your existing computer security assets. Is antivirus software installed on all of your computers? Are all desktop PCs, laptops, smart phones, and tablet computers defended by firewalls, virtual private networks, and intrusion prevention solutions? Can your security tools communicate and work together?

2. List how all your information assets are accessed. This can help decide how many layers of protection your network security system requires. What is the most business-critical data you have? What is that data worth? That is, what would it cost to replace that data? Where is that data kept, how is it accessed, and by whom?

3. Look at potential risks. What effect or effects would a computer and network security breach have on your business? How much downtime due to security issues can your business absorb? What about noncompliance with government regulations?

4. Factor growth into your security solutions. Your computer and network security solution should be able to handle additional network traffic or advanced applications without disrupting business operations. How adaptable and flexible is your security system?

In short, it won’t take much time to ensure that your business network is secure. Follow these simple steps, and the only zombies you’ll encounter will be the ones you see in the movies or on TV.

Managed services allow the client to focus on the core line of business, leaving management of expectations and service delivery to the managed services provider. The MSP can make long-term investments in IT infrastructure that could indirectly benefit the client.

Hardware and software vendors can offer their best practices to the infrastructure project, improving key processes. The service-level agreement (SLA) can resolve the client’s worries over project management. The service-level agreement approach can also result in key process improvements for the direct benefit of the client. Lastly, knowledge retention is more efficient and sustainable under managed services.

Amongst the factors to look for in selecting a managed services provider is the depth of staff in both its knowledge and ability to meet the SLA. To achieve a predictable cost for the managed and professional services, you should have a flat monthly rate. The MSP should monitor all mission-critical equipment in your network 24/7/365 to reduce downtime proactively.

The provider should help manage vendors, provide advice and research on selecting vendors for applications, networking equipment, servers, and data communications. Also, inquire of the MSP’s ability to provides specialized services, such as developing and designing network concepts, provide onsite implementation, project management, security assessments, and disaster recovery solutions.

In summary, finding a corporate culture match with an MSP can be a crucial component in selecting a provider. Clients should look for a provider that can handle a wide variety of support services.  Most important, seek a managed services provider that has a proven track record in the business; ask business colleagues and disinterested third parties for recommendations.

1. Smart phone.  If you’re not using a smart phone for business tasks, you’re already in a hole compared with your competition. Whether it’s an iPhone, an Android-based phone, or a phone running Windows Phone 7, these extremely handy mobile devices can handle a number of business applications, and at speeds comparable to your desktop PC, if you’ve got a 4G wireless connection.

2. Mobile security tools. If you and your employees are using laptops, notebooks, smart phones, and tablet computers on the job, you must have mobile security tools for those devices. Make sure the software is installed and implemented on each device. Draw up a written policy on basic security requirements for mobile devices, and make sure everyone is following the policy procedures.

3. BYOT (or BYOD) is OK. There is value in employee productivity and morale in making “bring your own technology” or “bring your own device” part of the IT infrastructure for your business. As long as formal policies on mobile security (see above) and Internet use are observed, you can accommodate the comfort level of your employees with familiar IT products.

4. Data protection tools. Your network should be set up to detect the transmission of any confidential, mission-critical, or sensitive data for any reason. Conversely, your data protection tools should also guard any accidental or inadvertent downloading of computer viruses, spybots, and other malware by your users. The most important data in your organization should be encrypted.

5. Contact management. Customer relationship management software is a necessity. It doesn’t have to be a big CRM tool if you have only a handful of users. Online CRM tools are becoming more functional and widespread, which means you don’t have to install and maintain application tools and databases.

6. Virtual is as good as real. Operating servers in a virtual environment is becoming more of a necessity, especially if you’re working with multiple data centers and need to ensure that server resources are utilized to the maximum capacity. Virtualization tools can help you expand your server resources without the cost of buying more servers or routers.

7. Get your head in the cloud. To dream big, and to realize those dreams, cloud-based computing is increasingly part of the solution.  You’re likely using more of the cloud than you realize, especially if you’re utilizing social media. The next step is finding an established, reputable service provider to offer cloud-based services, such as remote data storage and software-as-a-service.

Pay serious attention to these seven suggestions, and your business success in 2012 is a better prospect.