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SCALABLE ENTERPRISEDegree Readiness requirementsAssociated best practices1 Standardized servers, switches, Use of best practices for applicationstorage, operations, systems, and scaling, migration, and operations;applicationsconformance to IT infrastructure library(ITIL) and Microsoft® OperationsFramework (MOF) operational standards2 Boot from SAN; extensive Server, r storage, and network virtualization;monitoring; multifabric usage; common configurations in multiple groups;deployment of high-bandwidth, limited intergroup cooperationlow-latency interconnects3 Cooperative management tools, High degree of automation and consolidation,centralized relationship mapping, including provisioning and reprovisioningdiskless operationof the target environment4 Authoritative management and Business-based automation for all majororchestration, one authoritative solutions, full equipment interoperability,agent per resource, centralized full reusability and provisioning basedrelationship mapping that includes on changing business needsbusiness attributes5 Data center is fully abstracted as Automatic provisioning of application ora “black box” service center service requests to best support businessoperations, fully automated and selfmanageddata centerFigure 2. Degree of automation, organizational readiness, and best practices for the VDCThis information enables choice, helping organizations maintaincontrol over when and how to best evolve an IT environment sothat it is consistent with business goals and practices.Early preparation for achieving the virtual data centerWhile the evolution toward the VDC is progressing quickly, thetarget degree of automation for each data center must be based oneach organization’s individual needs. Enterprises should carefullyassess the readiness of their infrastructure and adhere to the associatedbest practices for each stage. Although solutions for degrees4 and 5 remain proprietary, degrees 1, 2, and 3 involve standardization.Thus, organizations can focus on laying the groundworkfor the VDC today with degrees 1, 2, and to some extent, 3.Dell’s concept of the scalable enterprise is a staged, prescriptive,and pragmatic approach that can help provide organizationswith an easy transition to emerging capabilities as they becomestandard—such as those envisioned in degrees 3, 4, and 5. Delloffers guidance to help smooth this journey and deliver maximumvalue for IT investments.Jimmy Pike is a director and distinguished engineer in Dell’s Server Architecture andTechnology Group, where he serves as an enterprise architect. He is responsible for thestrategic system architecture of Dell’s enterprise product line. Jimmy is a seasoned veteranwith more than 25 years of experience in the server industry. He has received numerouspatents through extensive work in the area of symmetric multiprocessing in both largeand small systems.Tim Abels is a senior software architect currently developing scalable enterprise computingsystems at Dell. Tim has an M.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University.Spread YourMessage...www.dell.com/powersolutions Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, February 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. POWER SOLUTIONS 93