2020 proved the importance of adaptability, especially with regards to how businesses are run. Setting up remote workspaces, providing better online services, and migrating the majority of applications and workflows to the cloud were seen to be some benefits of cloud flexibility.
The trend towards data centre virtualisation is predicted to intensify as businesses demand more agility and flexibility. And it has become more critical to evaluate the attitudes and transitioning models towards the software-defined data centre (SDDC) and how this can effectively improve a businesses’ adaptability.
To take full advantage of the agility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness that SDDCs offer, it is essential to have standardised protocols and processes. SDDCs also offer the added benefit of helping businesses efficiently manage data centres, even in crisis situations.
While not for everyone, a functional SDDC architecture can effectively prepare an organisation for its journey to a hybrid cloud.
Is SDDC for you?
A recent Everest Group survey of 200 enterprises demonstrated the growing movement to hybrid cloud. In the survey, most respondents indicated that they had a hybrid-first or private-first cloud strategy and that 58% of enterprise workloads were hosted or were expected to be hosted on hybrid or private clouds.
SDDC is a virtualised resource pool of compute, storage, networking, and security components within public or private (cloud or on-premise) infrastructure, allowing the automation of resource assignments and tasks, typically manual endeavours in the physical data centre. Apart from speeding up and simplifying the application (or workload) deployment process, SDDC offers significant reductions in operational and IT labour costs.
While many companies romanticise the idea of moving everything to the public cloud because of its flexibility and cost-effectiveness, it may not be a practical move – especially considering important factors such as compliance and security.
How can SDDC work for you?
Many companies begin virtualising and automating computer storage and networking infrastructure with little thought for cloud operations or a code-first deployment process.
ROI optimisation from SDDC requires merging the traditional functions of architecture, engineering, and operations into a DevOps model to enhance feedback loops while improving architecture and design.
The need to institutionalise constant feedback loops cannot be overstated. Integrating an infrastructure-as-code approach to your SDDC strategy can help create a continuous delivery pipeline for business applications that improves competitive advantage – especially in a world where the first company to first address customers’ needs wins.
There needs to be a shift towards new tools and processes and away from management siloes. It is no longer necessary to invest in vendor-specific hardware operation skills. Instead, a cultural shift is critical to siloed networks, storage, and computer teams. Managing discrete environments is inefficient and detracts from the goal of a wholly automated and cloud-ready SDDC, and integrated teams must be aligned in favour of a common goal.
SDDC environments are beneficial in other ways too. Organisations with diverse IT environments scattered across regions tend to lack consistency in their hardware-oriented data centre infrastructures. Relying instead on intelligent software to streamline moving workloads across resources helps achieve business continuity and scalability while ensuring more effective disaster recovery.
How SDDC fits in the digital era
Chief among the considerations of an SDDC build-out is an understanding and management of even the most complex customer environments. Organisations will find that the solutions and services available with Linktech can set the groundwork for developing and refining SDDC capabilities.
At Linktech Australia, we can apply our knowledge and experience to help businesses understand the SDDC transformation journey. Contact Us today.