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PROPOSAL FOR DYLAN THOMAS
CS Technology 21 Ironmonger Lane
LONDON EC2V 8EY www.CSTechnology.com
Data Centre Strategy & Migration
Services
Version: 1.1 Status: Draft Date: April 14
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CONTENTS
1. DATA CENTRE STRATEGY ... 3
1.1. KEY STRATEGIC THEMES ... 3
1.2. DATA CENTRE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT ... 4
1.3. THE FUTURE STATE MODEL ... 4
2. MIGRATION SYNOPSIS ... 5
3. MIGRATION METHODOLOGY ... 5
3.1. MIGRATION OPTIONS ... 6
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1.
DATA CENTRE STRATEGY
CST has a unique approach to developing corporate data centre strategies.
Our approach builds upon the standard view of the data centre estate and its operating model, incorporating a sophisticated model of the economics of the estate, and the ecosystem that will most efficiently support it
DC strategies are now being developed that include a mixed approach to service delivery, with many services being sourced from external providers, whether cloud or more traditional managed/outsourced service providers
Strategies now need to include how best to orchestrate and broker services within the overall corporate IT estate, and recognise the impact on the IT organisation
There is also a significant opportunity to look for new ways of financially engineering the data centre estate to reflect corporate balance sheet strategy
This presentation demonstrates CST’s approach to developing future state models for corporate DC strategies, and how CST can help clients achieve the greatest return for their investment in IT infrastructure
1.1.
Key Strategic Themes
Global Strategies with centralised management
• Many of the key benefits, financial and others, will only be realised and maximised if a global approach is taken
• Centralising data centre operations will help maximise Opex reductions
• Utilising the same underlying technologies in all regions will help ensure a consistent global portfolio
• Harmonising operations globally will allow for more flexible and cost effective service delivery models
Organisational structure
• A mixed model of internal and outsource services will likely require organisational transformation
• A global governance model will help ensure global compliance with the strategy
• Internal ownership and accountability will need to reflect the global approach
• Internal costings (recovery rates) can be calculated on a global basis for a single chargeback mechanism
Key targets for consolidation
• Global model for delivery of data centre capacity and technical services
• A single model for design
• Centralised management and reporting
• On-demand provision of capacity
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• The data centre strategy can be funded in a number of ways that are compliant with GAAP/IFRS regulations to suit balance sheet
• Options can be developed to tune the balance of Capex and Opex
1.2.
Data Centre Strategic Development
CST uses a 3-stage process for developing data centre strategies
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2.
MIGRATION SYNOPSIS
Data centre migrations are complex, risky and can present a daunting prospect, as it is one of the few IT changes that will fundamentally touch all aspects of technology within an organisation. Maintaining business processes while migrating mission critical applications with many interdependencies requires a level of knowledge and experience that is in limited supply. CST has learnt through advising many blue chip organisations on successful data centre migrations, that the adoption of a structured methodology can achieve a safe and successful outcome, providing the best balance of risk and cost, whilst remaining flexible to the needs of the business. It follows three key stages:
1. Strategy Development – deciding the best solution and approach
2. Detailed Analysis and Planning – establishing how to implement the solution and achieve the desired result
3. Execution – implementing the activities required to complete the desired result
3.
MIGRATION METHODOLOGY
CST has been managing projects of this nature for many years and has perfected a robust and practical methodology for migration programmes. In order to provide fixed-price quotations CST uses a 3-phase, proven process methodology for all migrations. The key principle is that each phase defines the scope, plan and budget of the next phase. The first phase, which is a discovery and analysis exercise, produces a “Migration Strategy” which allows CST to determine the costs and timescales required for the detailed planning and execution of the rest of the migration programme.
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In particularly large and complex migrations, CST recommends separating the detailed planning and execution phases so that more accurate cost certainty can be provided, but the target is normally to provide cost certainty for the client through the provision of a single quote to cover the completion of the programme.
We make significant use of repeatable processes and automated tools to streamline migration programmes, but there are no short cuts in our approach. All migrations start by developing a profound understanding of the applications and services that are moving. Throughout the process, business risk and continuity is a primary concern so the Migration Strategy phase determines how each application must be migrated, taking into account complexity, criticality, technical considerations, system inter-dependencies, continuity, and the overall risk profile. CST has a full range of migration methodologies to call upon and the detailed planning activities ensure that there is no wastage or over-engineering of solutions. Throughout the programme, CST provides full programme and change management functions to ensure consistency of delivery.
CST is also able to build teams and deploy automated toolsets to cover every aspect of the migration, from initial discovery audits through full delivery and handover to production. This allows our clients total flexibility to determine the level of engagement of their own resources, knowing that our teams of specialists will be capable of providing full coverage. However, our approach remains highly collaborative at all stages, with full communications plans throughout, a thorough documentation process and a mature set of monitoring and reporting tools at our disposal to ensure that our clients are always on top of progress and status.
3.1.
Migration Options
CST has developed a range of techniques for migrating applications and services, which take into account a number of factors such as risk and complexity. Table 1 provides a list of migration options and their attributes.
The migration strategy phase breaks down the entire inventory of hardware and software, and maps out the inter-dependencies between all components, before determining the most appropriate migration methodology. Most migration programmes have to be delivered as a series of “events”, during which a controlled sub-set of the IT estate will be migrated into the target facility. The migration strategy phase will lay out how those events are scheduled, taking into account any business-sensitive “black-out” periods (such as financial year-ends). Migration event planning will ensure that co-dependent systems are migrated together, so that network latency or related proximity issues do not cause outages or performance problems.
In developing the optimum strategy, consideration will also be given to a number of factors in terms of impact and risk. Table 2 describes impacts and observations associated with key elements of a migration.
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Table 1: Migration Options
Migration Type Description Key Criteria
V2V – Virtual Copy • Virtual to Virtual Migration • Copy VM instance between VM clusters • Already VM • Capacity in Target DC – VM farm and storage
V2V – Seed and
Swing
• Provision new VM at target site
• Install application on new VM and associate with storage
• Already VM
• Capacity in Target DC – VM farm and storage
P2V – Image
Creation
• Physical to Virtual Migration
• Build and/or copy physical server
application instance to a virtual guest
• Application characteristics suitable for hosting on VM environment
• Capacity in Target DC – VM farm and storage
P2P – Physical
to Physical – Forklift (lift and shift)
• Physical to Physical Migration
• Relocate (lift and shift) existing hardware to target DC
• Data copy or backup
• Non-Production or Hot/Critical DR
• No mission critical dependency
• Platform meets current standards
• Depreciation value remaining > 1 year
P2P – Physical
to Physical – Seed and Swing
• Physical to physical migration
• Deploy new server and install app.
• Frame to Frame or copy of data
• Reconfigure of application
• Decommission of physical device
• Mission critical system process
• Limited outage window
• Optimisation of platform (e.g. Hardware is end of life or OS no longer supported) Application De-Allocation • Retire/shutdown application services • Hardware remains in place • Data destroyed or retained
• Application is (will be) retired prior to “site completion date – 3 months” • Consolidated or outsourced/ replaced Decommission • De-allocate application services • Hardware shutdown / removed / repurposed
• Data wiped or retained
• Application is (will be) retired prior to “site completion data – 3 months”
• Hardware is still supported (only applicable to
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Table 2: Migration Impacts
Migration
Properties Lift & Shift
Seed &
Swing Virtual Observations
Capital Low High High
Purchasing new hardware is a burden until enough swing hardware can seed future moves
Human Resource Moderate High High
Measure of reconfiguring equipment vs. having to install and configure new system Speed of Room
Exit Fast Slower Slower
Fast removal of hardware pressures remaining tenants to move as well Target Location – Space / Power efficiency Moderate to
Low High High
Moving older hardware may negate virtualisation opportunities and power efficiency Risk to Application Stability
High Low Low
Risk is that the Lifted system may be jostled during the relocation. Potential disruption to source systems Refresh
Opportunity Low High High
Swing hardware provides for instant refresh of older hardware
Application
Outage Window Moderate Low Low
Lift & Shift outage is higher since the
equipment will be offline during the move
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4.
OVERVIEW OF CS TECHNOLOGY
CS Technology (CST) is a leading IT advisory firm that provides strategy and implementation services to some over the world’s leading organisations. The firm’s unique domain expertise, exceptionally nimble business model, and outstanding financial acumen help clients enhance the bottom-line performance of their enterprise infrastructure, data centers, and other technology-driven initiatives.
For over twenty years, CST has worked with industry leaders on 4,000 plus projects that represent over £20 billion in total spend and more that 60 million square feet of technology space having been successfully managed and implemented. The following represents a sample client listing:
CST is recognised as a global leader in the full lifecycle management of corporate data centre programmes and projects, including strategy development, business and technology requirements development, negotiation, design, build, implementation/migration, and operational optimisation. With a significant history of supporting large corporates in delivering some of the largest and most complex migrations in recent history, CST has the credentials, experience and talent to excel in delivering exactly this type of service management project.
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Some examples of CST’s migration experience are shown in the table below:
Client Engagement Duration
(months)
Total # Migrated Instances
AIG Data Centre Migration - Greenfield 34 4,400
AIG Data Centre Migrations - Regional
Branch HQ's
30 1,000
Merrill Lynch Data Centre Migration - Greenfield (Consolidation 3 DC's into 2)
30 4,500
Fannie Mae Data Centre Migration - Greenfield 9 500
Highmark Data Centre Migration - Greenfield 7 295
Jefferies Data Centre Migration - CoLo
Facility
7 310
Alliance Bernstein
Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility
11 720
Reed Elsevier Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility
12 400
NYSE Data Centre Migration - Greenfield 27 2,600
Princeton Univ. Data Centre Migration - Greenfield 26 1,100
Fidelity Data Centre Migration - Greenfield 22 750
Bank of America / Merrill Lynch (DCI)
Data Centre Migration - Merger / Integration
(multiple locations - 7 into 5)
28 12,000
Ford Foundation Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility
6 350
Proskauer Rose Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility
8 750
White & Case Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility
5 350
GSA Data Centre Migration - Upgrade
Existing
8 350
Alliance Bernstein
Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility (Non Production)
11 1,400
Computer Associates
Data Centre Migration - CoLo Facility
10 1,000
Nomura Data Centre Migration - CoLo
Facility
20 1,500
CIT Data Centre Migration - CoLo
Facility
