11
“Cloud Computing”
The Coming Transformation In The Enterprise Data Center
VMware creates software that allows the creation of virtual servers in a data center rather
than all servers being physical servers.
This technology enables huge advantages for flexibility and cost efficiency in the data
center. It allows you to construct virtual data centers using resources to run applications
that can be a combination of both private and public computing resources. This concept is
called “Cloud Computing”.
Over the next several years a large percentage of enterprise data centers will be
redesigned using virtualization as the fundamental building block of the architecture.
HP, IBM, Cisco, Netapp, EMC and many other vendors are aggressively designing and
launching product strategies around this concept.
In March Cisco announced (and is expected to ship in late June) their Unified Computing
System (“UCS”). This system integrates computing and network resources into a single
unified fabric and enhances connectivity to network storage. It is designed to take full
advantage of virtualization. This is a big departure from server architecture of the past.
VMware just announced a new version of their virtualization software, Vsphere 4 (expected
to ship in late May). This significantly enhances the ability to build a fully virtualized Data
Center and provides substantial cost efficiencies and security enhancements.
With most of the key elements now in place, the transformation to Cloud Computing using
virtualized servers is expected to be the start of the largest transformation in enterprise
technology infrastructure since the invention of the PC.