Compute Virtualization
Modern software-defined compute, also known as virtualization, is the first step toward the Software-Defined Data Center. Introduced by ICT Karl Spark more than a decade ago, x86 server virtualization has become a standard technology used by a vast majority of data centers worldwide.
Servers deployed the conventional way operate at less than 15 percent of capacity. Virtualization rewrites the entire equation. CPU and memory are decoupled from physical hardware, creating pools of resources for use wherever needed. Each virtualized application and its operating system are encapsulated in a separate, isolated software container called a virtual machine (VM). Many VMs can be run simultaneously on each server, putting the majority of hardware capacity to productive use.
The results have transformed server efficiency by offering:
- Superior performance
- Higher availability
- Significant savings
The result: IT achieves significantly more at dramatically lower cost through virtualization.
As the foundation for ICT Karl Spark’s complete Software-Defined Data Center platform, vSphere is the starting point for building your Software-Defined Data Center. With vSphere in place, you can seamlessly extend virtualization to storage and network services and add automated, policy-based provisioning and management.
Software Defined Networking
Network virtualization technology takes software-defined networking (SDN) to the next level by truly decoupling network resources from underlying hardware. In much the same way that server virtualization emulates a physical server within software, network virtualization emulates the components of network and security services in software. In this way, the virtualized network is provisioned and managed independent of your hardware. Physical networking devices simply become vehicles to forward packets.
Smarter Security with Software-First Approach
In a traditional hardware-first approach, application security is bolted on after the fact. Networks must guess what the application needs, which can lead to security gaps. A software-led approach based on ICT Karl Spark NSX builds security into your network and applications from the start—and positions you for a whatever comes next.
With ICT Karl Spark NSX solutions, you can get more value out of your existing hardware and create a solid networking foundation for your organization. ICT Karl Spark NSX is the networking and security platform that makes your top IT initiatives operationally feasible.
Software-Defined Storage (SDS)
VMware’s Software-Defined Storage (SDS) strategy is to evolve storage architectures through the pervasive hypervisor, bringing to storage the simplicity, efficiency, and cost-savings that server virtualization brought to compute. Software-Defined Storage abstracts the underlying storage through a virtual data plane, making the VM, and thus the application, the fundamental unit of storage provisioning and management across heterogeneous storage systems. By creating a flexible separation between applications and available resources, the hypervisor can balance all IT resources—compute, memory, storage and networking—needed by an application.
VMware’s Software-Defined Storage solutions enhance today’s data center by delivering:
- Per-application storage services: SDS applies at the VM level, allowing storage services to be tailored to the precise requirements of an application and adjusted as needed on a per-application basis, without affecting neighboring applications. Administrators are in complete control of which storage services, and therefore costs, are consumed by which application.
- Rapid changes to storage infrastructure: SDS uses a dynamic and non-disruptive model, just as in compute virtualization. IT admins can precisely match application demand and supply at the exact time the resources are needed. Storage services become fluid—a little more for this application now, a little less for that one later.
- Heterogeneous storage support: SDS lets you leverage existing storage solutions, such as SAN and NAS, or direct attached storage on x86 industry-standard hardware. With industry standard servers, the backbone of Hyperconverged Infrastructure, IT organizations can design low-cost and scalable storage environments that easily adjust to specific and ever-changing storage needs.
Unified Data Center Management Software
The fully virtualized data center is automated and managed by intelligent, policy-based data center management software, vastly simplifying governance and operations. A single, unified management platform lets you centrally monitor and administer all applications across physical geographies, heterogeneous infrastructure and hybrid clouds. You can deploy and manage workloads in physical, virtual and cloud environments with a unified management experience. IT becomes agile, elastic and responsive to a degree never before possible.
Cloud Automation
Infrastructure and applications services are requested via a self-service portal where authorized administrators, developers or business users can select services that comply with pre-defined business policies. Service delivery is highly automated. Logical infrastructure and application blueprints model services that can be deployed in any approved cloud environment. The right levels of resources are automatically allocated based on business requirements and service-level requirements. Workloads are dynamically and continually orchestrated and balanced as dictated by changing patterns of demand.
Cloud Operations
With a scale-out and resilient operations platform, administrators get control over performance, capacity and configuration management. Predictive analytics and smart alerts help identify and rectify potential issues before they impact service quality. Intuitive performance dashboards provide app-to-storage visibility across physical, virtual and cloud environments. Log management capabilities extend analytics to unstructured data, for better visibility and faster problem resolution. Over- and under-provisioned VMs are right-sized to balance service level requirements with resource utilization. Powerful capacity modeling identifies “what if” scenarios to anticipate and optimize future infrastructure spend.
Cloud Business
CIOs and IT executives can demonstrate and compare the costs of complex initiatives and investments, including private and public clouds. Users can see the cost of service in the service catalog. Visibility and transparency of the types, cost and quality of IT services consumed by a business unit, enable show and charge back the quantity and types of IT services consumed. Industry benchmark data and reporting help compare IT expenses to peer companies and cloud service providers, for informed sourcing decisions that drive down costs
Delivery Options: Private Cloud or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
ICT Karl Spark software-defined architecture can be deployed in your data center as a private cloud or off-site using secure infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) operated by ICT Karl Spark or one of our certified partners. Most companies choose a hybrid combination of on-premises and IaaS platforms.
All three options are built on the same ICT Karl Spark Software-Defined Data Center technology, so you can easily migrate workloads among clouds and control and govern your hybrid environment from a single management interface.
Software-Defined Private Cloud: On-Premises in Your Data Center
ICT Karl Spark provides flexible paths for evolving to a software-defined private cloud that you deploy on your own physical infrastructure. Customers typically begin with ICT Karl Spark vSphere, and at their own pace, add software-defined networking and storage, and various elements of our comprehensive management layer. Alternatively, you can move up to a full-infrastructure solution, ICT Karl Spark vCloud Suite, directly from vSphere. Or extend your Software-Defined Data Center management to include other hypervisor platforms or public cloud services with the ICT Karl Spark vRealize Suite purpose built for hybrid cloud.
Cloud Services from ICT Karl Spark Partners
Certified ICT Karl Spark partners offer an array of globally consistent, flexible and custom-tailored cloud services. These too are built on ICT Karl Spark software-defined technology, for compatibility with your internal data center, guaranteed service levels, auditable security and assured compliance.
