To get true clarity in any given situation, it’s important to step back and look at the big picture. The reality is that this is much easier said than done.
Once you gain clarity, existing barriers become less intrusive and the drive for change is far less challenging.
With the sudden impact of COVID-19 and the challenges it has placed upon our day to day lives, many of us have been forced to look outside traditional boundaries. Many of us have also taken the time to reflect on what we are doing and why we are doing it in a certain way. This mindset provides a fresh perspective and helps to better identify where we need to focus and grow both in our personal lives and in our roles in business.
We can relate this same approach to how businesses and organizations manage their key assets, largely comprising of their line of business applications.
VMware often see customers taking one of these two approaches.
Meet the Hare
Many organizations today are running IT infrastructures which consist of a variety of disparate point-based solutions. These are often quite prescriptive to fulfill a specific need and a pressing demand from the business. The outcome of having to satisfy an immediate need often creates further complexity down the road as these independent systems multiply over time. More silos of technology and more silos of management
Meet the Tortoise
On the opposite side of this spectrum, some IT projects are slow to implement and even slower to get off the ground as they are often deemed too complex, too time-consuming and risky to implement. Sadly, without perseverance and direction, these initiatives can often amount to little benefit and the business continues on its existing trajectory.
There will be no winner in this race. Neither of these approaches are going to work in the long term.
Now is the time
We are living in uncharted times and many of the steadfast rules and structures for how we work and operate as businesses are being challenged. To survive through these challenges and come out the other side there are important decisions to be made
Now more-so than ever is the time to draw the line in the sand and put an end to isolated IT programs which typically follow as 3- 5 year pre-budgeted lifespan
Its time to adopt a long-term strategy to drive the technology needs of our organizations into the future utilizing a common platform
Its time to eliminate any traditional technology barriers by adopting a flexible hybrid cloud approach. This will allow IT teams to best serve the needs of business in a volatile market with the highest levels of flexibility and speed without compromise to security, compliance and control
We see there are three ways to action these challenges, but only one way that will actually work
Start with a fresh sheet of paper
Not practically possible and largely disruptive in the majority of cases
Continue with things the way they are
Do the best with what you have and throw more resources at it in the hope that one day you will conquer it – not the best approach
Leverage your best resources and extend your existing capabilities
Taking this last approach has proven itself time and time again in transforming and modernizing VMware customers from all industry types around the world Our customers who have adopted VMware Cloud Foundation as their platform for the future can better focus on delivering business value while also driving down the costs of operations
VMware Cloud Foundation can do this because it possesses all of the traits of a modern platform
Leverage Standardized Hardware
Minimize complexity and management overhead by adopting a repeatable standardized infrastructure model. Move away from multiple silos of infrastructure which are more costly to acquire and run.
Avoid closed proprietary architectures and hardware centric solutions which limit flexibility
Leverage Flexible Hardware Ecosystems
Allow yourselves the flexibility to choose and mix hardware vendors to your own liking without being locked into a proprietary hardware dependent solution
Leverage Automation
To rapidly build a validated and integrated full software defined platform to best practices
To save time, resources and minimize risk associated with repeatable day-to-day operational tasks
To focus your teams on the more impactful work to innovate and become an integral part of delivering true business value
To ensure your environment is maintained, updated and secured without downtime
Minimize the Complications and Delays of Change Management
Adopt a full software defined approach to your infrastructure where compute, storage, networking, security and management is dynamic which can be configured and changed through software-based policy without the need to make underlying hardware changes.
Minimize Risk
By adopting a best of breed and proven enterprise ready solution with a healthy roadmap of integrations and improved automation.
Drive down Consolidation and Drive up Densities
Building a single software defined platform eliminates silos of infrastructure, management and complexity. It does this while simultaneously driving up maximum utilization and minimizing upfront investment and long-term operations expenditure.
Leverage the Capabilities of a Hybrid Cloud
Utilize a single platform that is compatible with other public cloud solutions to enable elastic scale and workload portability. Leverage the best of cloud and the on-prem data center to deliver what you need, when you need it and be comfortable with the cost.
Provide the Flexibility of an on-Demand Cloud Operating Model
Provision resources when you need them, scale them on demand and repurpose them to meet the demands of the business while also minimizing wastage or unused capacity
Leverage Policy-based Controls and Management
Minimize risk and enforce workload compliance to drive the best workload outcomes
Leverage Open Systems with Enterprise Support
Keep your architecture as open as possible to ensure your IT teams can leverage the best and latest on offer. The majority of open systems have limited support – choosing one that does have enterprise support allows the best of both worlds
Adopt an Evergreen Approach to Life Cycle Management, Patching and Upgrades
Many customers environments are large, disparate and complex which makes upgrading them a real headache with high levels of disruption and risk. Adopting a platform with inbuilt life cycle management allows IT teams to stay up to date, stay secure and leverage the latest and greatest new features available without the risk and disruption
Invest and Build upon your Team’s Existing VMware Skillsets
Consolidating your infrastructure to a common software defined platform means that less operational effort is required for management and scale. Existing teams can build upon their existing skillsets to manage and scale their own hybrid cloud
With the COVID-19 situation worsening in recent weeks, VMware has helped many organizations from all industry types across the globe push through many of their own barriers and implement new solutions at record scale in record amounts of time. Projects that typically take 6-12 months or longer to get off the ground have now been rolled out in a matter of days. To no surprise these have been successful and implemented with minimal risk and have consequently saved many businesses and industries from grinding to a halt.
VMware customers have come to realize the power, speed and flexibility of a software defined operating model. VMware Cloud Foundation is a mature platform which allows customers to build a software defined footprint in record time allowing them to expand on its capabilities and scale at their own speed and at their own pace.
VMware Cloud Foundation is the only platform available today in the market which can deliver upon all of these aforementioned capabilities. As a platform it possesses all of the desirable traits of a modern hybrid cloud which continues to evolve with additional flexibility and functionality and a very healthy roadmap.
There is no denying that the world as we know it has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. If there is a positive to take away from this, this would be
This crisis has pushed many organizations to reconsider their existing business strategy; one that is digital and highly dependent upon a flexible and robust IT infrastructure
It has forced many organizations out of their comfort zone and challenged them to look outside of the box and accelerate their strategies and long-term planning with renewed vigor and clarity for its importance for their future.
Technology freedom is being able to innovate without delay, without risk or disruption without barriers.
For further information on how Cloud Foundation works and what it can do to transform your business please take at look at the resources, demonstrations and trial solutions available on the VMware Cloud Foundation Resource Center
