By Joe DePasquale
There is no doubt that IT changes at a rapid pace, not only from a technology perspective, but from an organizational perspective as well. About 10 years ago the OPEX and CAPEX benefits of virtualization propelled the industry in new directions, reducing the need for segregated physical servers while increasing the need for a new breed – the virtualization administrator. These pioneers came from all types of backgrounds, but most came from server administration – no doubt creating a few silos along the way.
So what’s next? The Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) is the next defining moment for IT and the virtualization administrator. These pioneers will be called upon again to expand their knowledge. In most cases managers will have to recruit from other disciplines, since proficiency will be needed in storage and networking as these layers are key to the SDDC. Additionally, those with scripting and programming will be needed to automate these new processes, making the SDDC efficient and nimble, supporting the demands of business.
What can management do to get ahead of this curve? Fortunately, we are just starting to see Enterprise and Global companies start their journey toward the SDDC. Management, engineering and administration all share a vested interest in educating themselves on the SDDC, and how this technology will not only change their delivery of IT services to the business unit but also change the role of the virtualization administrator.
Your Technical Account Manager (TAM) can help guide you and your organization through the SDDC journey. The TAM is equipped with tools to help determine your level of maturity for the SDDC. These tools will measure your current state, future state or goals, and the importance of each of these areas to your organization. This provides a strategic plan to address any operational and educational gaps. This strategic planning, coupled with available educational and professional services, will help guide your IT organization through this paradigm shift.
What can administrators do today? Virtualization administrators and engineers will need to adapt to new technology once again. You will need to increase your understanding of networking and storage, as well as expand your skills in scripting. If you have not had the opportunity to deploy vRealize OrchestratorTM (formally vCenter Orchestrator), I would highly recommend it. There are also free online classes and Hands-on Labs (HOL) available for those looking for additional education in the SDDC space.
Understanding what the future state of IT will look like in your organization provides a career path for the virtualization administrator. In most enterprise organizations there are roles for functions. Automation will reduce some of these functions, but there will still be a need for administrators to manage the underlying software that manages the SDDC. Leveraging your TAM strategically will help you and your organization plan for this change and define the next virtualization administrator.
Free Self-Paced e-Learning
https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=33611&ui=www_edu
VMware Hands-on Labs
http://labs.hol.vmware.com/HOL/catalogs/
Joe DePasquale is a Team Lead / Staff Technical Account Manager based in Buffalo, New York. Joe has worked with several large Enterprise customers over his past 4 years at VMware. Previously Joe held an IT Leadership position at a large financial institution.
