The Server Room Blog

The Similarities Between a Cloud Forest and Cloud Computing

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:49:04 GMT

I had never heard of a cloud forest before I went on vacation this past June to Costa Rica where I spent time at the Villa Blanca Resort. Even when we arrived at Villa Blanca, I have to admit I was a little confused. I had expected to see a forest in the clouds, however, I saw a beautiful hill side scattered with a few trees.

However, when we went on our walking tour the next morning, our tour guide walked up to one of the larger trees and says “Welcome to the Cloud Forest. This tree is a perfect example of a cloud forest”. As I looked more closely at the tree, I was amazed at what I saw - this single tree was host to thousands of species of both plants and animals.

Nature is extremely efficient in it’s use of a cloud forest. Likewise, Cloud Computing is an extremely efficient use of computing resources. It is for this reason that Intel IT has developed an enterprise cloud computing strategy focused on building an internal cloud to boost efficiency and flexibility inside of our IT infrastructure. This internal cloud strategy is closely linked to our current use and accelerated plans for virtualization. In addition Intel IT uses the external cloud services selectively for certain applications.

Additionally, we are exploring using rich mobile clients with cloud computing models moving forward to better meet the needs of an ever changing user base, consumerization trends and the need to maintain highly efficient, secure information and application delivery to employees.

To find more discussion, blogs and content relating to cloud computing – in the enterprise or corporate client solution areas – take advantage of these resources.

And .. if you ever have the chance to visit Costa Rica .. visit the cloud forest. It was worth the trip.

Chris Peters, Intel IT

Twitter

Calculating ROI – Helping IT Make Informed Decisions

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:06:45 GMT

We created a server refresh ROI estimator tool to help IT managers make sense of the significant OpEx savings they can achieve by making targeted investments in new server hardware. In my previous blog when we introduced the ROI tool back in April 2009, I talked about the capabilities of the estimator and the benefits of server refresh. In the first 3 months, we have had nearly 4,000 users of the ROI estimator and of those users almost 800 users have printed reports to share with others in their organizations. The feedback we have received from users has been very encouraging.

CIO for major US hospital: “This would help my IT staff justify the financial value of the technology investment they are proposing. This has been a barrier to freeing up capital internally”
IT Manager for major US bank: “I used to have regular funding for technology refresh projects. It was a given for my budget. However, with the increased constraints on capital, I now have to justify this type of spending”
Technology Sales Consultant: “This tool helped me work better with my customer to gain a deeper understanding of their server environment and allowed us to jointly identify high ROI investments to improve their infrastructure”

I have also heard many constructive suggestions for improvement. As a result, we have continued to evolve the tool based on feedback from users.

Tool Training – How to Use: We heard that the benefits of using the Savings Refresh Estimator spanned many functional roles, making us realize that the use models for this type of tool and what users were looking for would vary dramatically from person to person. This has challenged us to look at ways to streamline the user interface (something we continue to work on) for different users and analyses. In the interim, we are in the process of developing a video training guide to help users understand how to use the tool to get maximum benefit. We have a pdf training guide today that can help you get started now.

PowerPoint Output: What would we do without powerpiont? J We received feedback on the desire to make the output of this tool more sharable inside IT organizations and with business partners in a powerpoint format as a way to communicate the opportunity and benefits for server refresh investment. So, we now have a powerpoint output option in the reports section that breaks down the benefits of server refresh for a variety of audiences from executive staff to facilities to finance. Everyone inside your business can benefit from server refresh and now you can show them how.

Secure Analysis: We received feedback that many users wanted access off-line either as a way to use in meetings when connectivity was challenged or to protect internal data from exposure online. We now have the ability for you to run the tool on your laptop to support these use models.

More … More … More Functionality. We heard lots of requests and ideas to expand the level of functionality and analysis capabilities. We have to balance scope, complexity Keep these requests coming. The following changes are incorporated into today’s estimator.

Virtualization to Virtualization Refresh Scenario – now included
Virtualization Loading: Can edit and change VM/server new and old
Custom Performance Data – enter you own performance data to better model what you expect to see in your biz
Depreciation Cycle – no longer fixed at 4yrs .. can adjust
Memory Sizing: information added to allow user analysis
Processor Description: allows user to cross reference data to other more familiar terminology.

Accuracy / Approach: We have also heard some feedback challenging us on different ways to look at refresh scenarios, especially as we learn more about how people are looking at and using virtualization and sizing their environments after refresh. Sizing is a very customer-centric and application specific task that is difficult to model in a one-sized fits all. We won’t be able to model every sizing situation, but are planning some future enhancements intended to help you self-evaluate.

I want to thank everyone in the community for their input on this tool and helping us to deliver a better product over time. Keep the ideas coming. Feel free to respond with comments here.

Chris

twitter: @chris_p_intel

My Journey to the Center of IT

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:56:12 GMT

I have been working in servers for almost 10 years with intel and in the last 4 years, much of my job had me focused on how IT uses server technology to create business value. It was an awesome experience where I learned new things every day from OEMs, Intel's customers, sales force and with social media ... many extended.

During my role as an end user product marketing manager, I found that Intel IT was an extremely valuable source of learning for me to understand the end customer of the products that Intel makes and enables. I also found that end user IT organizations valued hearing how Intel IT was approaching business challenges and deploying technology solutions to create value. So when I was given the opportunity to move into Intel IT and be part of that team and learn from the inside out, my decision was easy.

I'm excited about seeing all aspects of technology (client, server, storage, network, facility, pc companions ... ), how IT aligns to business goals, makes investment trade-offs, implements new projects without disrupting business processes, and a host of other topics. My learning curve is steep and fast (just the way I like it). So as I transition and learn about Intel IT from the inside out, I will continue to share my experiences and learnings as i go

If you'd like to follow along real time on my Journey to the Center of IT, follow me on twitter (@Chris_P_Intel) as I will share the things I find, learn and explore. Let me know if there is something you want to know.

In the mean time, check out the various resources available from IT@Intel including technical / business whitepapers, tools, videos and blogs. Many of these are already on my required reading list.

Chris

2009 Server Refresh Enables Intel To Save $19M

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:50:11 GMT

If you read my blog about server refresh and quarterbacks, you will understand how important it is to have a good quarterback inside your organization leading the server refresh effort. Well at Intel IT that person is Matt Beckert.

I have had the opportunity to work closely with Matt over the past couple years and have watched Intel’s server refresh strategy develop, get ratified and … because of the economic conditions … get questioned. It was interesting to sit on the sidelines and watch how the economy caused intel to question a proven strategy that delivered $45M of savings to intel in 2008 (Intel IT Performance Reports).

Ever since I was a kid, I have been an avid New England Patriots fan and Tom Brady is worth every dollar of the over $14M the Patriots will pay him in 2009…

However, I’m sure glad that Matt is on the Intel IT team as his efforts have demonstrated to Intel that proceeding with server refresh in 2009 inside Intel IT’s infrastructure is worth $19M of savings versus deferring refresh to 2010. Read more about “Staying Committed to Server Refresh Reduces Cost” and find out where the savings came from, how Intel IT overcame the capital budget constraints internally to make this priority investment.

Who is your server refresh quarterback?
What is your savings opportunity?
Model your potential savings for server refresh at www.intel.com/go/xeonestimator

Chris (Go Patriots )

PC Refresh. SSSHHH, Quiet. Don’t Tell My Wife!

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:08:38 GMT

In my blog titled “why buy for the little guy”, I shared that I was in the market for a new home desktop to replace my existing one. Well, today I spent my 2009 tax refund check on a new computer – an iMac.

So why the secrecy? ... The iMac is a surprise for my wife’s birthday. My wife has wanted a Mac since we left college and I’ve always been a PC guy (grew up with one, always used them at work, etc.) and when I started working at Intel almost 10 years ago, I could not justify a Mac given my corporate loyalties and who was paying the bills. When Apple adopted Intel architecture a couple years ago, my options were now opened (really my old excuses were not longer valid).

I’m very excited to install the new iMac as the challenges of my old technology and the limitations and headaches they were giving me will be gone - and I think I’ll finally get some good-guy points with my wife.

Chris

Nehalem Servers: An Early Christmas?

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:25:21 GMT

Last week I read Shannon’s blog about an “unmarketable server” - I got a real and personal taste of the power of this new product last week. I had the opportunity to interview two customers for a video that will be available when we introduce this product in the coming weeks. These customers had access to early hardware and shared their testing results and perspectives of this new product. The information was eye-opening for me.

As I flew back home on Saturday, I was reminded of how I felt as a kid getting ready for Christmas. When I was young, I couldn’t wait for Christmas morning so I could open up my presents and play with my new toys all day long. That is the way I feel with the new Intel Xeon processor 5500 series (codename Nehalem) about to launch later this quarter – I can’t wait.

In short (and I have to save the details for the video because I’m required to by non-disclosure), these customers are moving forward with plans to invest in new server technology because of the dramatic performance and energy efficiency gains that a technology refresh can provide them. Both of these customers are seeking a competitive advantage in their respective businesses and despite the economy, they see prioritized investment in new server technology as a means to enhance their services, reduce costs, streamline efficiency and better support their customers.

When I asked the question about economic conditions and the relative importance of buying new technology today for their business – the customers did not blink – investing in new server technology and refreshing aging servers is of critical importance to their business.

It was clear to me that these customers are looking forward to an early Christmas this year with the introduction of Xeon 5500 servers.

Stay tuned to Intel’s online server community www.intel.com/server for more information.

Global Recession Hits the Data Center – Millions at Risk!!!

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:05:09 GMT

Every morning we hear about the staggering job losses mounting up in businesses around the world. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost so far. Unfortunately, no one seems immune from the impacts of this recession. In fact, the recession is now impacting the data center and a new segment of the work force is at risk – your servers!

Would you keep an employee who worked less than 4 hours per day, over-spent valuable resources and was someone you had to manage constantly – obviously, the answer is NO! That is the situation today with install base single-core servers. Aging servers are a perfect target for downsizing in this tough economy. Industry analyst IDC estimates that there are approximately 30 million servers installed in businesses around the world and about 40% of those use single-core processors (4 years old or older).

Let’s look at the 2008 performance review of these single core servers.

ð Excessive Spending Habits: For the performance they deliver, these servers take up too much space and over-consume power and cooling resources.

ð Lazy Work Habits: A typical non virtualized server runs at only 10-15% utilization – meaning they sit idle a majority of your work day.

ð Needs Excessive Management: Aging servers require more maintenance. Extended warranties are expensive (estimated $600-1200 per server depending on the type of server) and if you don’t extend the warranty, the risk of downtime is on IT and the business. While the costs to maintain a server vary widely , during a recent discussion with Forrester research, they indicated that an aging server can cost up 3x the costs of an in-warranty server (under standard 3 yr manufacturer support).

Continuing to use these old servers is not a wise business strategy. But if you fire your existing infrastructure, who can you hire to do the work? Simple, you hire fewer new multi-core servers running virtualization to replace a large number of install base servers.

But, is replacing them worth the effort … I mean, why fix what ain’t broke? About 2/3 of IT’s budget is consumed maintaining existing infrastructure (source Gartner), leaving a measly 1/3 for innovation and value add business capability. So in this recession, unless you are focused on reducing OpEx, the IT budget that you are cutting is likely restricting your business competitiveness and new service delivery - the value of innovation.

Replacing old servers with new offers both cost and productivity advantages for IT in addition to improved services and competitiveness for business. Read some of the success stories from businesses in 2008 where proactive IT investment commonly resulted in 30-40% reductions in total costs, enhanced business services, improved competitiveness and rapid financial ROI. In fact, the business ROI on replacing an old server with new is staggering and in many cases can pay for itself in less than 12 months, by reducing power / cooling costs, avoiding new construction, simplifying and reducing maintenance costs, reducing applicaiton and OS licensing costs and more.

What characteristics should you look for in a new server hire? (to maximize this savings and accelerate ROI)

ð Versatile Performance. Consider a wide range of benchmarks and application usages when evaluating capability of the server you intend to hire. Servers hired today for a specific task may likely get re-purposed over their lifetime.

Also ... if your workload is specialized and data demanding (like database / enterprise resource planning / business intelligence) consider a specialized

server with unique skills, like larger compute, I/O and memory scalability to handle these larger workloads with increased reliability and headroom for peak loads.

ð Energy Efficiency. Newer multi-core servers feature nearly 10x the performance / watt of single core servers. Use the SPECPower benchmark to assess which servers are the most energy efficient.

ð Virtualization. When virtualizing servers, hire servers that can support robust consolidation ratios and built for flexibility and versatility. Many new hardware-assist technologies help boost the ability to migrate virtual machines (application/OS combination) from one server to another.

ð Standardization. Unlike hiring employees where diversity is valued and encouraged, using a smaller number of reference designs in your IT environment, can lower operating and support costs.

A final consideration for hiring new servers is total cost of ownership. Just like hiring people, you must consider the incidental or hidden costs behind the salary and sign-on bonus (do these still exist today?). The average life for a server is 4 years. Buying an inexpensive server for your needs today may optimize today’s budget but may end up costing you over the long run in software licensing, power/cooling. Intel IT recently did an ROI analysis on buying higher end processors and found that using higher end processors reduced TCO significantly – by doing more with less.

Last year, Intel IT fired about 20,000 servers and more are expected to receive pink slips in 2009 - read more about this in the 2008 Intel ITannual perfomance report

If your goals are to lower costs, improve services and boost revenue while increasing business competitiveness, then replacing aging server infrastructure is an Intelligent Investment. Learn more at www.intel.com/go/xeon

Are your single core servers at risk of losing their jobs? If not, they should be!

So the Question is ... Will You Cut IT Costs and Boost Business Competitiveness by downsizing your Server Infrastructure in 2009?

Chris

Yoga for Your Servers – Lesson 3: Technology Designed for a Dynamic Data Center

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:44:41 GMT

In Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 Sudip Chahal (Intel IT) shared his perspective on virtualization usages and technology requirements respectively. It was clear to me that Live VM Migration usage models are transforming the requirements placed on server infrastructure.

In Lesson 3 , our final video in this series on virtualization, I interviewed Intel Technology Specialist Radhakrishna (RK) Hiremane Shridhar, who discusses the platform and hardware assist technology that has been designed specifically into the current and future generations of Intel processor based servers to support both consolidation and emerging flexible live VM migration use models.I invite you to view lesson 3 (~ 6min) and comment on the usefulness of this information to your business planning.

I hope you were able to gains some key insights in this series.

For the lighthearted fun loving side … watch this fun video featuring the Orange Guy

But when it comes down to serious business decisions, use these technical resources.
- Implementing virtualization ; Understanding Intel VT FlexMigration

Learn more about Intel Virtualization Technology at www.intel.com/go/virtualization.

Can your Server Do Yoga? Namasté

Chris Peters, Intel

Got That Virtual Feeling?

christopher.p.peters@intel.com — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:54:00 GMT

Working in High Tech means that most of us don't ever slow down - if we do, we risk falling behind. As a result, I usually find myself more more stressed than relaxed (just ask my peers or my wife).

So when I find good humor, I like to share. I found this video snippet about virtualization at www.talesofitutopia.com and it put a smile on my face. It is a little scarry that i can relate to more than one of the characters (the boss, the IT guy and even to some extent the JINX). Which character do you relate to?

*Virtilization anyone?*