In my role at Intel as a Data Center and Cloud Technical Solution specialist, I have the ability to get an inside scoop from meeting with customers and partners in the field and learning first-hand about their hottest issues, future visions, top priorities, and the complexities they face making decisions about where to focus their IT attention. This is especially true in recent conversations with them about Virtualization and HCI options, given the nature of the current “state of affairs.”
With VMware’s almost 30-year track record in the industry, it’s not surprising to know that the vast majority of customers I work with have VMware somewhere in their infrastructure. The acquisition of VMware by Broadcom has disrupted the landscape as many organizations are now facing higher costs as both virtualization-only and HCI customers are required to purchase “bundles” of services with many of them realizing they don’t want or need the added features these bundles provide.
Spoiler alert #1 -- People don’t want to pay for things they don’t use. If you suddenly feel like you’re in some Cable TV flashback, you’re not alone.
I’ll tell you what I tell my customers. Before we start grabbing at low-hanging fruit and solutions…let’s pause…and take half a step back. What are your options?
You can:
- Do nothing. Stay where you are and live with the new cost changes (understanding there is a high likelihood these costs will continue to increase in the future).
- Go down a different HCI path or even return to virtualization with traditional attached storage.
- Change virtualization ISVs.
- Move all your current VMs to CSP native offerings, regardless of virtualization or HCI.
- Modernize the applications for containers/microservices.
Spoiler alert #2 – All of these have pros and cons.
Great, So Where Do We Go from Here?
I’d like to take you on a short journey and allow me to share some of the most valuable things I’ve learned working with real businesses in answering these pressing questions every day. In the process, this will hopefully help you “untie the decision knot,” so to speak, when it comes to prioritizing what you need and the best way to solve it. I have created a short blog series that will discuss some of the most important questions you need to ask before making any decisions and then highlight some of the best solutions we’ve found.
What to Know Before We Go
Before we leave on this journey, there are a few key takeaways to keep in mind:
- Spoiler Alert #3 (last one): No matter the choice or direction…everything has a cost. Money will be spent; this conversation is about how much and where it goes.
- Beware the Low-Hanging Fruit: Many (if not most) organizations go for fast, cheap, and easy. And I get it. I will go on to show you how these choices will cost you a lot more later.
- Strategy Mitigates Risk: While this is not as much fun as “fast, cheap, and easy,” applying a thoughtful strategic approach will drive you to the right solution and a better long-term overall investment.
In the next installment, I’ll review Step One: Ask the right questions. You may or may not be surprised to hear that many organizations make significant and expensive decisions before even fully defining the problem. And with that approach, what could possibly go wrong?
If you're ready to explore some of those important questions, come read my next installment.
Notices and Disclaimers
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