Cisco Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Server Information Guide
to support test engineers working around
the globe and around the clock. In our
test-driven software development environ-
ment that makes use of agile software
development, we expect we’ll save more
than $200,000 in development costs and
take more than three months off delivery
time. We estimate that, taken together with
improved performance, faster provisioning,
and cloning capabilities, these benefits will
help us shrink some development cycles
from up to six months to just six days or less.”
the globe and around the clock. In our
test-driven software development environ-
ment that makes use of agile software
development, we expect we’ll save more
than $200,000 in development costs and
take more than three months off delivery
time. We estimate that, taken together with
improved performance, faster provisioning,
and cloning capabilities, these benefits will
help us shrink some development cycles
from up to six months to just six days or less.”
Efficiency exchange rate: 8-month ROI
“When we started this project, we also
considered traditional blade-server solutions
from vendors like Dell EqualLogic,” Reed
discloses. “But the costs to integrate
disparate technology components and to
scale for succeeding project phases proved
prohibitive. Alternatively, by deploying the
Cisco, NetApp, and VMware reference
architecture integrated technology stack,
we will in just eight months return 100%
of our phase-I investment. And that’s a
conservative estimate. In calculating return
on investment [ROI], we considered only
hard, direct project costs.”
“When we started this project, we also
considered traditional blade-server solutions
from vendors like Dell EqualLogic,” Reed
discloses. “But the costs to integrate
disparate technology components and to
scale for succeeding project phases proved
prohibitive. Alternatively, by deploying the
Cisco, NetApp, and VMware reference
architecture integrated technology stack,
we will in just eight months return 100%
of our phase-I investment. And that’s a
conservative estimate. In calculating return
on investment [ROI], we considered only
hard, direct project costs.”
Ellis suggests that additional savings are
considerable, citing these examples not
factored into the ROI analysis:
considerable, citing these examples not
factored into the ROI analysis:
•
Capacity savings. “With NetApp
deduplication technology, we’re using
60% less storage, the equivalent of a
year’s worth of new capacity. In reality,
we’re leveraging that and the other
infrastructure savings to expedite the
next two phases of the project, including
deploying our virtual desktop environ-
ment approximately two years earlier
than planned.”
deduplication technology, we’re using
60% less storage, the equivalent of a
year’s worth of new capacity. In reality,
we’re leveraging that and the other
infrastructure savings to expedite the
next two phases of the project, including
deploying our virtual desktop environ-
ment approximately two years earlier
than planned.”
•
Staff and IT resource savings. “Last
year some 80% of our IT dollars went
into break-fix. In the last three months,
that percentage has dropped to 16%
with recovered resources being applied
to new-project work. We’re also doing
more with less across the company.
For example, leveraging this technol-
ogy, analysts and sales teams are
supporting double-digit business
growth with no staff adds.”
year some 80% of our IT dollars went
into break-fix. In the last three months,
that percentage has dropped to 16%
with recovered resources being applied
to new-project work. We’re also doing
more with less across the company.
For example, leveraging this technol-
ogy, analysts and sales teams are
supporting double-digit business
growth with no staff adds.”
•
Power and space savings. “After
deploying the new infrastructure, our
data center looked like someone had
robbed it of equipment, just like in the
commercial. Previously, our cooling
system ran nonstop but could not
drop the room temperature below 75º.
It now cycles reasonably to maintain
a consistent 69º.”
deploying the new infrastructure, our
data center looked like someone had
robbed it of equipment, just like in the
commercial. Previously, our cooling
system ran nonstop but could not
drop the room temperature below 75º.
It now cycles reasonably to maintain
a consistent 69º.”
•
Licensing and management savings.
“Before, we supported 58 disparate
systems and spent as many as 500
hours annually on routine provisioning
and capacity management tasks. Now
we leverage a single pane of manage-
ment and have reduced that number by
an order of magnitude. I’d be surprised
if it takes more than five hours now to
do those same routine tasks.”
“Before, we supported 58 disparate
systems and spent as many as 500
hours annually on routine provisioning
and capacity management tasks. Now
we leverage a single pane of manage-
ment and have reduced that number by
an order of magnitude. I’d be surprised
if it takes more than five hours now to
do those same routine tasks.”
Figure 1) The Cisco, NetApp, and VMware solution enables both Seven Corners
development and Seven Corners production environments, including the company’s
mission-critical customer relationship and insurance lifecycle system.
The new infrastructure supports some 120 internal users and provides resources to a mission-
critical proprietary Web front-end application; Microsoft
development and Seven Corners production environments, including the company’s
mission-critical customer relationship and insurance lifecycle system.
The new infrastructure supports some 120 internal users and provides resources to a mission-
critical proprietary Web front-end application; Microsoft
®
SQL Server
®
back-end databases;
a Microsoft SharePoint Server
®
2010 farm; online quote, credit-card processing, and claims
adjudication systems; data marts and warehouses; and other business-process and Internet
applications developed and supported using Adobe ColdFusion 9, Microsoft Team Foundation
Server, and Microsoft rules engines.
applications developed and supported using Adobe ColdFusion 9, Microsoft Team Foundation
Server, and Microsoft rules engines.
Primary Data Center
NetApp FlexClone
NetApp SnapVault
NetApp SnapRestore
NetApp SnapMirror
NetApp Deduplication
VMware vSphere 4.1 Environment
75 Virtual Servers, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft SQL Server
FC SAN
NetApp FAS3140
4 Cisco UCS B200 Blade Servers