Register to download the full eBook: http://ibm.co/13VRAxh This interactive eBook describes how virtualization is not a device to implement, but rather a journey to realize greater and greater gains. Featuring cases from midsize companies around the world, Chapter 4 of the eBook details how your company can go beyond virtualization and experience the full benefits.

1. Virtualization Realized
4 How to optimize
virtualization.
There’s a lot more to virtualization than just servers.
The underlying concept of virtualization — abstracting
the logical from the physical — is not just limited to
server virtualization. If you extend it into other IT domains
such as storage, desktop and network virtualization,
you’ll have more control and visibility, along with
increased agility and security. And with proper workload
management, you’ll increase cost efficiencies and
minimize human errors as well. Let’s examine each of
the virtualization environments in detail.
Case studies:
> Fondazione MAXXI
> Dutch Cloud BV
> Herold
> RoGrid
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

2. Virtualization Realized
Storage virtualization. Desktop virtualization.
Logic dictates that if virtual workloads are IT can now have more control over end users’
increasing, IT’s approach to storage must parallel computers and the maintenance and repair of those
the on-demand, instant scalability and high-density units. With desktop virtualization, the desktop “lives” IBM has noticed that
attributes of server virtualization. Otherwise, storage on the server and the end user device (laptop, PC, many midmarket
is at risk of becoming a costly operational tablet, etc.) becomes an interface and display
bottleneck. If designed and managed effectively, mechanism. End users benefit from having a organizations
storage virtualization can deliver business benefits
in many areas, including:
seamless workflow among devices. IT benefits by
swapping out corporate-owned desktops and
only go so far with
laptops with thin-computing devices that cost less, virtualization,
• Object centralization require less maintenance and consume less
electricity. With all the advances in desktop
resulting in a failure
• File synchronization and version control virtualization over the last three years, businesses to realize the benefits
• Electronic collaboration should include desktop virtualization as a “must
have” solution to desktop computing and
of a truly virtualized
• utomated storage provisioning and
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data placement management. environment.
• lignment of storage costs with
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performance priorities
• Support of business analytics
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

3. Virtualization Realized
Network virtualization. services and resources are automatically and happens, costs are reduced by enabling resource
Whether in a server room or a high-end data transparently provisioned in the most cost-effective decisions to be made faster than manually possible.
center, server-to-server and server-to-storage and reliable manner. Here, IBM’s growing portfolio Human errors are reduced, too. Automation also
communication will increase with virtualization. of cloud services can help form the foundation for directly supports regulatory requirements. For any
Server-based desktop virtualization further adds optimized self-service delivery. and all automation needs, IBM has just the right
to network traffic on local area networks and products and services.
wide area networks, as end users access their In the next portion of the virtualization journey, the
desktops through a network. While workload goal is to automate the delivery of applications and What IBM has done for others we can also
performance is critical to monitor and manage in services to the business, independent of platforms do for you.
this dynamic web of communication flow, it is not or operating systems. To reach this goal, the link To make the most of virtualization, look how these
the only manageable attribute. Cost efficiency in between business priorities and IT operations must other midsize companies optimized delivery and
the use of networks is also possible if networks are entail a high level of process automation. When this automated processes.
constructed with the same adaptability principles
as other forms of virtualization.
To make the most of virtualization,
optimize delivery and automate processes.
Worth a tweet
Optimizing delivery means equipping the user
community to serve themselves—it’s a self-service Optimize #virtualization by ensuring resources are automatically
model. To optimize the delivery of your virtualized
environments, the business side must first define its and transparently provisioned.
needs. Next, IT must ensure that the business
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

4. Virtualization Realized
Modern museum in Rome makes art more accessible,
updates more convenient.
The Challenge:
Manual processes inhibit customer satisfaction. The Results:
The Story: • The app had more than 1,250 downloads in
Fondazione MAXXI operates the MAXXI National the first week of availability.
Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome. Dedicated
to contemporary art, they wanted to offer new • ondazione MAXXI expects the number of
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services that would enrich visitor experiences via a museum visitors to rise by 20% in the first
smartphone application. To accomplish that, they few months of the app’s release.
needed a partner who offered both software and
accessibility solutions. • he museum no longer has to produce
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new content for their audio guide. Now,
Working together with IBM accessibility services, they simply update the app through
Fondazione MAXXI created a smartphone app that their data server.
guides visitors through the museum and uses smart
integration for automatic detection of rooms — all in
multiple languages. In addition, the museum can now
update the app automatically based on information
they enter into their DB2® Enterprise data server.
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

5. Virtualization Realized
High-tech firm virtualizes to offer clients more,
better, faster — for less.
The Challenge: The solution? Dutch Cloud implemented IBM
Inflexible technology creates inflexible infrastructure, SmartCloud Provisioning software to simplify and The Results:
slowing company growth. standardize its cloud infrastructure and improve
efficiencies through dynamic provisioning and • utch Cloud can accurately capture and
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The Story: self-service capabilities. This virtualized environment analyze highly changeable customer
As an IBM Premier Business Partner, Dutch Cloud BV identifies customers on the network level versus the requirements on an ongoing basis to better
offers small and midsize businesses a range of service level, increasing security and flexibility to align with client needs.
cloud-based services, from fully managed IaaS to deliver any type of architecture within the service layer. • oving from the static model to highly
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disaster-recovery solutions. Their challenge focused dynamic service delivery, the company can
on three needs: offer standardization, along with provisioning,
that suits each client’s workloads.
1. Offer a balanced platform — standardized enough
for easy scalability, yet specific enough for different
Reduced time to provision • hey can now ensure that each customer
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200 virtual machines by over
90
types of workloads. environment runs securely and in isolation —
2. Enhance service levels for clients while keeping a priority in delivering true “private clouds.”
costs low.
• hey increased revenue six fold while
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3. Enable rapid provisioning of new cloud services
operational costs remained flat.
with a high degree of automation.
• he time needed to provision 200 virtual
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machines was reduced by over 90%.
• he company decreased administrative
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workload by 70%.
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

6. Virtualization Realized
Virtualization powers a rapidly growing
multimedia company forward.
The Challenge:
Buying more hardware to solve problems. The Results:
The Story: • erold can now deal with enormous amounts
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Herold is a provider of multimedia search and loca- of data and requests quickly and efficiently.
tion-based services, as well as a print-focused
directory services company. They’re the kind of • he company has enough computing power,
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business that must deliver innovative, highly scalable I/O and storage for the highest levels of
solutions at low cost and high speed. Which is why, availability and performance.
internally, they needed to help their teams develop
new software and generate new value — without
constantly buying more hardware. What they really
needed, however, was a partner, one that could offer
robust solutions and better capacity planning, and
relieve the constant pressure to procure hardware. With this standardized platform, it is easy to use
IBM tools, middleware and servers to build optimized
The solution was for IBM to host Herold’s entire
production environment in its data center. This
development, preproduction and production
keeps Herold ahead of their competition. And the environments.” – Jorg Weis, Herold Operations Management
pay-as-you-go model means they can add or remove
hardware based on need. No more buying
infrastructure just to solve issues with capacity.
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

7. Virtualization Realized
Researcher in Romania fosters scientific
advancement through virtualization.
The Challenge: resources, backed by fully virtualized data storage
Outdated IT delays progress. with highly parallelized access. As a result, RoGrid The Results:
can now scale resources up or down to meet
The Story: changing requirements in a completely seamless way. • oGrid can tackle major scientific, medical
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The Romanian National Grid Initiative (RoGrid) and engineering challenges for cutting-edge
delivers high-performance computing for research developments in aeronautics, seismology,
projects in medicine, life sciences, aerospace and
Our computing image analysis and other scientific arenas.
meteorology. Based at Polytechnic University of
Bucharest, the company’s projects produce many resources are now
• ompany can optimize its computing
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terabytes of data that must be made available for completely distinct and resources to meet each specific
high-speed analysis both during and after optimized for different computational requirement, with the flexibility
computation. They need superior performance,
tasks. Yet they’re all to orchestrate resources as required.
flexibility, reliability, cost-effectiveness — and the
ability to match different computational requirements managed in the same
• mproved system and storage performance
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to the most appropriate hardware architecture. way. BladeCenter ensures optimum responsiveness and
really enables diversity system availability.
Partnering with IBM, RoGrid established an IBM without unnecessary
BladeCenter supercomputing environment that now • nfrastructure is now consistent and easy to
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supports multiple-processor architectures, matching
cost or complexity.”
manage, saving admin time.
each different computational workload to the ideal — mil Slusanschi, Associate Professor,
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Computer Science and Engineering
platform. The solution also acts as a private cloud, • ong-term operational costs are low and
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providing an array of flexible virtualized computing cost effective.
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion

8. Virtualization Realized
The bottom line?
Virtualization simply works.
Coupling delivery optimization with process
automation can yield increased performance for
workloads and greater efficiency within your
infrastructure. Best of all, it better prepares you to
meet the demands of a growing business.
Learn more about how virtualization can help
you and your business. Download the full eBook
or call IBM at 1-877-426-2223.
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1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Pitfalls 4 Optimization 5 Conclusion