Realities and Risksof

Software-Defined Everything(SDx)

John P. Morency

Research Vice President

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Key Issues

1. SDx – Today’s Reality

2. SDx Risks and How to Avoid Them

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Forecasted Cloud IaaS Spending Increase

Source: Market Insight: Cloud Shift — The Transition of IT Spending From Traditional Systems to Cloud (G00301664)

Cloud Disruption is Growing ….

2016

2020

$114B

$216B

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Cloud Disruption is Driving IT Infrastructure Modernization

Blade consolidation

Continuous A

pplic

ation

Deliv

ery

Optim

ization

Continuous Economic Optimization

Hyperconverged SW-BasedInfrastructure (SDx)

Composable Fabric-BasedInfrastructure (micro services)

Hybrid IT

Stateful Mode 1 Opex Optimization

VirtualizationReduction/Simplification

2010 2014 2018 and Beyond

The Journey Continues

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Software-Defined Everything (SDx): Infrastructure Modernization Enabler ?

• Infrastructure orchestration for supporting –

• IoT

• DevOps

• Cloud services

• Enables automated, agile and programmable infrastructure

• Two key variants –

• Data center centric (Systems of Record)

• SDDC

• SDN

• SDS

• Infrastructure-as-Code (Systems of Differentiation, Systems of Innovation))

• SDI

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The Bigger Picture:Enabling Infrastructure and Application Ecosystem(s)

Mode 2 Mode 1

Storage pool(s)

Infrastructure Foundation(s)

Auto discoveryTemplate creation and deploymentProvisioningComposeAggregate and composeCompute/storage/network performanceSystem and power managementSecurityPerformance and health monitoringCapacity management and predictionReplication, deduplication, HAFile distribution and metadataBlock, file, object store, placement, tieringBackup and recovery

Request/release resourcesSelf-service workload templatesContainerized compute and storageHybrid cloud integration & managementOpen API access and plug-insDeveloper portalUser portalDomain and zoningContinuous application deliveryContinuous economic optimizationUsage-based pricing and chargebackPlatform as a serviceRelease management

Compute pool(s) Compute pool(s)

Infrastructure/Application Ecosystem(s) (Above)

Infrastructure Foundation(s) (Below)

Infrastructure Ecosystem(s)

Application Ecosystem(s)Above

Below

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Software-Defined Anything (SDx): A Technology Maturity View

Innovation

Trigger

Peak of

Inflated

Expectations

Trough of

DisillusionmentSlope of Enlightenment

Plateau of

Productivity

time

expectations

Plateau will be reached in:

less than 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years more than 10 years

obsolete

before plateau

As of July 2016

Workload Security Control Isolation

Data Center Interconnect FabricImmutable Infrastructure

Dynamic Optimization Technology

IoT Business Solutions

Management SDSOS Containers

Serverless Infrastructure

Composable Infrastructure

Edge Computing

Micro Operating Systems

Container Management

Software-Defined Perimeter

Infrastructure SDS

Server Software ApplianceSoftware-Defined Anything (SDx)

Server-Side Client Graphics

Long-Distance Live VM Migration

Private Cloud Computing

Open-Source CloudInfrastructure Framework

Private IaaSVirtual Machine Backup

and Recovery

Software-Defined Networking

V2P Server Management

High-Assurance Hypervisors

Virtualization Software Licensing

Open-Source Virtualization Platforms

Introspection

DMZ VirtualizationVirtual Desktop Infrastructure

IT Infrastructure UtilityShared OS Virtualization (Nonmainframe)

Virtualization

Software-Defined Data CenterSoftware-Defined Infrastructure

IoT PlatformHyperscale Computing

IoT Edge ArchitectureSoftware-Defined Compute

Software-Defined SecurityMachine LearningInternet of Things

In-Memory Computing

Source: "Hype Cycle for Infrastructure Strategies, 2016," (G00305999)

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Base: n = 511, Gartner Client Inquiry Data

May 1, 2016 through April 25, 2017

Gartner Client Software-Defined Inquiry Distribution – by Vertical Industry

#1:

#3:#2:

#2:

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Most Common SDx Use Cases and Benefits

▪ Rapid Provisioning

▪ Reduced Opex

▪ Improved IT support agility

▪ Improved Security Through

Microsegmentation

▪ Improved operations recovery & continuity

▪ Centralized Policy Enforcement

Software-Defined

Centralized Configurationand Visibility

Automated, Programmatic and Orchestrated Changes

Integrated Network Services; Network Policy Follows

Workload

Basic Transport via Merchant/Commodity

Hardware

Sources: "How to Make a Path to SDN Success," G00290968; “Deploying Hyperconverged Integrated Systems: Eight Great Use Cases” G00317042

Increased Applications Services Availability

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Software-Defined Technology Benefits — Gartner Client Experience

Improved IT

Operations

Resilience

Reduced Data

Center Capex

Reduced Data

Center Opex

Sustainable IT

Service Levels

Improved IT

Operations Security

Increased

Production Data

Protection and

Confidentiality

Public Cloud IaaS (n = 61)

Private Cloud IaaS (n = 73)

Software-Defined Data Centers (n = 20)

Software-Defined Storage (n = 31)

Software-Defined Networking (n = 26)

Hyperconverged Appliances (n = 32)

1

2

3 2

3

1

1

2

3

2

3

1

3

1

2

1

2

3

Most

Measured

Least

Measured

Source: 2016 Gartner Research Circle SDDC Survey

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Key Issues

1. SDx – Today’s Reality

2. SDx Risks and How to Avoid Them

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Bottom up SDx management fragments control planes

SDIInfrastructure

SDCservers

SDNnetwork

Siloed Bottom up Approach

Optimizes each domain and control plane, driven by:-

• Strong SDI components – Compute Networking Storage

• Little leverage across domains

• Little leverage across SDI and SDDC

• Strong Mode 1 only - not Mode 2, with separate monitoring of facilities, sensors and external devices

SDFFacilities

SDMMachines

SDSstorage

SDDDevices

SDDCDatacenter

SDDCDatacenter

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Does SDx re-virtualize lock in?

Software-Defined

Networking

Software-Defined

Storage

Software-Defined

Data Center

IaaS

Real-Time

Infrastructure

Fabric-Based

Computing

Open Compute

Project

OpenStack

Virtual Data

Centers

Integrated

Systems

Software-Defined

Anything(SDx)

Hypervisor

VM/Tools

Lock-In

Hardware

Lock-In

Service/

Maintenance

Lock-In

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How to Minimize SDx Lock-In …

▪ Your life cycle or schedule, not a vendors':

▪ Tactically set payback within 3-year asset cycles.

▪ It is OK to extend depreciated assets, if they still have a business value.

▪ Do not plan on extended 3-5-7 years' total cost of ownership (TCO) as they

move to legacy lock-in.

▪ Set a control plane - master that - then choose the rest:

▪ Hold one technology, optimize the rest.

▪ Top-down, not bottom-up.

▪ Look for SDx and integratable infrastructure, not just optimized

appliance for stacks or function on integrated infrastructure.

▪ Clarify the role of reference architectures, they are great

blueprints but not between multiple vendors,

Lock in can only be shifted or focused, but not totally eliminated.

2017-2020

Blueprints/RA

Control

Integrate

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By 2023, the programmatic capabilities of SDI will be considered a requirement for nearly 85% of Global 2000 enterprises, up from 25% today.

Strategic Planning Assumption

Key Drivers:

▪ SDDC and SDI capabilities nest down into SDN, SDS

and SDC components.

– As well as adapters and machines

▪ Standards develop between vendors and technologies

– Driven by alternate technologies like containers

frameworks alongside hypervisors

▪ Application operations management orchestration

between production data centers and public clouds

broadens and matures

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Recommendations

✓Much hype surrounds SDx— but it is inevitable and cannot be ignored. IT

organizations must understand the abstraction of software (with lock-in) from

standardized hardware.

✓Consolidate infrastructure for cost savings and improve both SLA delivery and

agility, integrating virtualization, SDx and cloud management to deliver hybrid IT

✓Do not consider Software-defined anything (SDx) as an IT stand-alone project —

but an enabler to software-defined infrastructure, data center, storage, security,

networking, virtualization and sourcing.

✓Drive Top-Down SDI or SDDC initiatives, be cautious of SDN, SDC and SDS

silos

✓Consider a SDx or technology only when the project and technology are driven

by a business need!

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Should Your Enterprise Deploy a Software-Defined Infrastucture?

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Market Trends: Hyperconverged Integrated Systems (HCIS) – Hardware Not

(Always) Included

Kiyomi Yamada, John P Morency (326985)

Survey Analysis: Software-Defined Data Center and Hyperconverged Adoption

John P Morency and Scot MacLellan (G00314068)

Hype Cycle for Infrastructure Strategies, 2016

Philip Dawson, Nathan Hill ( G00305999))

IT Market Clock for Bimodal Compute Platforms, 2016

Andrew Butler, Philip Dawson, Chirag Dekate (G00299252)

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