The Datacenter of the Future

Moving Towards Virtualization and Trends in the DatacenterLandscape

Virtualized and Cloud computing are quickly becoming the way to go for

organizations seeking to optimize their IT infrastructure. Benefits such as cost

effectiveness, scalability on demand, moving from a CAPEX to OPEX model and

increased returns on investments have made virtualization a lucrative datacenter

option. The latest trends in the Internet Data Center (IDC) market show a marked

change from the point of view of CFOs and CIOs which has led more

organizations to move towards virtualization. Here is a look at several such trends

that have emerged in recent times.

� Organizations are opting to move from the classic server based cost model to

application based cost models as multiple applications being hosted on a single

server through virtualization is helping to drive the metrics for datacenters.

� Multiple Virtual Machines (VMs) being hosted on a single server has led to

reduced application based costs. Organizations are now looking to increase

VM density per server.

� Banking on the growing trend of VM density, OEM providers are now creating

virtualization ready servers with added memory that facilitate deployment and

maintenance of VMs and decrease virtualization costs.

� Organizations make massive savings on hardware and equipment by utilization

a cloud based pool of resources such as networks, servers, storage and

computing.

� Customers are witnessing high levels of scalability as bandwidth is available on

demand on a virtualized cloud computing environment.

� Cross training of staff has resulted in optimum utilization of human capital.

� Estimates show that building a collocation based IDC costs anywhere between

USD 10 million to USD 35 Million, making organizations turn to third party IDC

providers. However, organizations are looking for short, 12-24 months

contracts as they expect IDC collocation prices to decline in the near future.

� Software as a Service (SaaS) for IT management is expected to grow further

as companies avoid spending on cost heavy IT management frameworks.

� With pressure mounting on companies from governments to map their carbon

footprint, organizations, especially in the US, are looking towards the low

energy utilization of third party IDCs in order to build a more eco-friendly

repute.

� Raised floors for racks are now considered obsolete as IDCs look to reduce

capital costs by building denser facility carved into zones.

Moving Towards Effective Virtualization

A virtualized IT environment needs to be carefully planned in order for it to be

effective. To begin with, a company should be able to clearly identify its business

goals and the objectives it aims to fulfill through virtualization. Plans have to be

made keeping in mind future contingencies. The basic framework would consider

LAN/SAN convergence, layering of networks, tier switches in each layer and the

management process of cloud computing and virtualization. A virtualized IDC also

has to consider physical hardware, compliance and governance regulation models

PERSPECTIVE

1December 2010 CtrlS Insight

2

and other management related policies. In

all, the make up of a virtualized IDC can

be classified as follows:

� Physical Components: This includes

acquiring the right hardware,

configuring the hardware as well as

software including operating system in

addition to provisioning for regular

maintenance through updates and

patches.

� Virtual Components: This includes

the virtual machines and hyper visors.

� Application Components: As the

name suggests, this includes the

virtualization of applications to make

them available to multiple users without

having to install/uninstall or upgrade at

each access point.

� Model Component: A model is

basically the framework that is to be

followed while deploying applications

so as to standardize the process.

� Management Component: These are

tools that help manage all the other

components as well as support a

heterogeneous environment.

Once an organization has set its goals and

objectives and a virtualization strategy has

been devised, careful implementation of

the plan is necessary for the process to be

effective. The following steps can be taken

towards virtualization of the IT

environment:

� The first step would be to evaluate the

existing infrastructure, especially

servers, classify applications and

devise an appropriate virtualization

strategy.

� Servers should be capable of enabling

virtualization. If not, then either a

compatible new server should be

bought. However, wherever possible,

compatibility components should be

bought as buying a whole new server

will be expensive.

A virtualized environment has both direct

and indirect impacts on a business and its

functioning. Any organization that has a

virtualized IT environment has the

following characteristics:

� Alignment: A virtualized IT

environment is always in tandem with

organizational goals and business

objectives. It is dynamic and can easily

expand to accommodate alterations in

both the IT set up as well as operational

processes and objectives.

� Adaptability: The virtualized system is

malleable to change and can easily be

adjusted to bring in new technologies

without having to compromise existing

infrastructure.

� Efficiency: Organizations have

stringent IT budgets and should not end

up investing in technology that will not

be utilized 100%. A virtual environment

should optimize the use of resources.

� People Compatible: A virtual

environment should be able to provide

uniformity and convenience to users

across departments and functions,

enabling them to use infrastructure and

access information, on demand, with

little or no assistance.

An organization may already be having

varied levels of virtualization in its IT set

up. The strategy towards virtualization

should be paced at a rate that does not

burden the company’s resources and

budgets, at the same time giving enough

leverage for plans to be executed

efficiently, with no errors. Once the

virtualization of IT is in place, it is

advisable that the organization run a

complete set of test scenarios to validate

the functionality of the virtualized

environment. This will facilitate the

rectification of errors before the virtual

environment goes live for all users, thus

eradicating any risks of performance being

effected by down time of applications.

Conclusion

In most cases, organizations can reduce

datacenter costs by moving more

applications onto fewer servers and can

reduce software licensing fees and

administrative resources by migrating to a

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model.

When they add in faster deployment times

for new applications and services while

ensuring 24×7 reliability, organizations

have a compelling business case for

virtualization and cloud computing

in the datacenter. At some point in the

future, this type of highly virtualized,

services-on-demand delivery model

enabled through cloud computing will be

the IT gold standard.

Before this transition occurs, however, the

underlying network architecture must

provide for greater availability,

performance, and security while

simplifying datacenter operations.

Datacenters will need network

architectures that support more virtualized

environments and cloud operations

models that reduce the time to deploy new

applications.

The industry is showing a fast growing

trend towards virtualization, realizing the

benefits of a virtualized IT environment

and cloud computing. While organizations

may chose to have their own IDC set up,

relying on an expert third party virtualized

IDC partner like CtrlS often proves to be a

more practical and cost effective option.

CtrlS Insight December 2010

PERSPECTIVE

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CREATING VALUE

December 2010 CtrlS Insight

equipment and empty office space where custom built

IDCs can be created within 4 weeks, CtrlS offers its

clients the choice of selecting their own combination of

hardware, software, and operating systems as part of

CtrlS’ dedicated hosting services which include three

customized Managed Hosting products and a

‘Pay-per-Use’ model.

� Hosted Exchange: Email management with secure data

storage, protection against spam and viruses, scalable

mailbox, dedicated network and collaboration services.

� Network Services: Design and implementation,

performance management, bandwidth provisioning, load

balancing, VPN management, DNS.

� OS Management: Design and implementation,

hardening and performance management, server

monitoring.

� Database Management: Design and implementation,

performance management, availability management,

resource management, capacity planning, backup.

� Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plans.

Higher Value for Client Investments

CtrlS’ approach towards clients is based on three key values

- Dependability, Innovation, and Responsibility. The main

focus areas for its services are business continuity, cost

savings, and high uptimes. CtrlS is India’s first and only

Tier IV IDC which means it is capable of providing its clients

with unparalleled redundancies when it comes to cooling,

power, generators, UPS, and network connectivity. It is also

the reason why CtrlS can boast an SLA of 99.995% uptime

in a market where other companies promise 99.50%.

Through its commitment to excellence and innovation, CtrlS

is able to directly impact a client’s bottom line and provide

cost savings of up to 40%. On-demand IT Security from CtrlS

is OPEX model based, which enables clients to cut capital

expenditure and increase cash flow.

The CtrlS Edge

When a client engages CtrlS as an IT services partner, they

pass on the expenditure and responsibility associated with

running an in-house IDC. The hassles of software licensing,

acquiring of equipment, hiring and training of staff, and

constant upkeep are completely and expertly handled by

CtrlS leading to reduced costs, economies of scale, and SLA

standards that are above industry levels. While other IDC

providers can only claim to be advanced, CtrlS is certified

through ISO 20000, ISO 27001, BS 25999, and TIA Tier IV.

Unparalleled service offerings, more value for worth, and

focused dedication towards excellence gives CtrlS a

competitive edge that is passed on the form of business

gains to its clients.

Value Added World-ClassServices

The CtrlS A dvantage

The ITES sector has seen some major growth in recent

times. As more companies offering a similar range of

products emerge, the market is threatened with saturation.

What is the way forward? How do you make an impact in the

market, how do you ensure a loyal customer base?

According to P. Sridhar Reddy, CEO - CtrlS, the key to

staying competitive in the marketplace and retaining

customers is to introduce innovative value added services,

reinforcing customer trust and your brand worth.

CtrlS, India’s only Tier IV datacenter offers its customers

world-class datacenter solutions and beyond that,

unmatched value added services. With a wide range of

datacenter services on offer, the company provides its clients

with a value proposition that not only enables it to retain

existing client base but add key national as well as

international accounts to its robust clientele.

A One Stop Shop for Datacenter Services

CtrlS understands and acknowledges that each of its clients

is different and will have unique Internet Data Center (IDC)

requirements. The services provided by CtrlS cover every

nook and corner of datacenter requirements for our clients.

Services included in this one stop datacenter shop are:

� Virtual Threat Protection: CtrlS offers its clients a

bouquet of security services to choose from. These

include intrusion detection and prevention systems,

firewall, virus and spyware filtration along with security

design and implementation.

� Physical Security of Data: CtrlS an impenetrable trade

mark Six Zone Security system that includes gunmen at

all entrances and exit gates, three levels of bio-metric

access control at the server area, CCTV surveillance

across the office space, man trap at datacenter entrance,

only escorted entry at the datacenter, Photo ID verification

and restricted access to any visitors in addition to 24/7

security across the datacenter. The datacenter is also fire

proof which can detect smoke particles as minute as 5

micron, which means its FM200 gas will eliminate any

fires even before smoke is visible.

� Infrastructure on Demand: CtrlS plans an

unprecedented 20000 racks across its locations in India.

Clients have the option of taking up a caged rack which is

secured by the bio-metric system mentioned earlier. A

choice of three different bandwidth billing models gives

clients the liberty to select a plan best fit for their individual

business needs.

� Custom Built Datacenters: Perpetually stocked with

4

Case study

The Case

Challenges

Kirby Building System India Ltd. is a

subsidiary of the multi-billion dollar

conglomerate Alghanim Industries. Kirby

is a leading manufacturer of custom

made, high quality metal building systems

for non-residential purposes which include

industries, recreation, education,

commercial and other specialized

applications. Kirby boasts global giants

General Motors, Coca Cola, PepsiCo and

AT&T amongst its clients along with

Ministries of Defence, Oil and Gas

companies and Petrochemical projects

not only in India but across the GCC

(Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar

and Bahrain), the Middle East and Far

East. With businesses spread over such a

large geographical area and a vast client

base, Kirby needed its mission critical

applications and SAP servers to be

available round the clock. In addition,

Kirby looked to place over 90 employees

in a ready to use facility at the same

location. Maintaining high performance

levels being vital, it also required its IT

issues and incidents to be handled swiftly

and competently. Reliability and efficiency

ranked high on its priorities.

Solution

Its impeccable market repute as a

trustable IT partner and extensive industry

experience made CtrlS the ideal choice for

Kirby Building Systems India Ltd. CtrlS

boasts of a massive datacenter

infrastructure which was best suited to

host Kirby’s mission critical applications

and SAP servers. CtrlS had the unique

CtrlS Insight December 2010

ability to provide a fully furnished and

equipped office space on location to house

Kirby’s 90+ employees. CtrlS also gave

Kirby the advantage of world-class

distributed or cloud computing

environment with security governed by

international standards of compliance.

Kirby’s vast networks are now

professionally managed by CtrlS,

leveraging its state of the art technology

and industry leading expertise. A

dedicated 24/7 help desk manned by

expert personnel was also provided to

tackle any IT related issue. To top it all,

CtrlS provided advanced automated data

back up and storage facilities for improved

disaster recovery and business continuity

plans.

Benefits

Utilizing CtrlS cutting edge, highly scalable

20000 rack datacenter infrastructure gave

Kirby the ideal cost optimized and flexible

solution it needed to meet its application

and SAP server hosting requirements.

The ready to use office space for over 90

employees was delivered in a record time

of 2 weeks, leading to near instant

functioning of its business resulting in

further business gains through savings in

cost and time. With CtrlS experts

managing its networks, Kirby was able to

focus its resources and human capital on

core business, facilitating a more focused

growth. CtrlS enabled a cloud-based

automated data storage and backup set

up, giving Kirby the freedom of on-demand

space for the DR and BCP. Finally, with a

round the clock IT help desk manned by

the best personnel in the industry, CtrlS

assured Kirby of swift resolution of issues

resulting high performance levels and an

industry leading 99.995% uptime.

Kirby finds the ideal IT partner with CtrlS andits state of the art datacenter facilities and onlocation office space

CtrlS takes its marketing very seriously. In Q2 of 2010, it participated in over 25 events and sponsored 6, generating over 40 leads, 15

of which are from the top 50 companies in India! The highlight event of Q2 was Leadership Golf which was co-sponsored by KPMG.

Attended 170 CXOs, the event was widely covered in the media (Print, television as well as the internet) and provided CtrlS with massive

exposure, aiding it to connect with people that count. Other events include the IBA Secure Banking (Target: CIOs& IT Heads), Enterprise

Awards & IT Managers Conference (Target: Enterprise Heads & IT Managers), CFO Network Hyderabad (Target: CFOs & Finance

Heads) and a conference organized by IDRBT for BFSI IT Heads.

Overview

The Client

Kirby Building Systems India Ltd. is a

subsidiary of Alghanim Industries,

providing metal based building systems.

Objective

Managed hosting of mission critical

applications and servers and on location

office space for employees.

Challenges

� Dedicated furnished office space for

over 90 employees

� Reliable hosting of applications and

servers

� Implementation and management of

networks and computing environment

� Swift resolution of incidents and IT

issues

Solution

Partner with an external IT solutions

provider with ready to use office space

and to professionally manage IT

environment.

Key benefits

� Time and cost savings through fully

functional rented office space

� Hosting of mission critical applications

and SAP servers on multiple rack

system improving uptime and

availability

� Professional management of networks

and distributed computing

environment leads to focus on core

business

� Dedicated 24/7 helpdesk facilitates

near instant resolution of issues

� Additional automated data backup and

storage for efficient DR and BCP

5

NEWS @ CtrlS

December 2010 CtrlS Insight

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jeroninio Almeida, Founder and

Chief Volunteer, iCONGO said, “The awards venerate the efforts

of individual citizens who have contributed to social justice &

action by going beyond BUSINESS as USUAL and being the

change that they want to see in the world. THE UNSUNG

HEROES who believe in action against apathy and choose to

light the proverbial candle.”

Mr .P Sridhar Reddy, Chairman & Managing Director, CtrlS

Datacenters Ltd, who was present at the occasion, said “The

sole objective of CtrlS is to provide protection to the most

important assets of this knowledge economy, Data. We rely on

people with high levels of Integrity and a sound value system to

deliver fool proof data protection to our clients apart from Tier IV

infrastructure. For all of us at CtrlS Karmaveer awardees are the

role models and we are proud of encouraging them thru this

initiative. We thank the awardees and other responsible Indians

and wish them the very best in their future endeavors. We look

forward to many great things from them in the coming years.”

Karmaveer Puraskaar is the peoples’ award instituted by

iCONGO - Confederation of NGOs- and has been supported by

sectors and partners like TISS, BCCI, CMS, NECCI, NASSCOM

FOUNDATION, PHDCCI, FISME, RAI, AIESEC, Open Space,

ISS, UNODC, GTZ and SDA and many more.

Ctrl S & iCONGO (Indian Confederation of NGOs) presented the

5th Annual KARMAVEER PURASKAAR recognizing

INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS who are pivotal in leading a change,

beyond their business, by being committed at individual levels to

work on social issues. The event took place on November 26,

2010 at New Delhi. Mrs. Meera Sanyal, Mr. Pradeep Gupta, and

Mr. T K Mathew were the guests of honour at the award

ceremony.

This year’s jury comprised of some of the most respected

individuals from various sectors along with some past awardees,

who conducted thorough assessment and research under the

vigilance of the founders and audit and process partners. This

year the Jury included Dr. Jayashree Pandaya, Dr. Lalit Kumar,

Mallika Dutt, Armando Gonsalves, and Dr. Chinkholal

Thangsing. The Karmaveer Puraskaar 2010 saw 59 responsible

and caring citizens in 20 (final number) categories across

sectors including Corporate, Media, Government, Civil Society,

Art, Fashion, Artistes, Kids and many more. A special Courage

of Conviction award was given out this year and from next year

onwards this category will be instituted in honour of Ms. Neerja

Bhanot, who sacrificed her life trying to save the passengers at

the ill fated Pan Am flight.

Ctrl S & iCONGO (Indian Confederation of NGOs) present theAnnual Karmaveer Puruskar

Mr. P Sridhar Reddy & Mr.Jeroninio Almeida

NEWS @ CtrlS

CtrlS brings DR on Demand, a first-of-its-kindsolution in India

CtrlS, the leading data center solution provider, recently

launched an innovative, first-of-its-kind solution in India:

Disaster Recovery on Demand. CtrlS’s ‘DR on Demand

framework’ is built to align to enterprises’- large and medium-

DR strategy by offering a robust Disaster recovery solution at a

cost that suits their budget. CtrlS is using “scalable, ready to

deploy private cloud architecture” for this framework.

DR on Demand is a fresh, innovative solution from CtrlS that

offers a unique valuable proposition to organizations big and

small. Enterprises can now implement a comprehensive DR

solution at a fraction of the cost.

The DR on Demand framework is a pioneering concept that will

change the way enterprises look at DR. DR on Demand

ensures the same benefits as that of a complete DR site, at a

fraction of the cost. This offering extends the following benefits:

� Zero CAPEX

� Organizations can get customized DR plans based on their

requirements and pay only when they use the DR solution

� Customer gets the best DR solution from a data center with

BS 25999 certification, and

� Importantly, organizations can save up to 40% of the costs

associated

According to Mr. Sridhar, CMD, CtrlS Datacenters, “DR on

Demand is a revolutionary concept and a solution which will

impact the technology landscape positively. I am confident and

excited that DR on Demand will be the answer to Large and

Medium Enterprises who are looking for a robust, yet, cost

effective solution that will help them spring back in the event of

disaster”.

www.ctrls.inPlease feel free to send your feedback/suggestions to response@ctrls.in

‘This document is for informational purpose only. Ctrls makes no warranties, expressed or implied in this document. Copyright 2010 CtrlS Datacenters Ltd. All rights reserved.’

Nothing but the best from CtrlS

IT companies can now partner with India's largest datacenter

CtrlS to handle hardware and software issues.

The IT landscape is changing. The explosion of affordable

bandwidth, availability of last mile, MPLS, cloud technologies

have made this possible worldwide. Companies today need not

invest in expensive hardware, software licenses and have

teams to manage them. Instead they can partner with India's

largest datacenter CtrlS to handle the same. According to P.

Sridhar Reddy, MD CtrlS, the company has pioneered this

model in India successfully and numerous organisations have

realized tremendous benefits.

ClrlS offers a range of services including datacenter

infrastructure as per Tier IV standards, IT infrastructure,

Managed services, Generic Applications, and Internet

connectivity. By outsourcing IT to CtrlS, over 250 companies

have increased the availability of their mission critical

applications. This was possible mainly because CtrlS has

committed over 400 crore in developing India's only Tier IV

certified datacenters. Added to this, their "total ownership-

approach" ensures that customers expectations are not only

met but exceeded.

CtrlS six zone security system ensures significantly better

security than the customer's own premises. Since the facilities

are certified as Tier IV and BS, it follows that the facilities are

audited by experts for over 200 sub systems including site

selection, perimeter protection and so on. CtrlS private data

suites will provide similar rights to that of customer's own space

plus the six zone security advantage. This is ideal for

government and financial institutions.

With CtrlS, Sridhar is sure that Indian enterprises will find the

solution for highest uptime, security, availability, and a world

class datacenter.