Successful server consolidation: it is all in the preparation

Successful server consolidation: it's all in the preparation

applications will work well together. The analysis and testing can be time consuming.

However, the benefits of being able to run more than one application on a server will

help IT departments better utilize available compute resources.

Customer perception

While IT consolidation is well defined, the way in which most IT professionals perceive

what IT consolidation accomplishes varies widely. Among the most common perceptions

and beliefs are that IT consolidation is a:

• Reduction of the number of servers in your IT environment (saves on per server

maintenance costs)

• Reduction of the data center footprint, or reduction in data center space (extends the

life of the existing data center; avoids the cost of building a new data center; drives

up the ratio of computer power per square foot)

• Reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for the IT environment (increases the

number of servers, or ratio, a technician can easily manage)

• Way to reduce operating costs and avoid new costs (electrical, HVAC)

• Way to simplify the IT environment (manage group of servers; fearlessly and

confidently manage remote servers)

As part of IT consolidation, server consolidation is all of the above and, in some

instances, more. While a server consolidation initiative might reduce the number of

servers in your environment, it is also likely that the scalability of the server environment

will be greatly increased allowing you to put resources to use exactly when and where

needed. Utilization rates in the Intel space have been overlooked for years and can be

dramatically increased. By reducing the data center footprint, you can simplify the

environment, while most new servers will operate while providing the same, if not more,

processing power. All of these topics will be discussed in greater detail later in the

paper, starting with consolidation considerations

Most server consolidation efforts contain elements of the above discussed topics. The

burgeoning questions for IT decision makers are whether the investment for a server

consolidation initiative is justified, and if so, what kind of consolidation is right for my

organization?

You can make the right decision for your organization by considering two important

factors:

• What business drivers are leading the organization to consider server

consolidation?

• What are the business objectives of a server consolidation initiative?

Investigating the driving factors and the business objectives will help you determine if

your IT environment is a candidate for server consolidation.