CDW PARTNER REVIEW GUIDE SERVER VIRTUALIZATION
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR VIRTUALIZATION SOLUTION Server virtualization is no longer a luxury but an essential part of the modern data center. By combining the workloads of several underused servers, you can get more out of your hardware when IT budgets stay flat, even as demand goes up. But adding a virtualization solution to your data center is just the beginning. Without proper planning and ongoing maintenance, you can run into serious challenges that may end up canceling out the advantages that server virtualization offers: Ensuring that your network is ready to support a virtualized environment Reevaluation of the power and cooling systems in your data center Increased demand on storage area networks (SANs) and network attached storage (NAS), which can clog bandwidth Running out of storage space Lack of reporting and analysis, making it difficult to optimize server performance and resolve issues These challenges result in one big problem: poor performance. And when your servers are slow, your entire organization is slow. End users can t get information or run applications as fast as they need them. Response time, productivity and agility all take a hit, and that s something organizations can t afford.
ASKING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS These performance issues are not insurmountable. By gaining a clearer understanding into exactly how your system is operating and where the trouble spots are you can refine and streamline your virtualization solution to run at peak efficiency. Organizations struggle to take these steps, however, when they lack the internal resources necessary or are already stretched too thin to take on the additional work. That s why so many midsize and large groups turn to CDW to get the most return possible out of their virtualization investments. CDW s seasoned experts can provide a comprehensive assessment of your virtualization needs, asking the right questions to design a truly effective solution: What technology needs are you trying to meet with server virtualization? We can work with you to define the expectations for your infrastructure and any other areas that may be impacted. How secure are your data and computing devices? Security policies and governance are critical to an effective virtualization strategy.? How much are you spending on energy? Optimizing your virtualization solution can help cut power and cooling costs. How are you managing application delivery and operating system updates? Applications and operating systems should be audited to understand which workloads are mission critical, so they can be appropriately managed. By helping you answer these questions and more, CDW can ensure that you re getting the full value from your virtualization solution, both today and for years to come.
PARTNERING WITH THE BEST THE INDUSTRY HAS TO OFFER CDW collaborates with a wide range of industry-leading organizations to provide you with options that will best meet the needs of your data center. As you begin evaluating virtualization vendors, consider the following three leaders as a starting point in finding the right solution for your needs: Citrix, Microsoft and VMware. Citrix has a long history with virtualization through its desktop and client virtualization products. XenServer is the enterprise-ready, cloud-proven platform for creating and managing a virtualized infrastructure. It can help you achieve cloud-like economics through data center automation, increased administrative efficiency, high reliability and business continuity, as well as the ability to leverage the cloud as an extension of your infrastructure. Plus, you can easily adapt to changing data center needs by dynamically flexing capacity and automating repetitive management tasks. Windows Server 2012 with Hyper-V is Microsoft s hypervisor-based server virtualization solution, helping organizations of all sizes realize cost savings and operational efficiencies. It includes support for up to 64 processors and one terabyte of memory for Hyper-V guests, a virtual hard disk format with a larger capacity of up to 64 terabytes, and additional resilience. Whether you are looking to increase virtual machine availability and mobility, handle multitenant environments, or gain more flexibility, Hyper-V has the platform and tools you need. With more than 350,000 customers trusting VMware as their virtualization infrastructure platform, VMware is a proven leader. VMware vsphere is a leading virtualization platform for cloud infrastructures, capable of running virtual machines and supporting up to a terabyte of memory and up to 32 virtual central processing units (CPUs). These virtual machines can process over one million input/output operations per second, far surpassing the current requirements of even the most resource-intensive applications.
GETTING THE SUPPORT YOU NEED At CDW, we re people who get IT. We provide more than the right products: We support you with the people, knowledge and skills you need to turn products into real solutions. No matter the phase in your virtualization lifecycle, CDW can help you take the next step with our virtualization assessment services. Even if you have a mature virtualization environment, we ll help assess whether you re a candidate for a server virtualization refresh and what your virtualization vision for the next five years could look like. We also have certified solution architects and dedicated partner specialists, who have the latest partner and industry certifications. They have collectively planned and implemented thousands of virtualization solutions, alongside our professional services group, which is ready to assist you with every phase of your project: An initial discovery session to understand your goals, requirements and budget An assessment of your existing environment and definition of project requirements Detailed vendor evaluations, recommendations, future designs and proofs of concept Procurement, configuration and deployment of the final solution Ongoing product lifecycle support Whether you turn to CDW for an end-to-end services engagement or just a little extra help choosing the right solution, you ll have experienced, knowledgeable professionals to support you the entire way.
VIRTUALIZATION PARTNERSHIPS AND CERTIFICATIONS Citrix Certified Administrator Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer Citrix National Partner Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Microsoft Gold Certified Partner VMware Authorized Consulting Partner VMware Lighthouse Partner VMware National Partner VMware Partner Technical Advisory Board Member VMware Sales Professional VMware Technical Sales Professional Learn more: Please contact your account manager at 800.800.4239 or visit CDW.com/virtualization The terms and conditions of product sales are limited to those contained on CDW s website at CDW.com; notice of objection to and rejection of any additional or different terms in any form delivered by customer is hereby given; CDW, CDW G and PEOPLE WHO GET IT are trademarks of CDW LLC; all other trademarks and registered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners. 108528-120920 - 2012 CDW LLC