vmware-linxdatacenter-13q3-en-case-study
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Linxdatacenter sought to expand its portfolio of services to clients to include Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) capabilities. It implemented a virtual data center using VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 within its new Warsaw data center to allow clients to provision their own virtual servers. The solution integrated VMware, Cisco, and NetApp technologies to provide flexible, high-performance cloud resources on demand. Despite a tight implementation timeline, Linxdatacenter was able to deploy the new offering and begin onboarding clients within a few months, offering an affordable cloud option for organizations of all sizes.
vmware-linxdatacenter-13q3-en-case-study
- 1. VMWARE CASE STUDY OVERVIEW AIM Linxdatacenter decided to extend the portfolio of services provided to clients and to include IaaS (Infrastructure- as-a-Service), i.e. infrastructure on demand. The extension involved two major challenges: integration of new solutions with the existing highly-developed ICT infrastructure and solution deployment within an extremely short period of time. SOLUTION • Creation of a virtual data center in Linxdatacenter, based on the most recent VMware vCloud Suite 5.1.; • Extension of the portfolio of services provided to clients: introduction of Infrastructure- as-a-Service (IaaS) based on the FlexPod platform, which uses the latest VMware, Cisco and NetApp solutions; • Training of Linxdatacenter employees. BENEFITS FOR CLIENTS • Feature-rich data center previously available only to the largest Enterprise organizations has become available, at a reasonable price, even for small organizations; • Quick (a few hours) data center setup in the cloud compared to traditional implementations, which took months; • No need to purchase hardware and wait weeks for delivery, installation, implementation and testing; • High performance and flexible configuration of the platform, which may be expanded even for a short period of increased demand for performance; International data center in the center of Warsaw Linxdatacenter, part of the Linx Group, is an international provider of data center solutions. Linxdatacenter is a unique combination of cutting-edge technology, international expertise and strong regional presence. Linxdatacenter is headquartered in Amsterdam and has offices throughout the CEE. It owns and operates data centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Warsaw. Linxdatacenter is a sister brand of Linxtelecom, an international ICT solutions provider with a state-of-the-art network with a unique coverage in the region. New challenges for data centers Linxdatacenter is constantly evolving in response to the growing needs of clients. Companies that need cloud solutions expect them to be secure and fail-safe. They also require constant availability of the stored data and service flexibility. The service must offer fast and unlimited expansion and configuration options. In the face of such challenges Linxdatacenter decided to extend the portfolio of services provided to clients and to introduce Infrastructure-as-a- Service (IaaS) based on the FlexPod platform. The current and prospective clients, who are using typical ICT and collocation services, gained an opportunity to rent comprehensive virtual environments – a virtual data center. In practice this means that, with access to processing capacity, RAM and significant disk space, they are able to create and manage virtual servers on their own. The entire hardware solution is managed by VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 products. A comprehensive platform with a new suite The company implementing the project, Comtegra, was faced with a great challenge. For example, they had to integrate the “private cloud” solution into a very complex international ICT environment, in which Linxdatacenter systems operate. The basis for the solution was the newly-created data center located in the center of Warsaw, one of the most advanced data centers in CEE. The data center meets strict Tier 3 requirements and it is based on the newest Cisco network infrastructure. A blade solution from the same manufacturer was chosen for the LinxCloud server layer. The deciding factor was hardware reliability and centralized infrastructure management and unique integration of vSphere on network virtualization. In view of the above requirements, Comtegra was chosen to implement the solution due to their extensive experience in implementing virtual environments using the Cisco platform. This way it was possible to work on implementation details without having to worry about system stability. Due to the many features it offers, Cisco Unified Computing System was chosen. A single management layer of servers, LAN and SAN reduced the time spent on daily administration and enabled quick and error-free implementation of even the most complex IT environments/ infrastructure. Cisco UCS architecture enables comprehensive administration of all the client’s physical servers from a single management console. When connected with VMware platform it offers unique on the market native network interface virtualization. The redundant character of all connections and management components as well as hardware switching of IP interfaces ensured the assumed high levels of availability. The connection architecture is based on a DCE protocol (Data Center Ethernet), working at a rate of 10Gb/s, which ensures a proper capacity surplus. Also, the platform allows to expand the virtual DC service to include servers and physical resources with fully isolated environments, which follows the assumption of multi-tenancy in public clouds.
- 2. VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Avenue Palo Alto CA 94304 USA Tel 877-486-9273 Fax 650-427-5001 www.vmware.com Copyright © 2012 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Item No: 13Q3 LINXDATACENTER UK VMWARE CASE STUDY 03/12 For the data storage layer were used multi-protocol NetApp arrays replicated between various locations. The entire solution was planned to enable expansion according to the Scale-In and Scale-Out ideology, allowing for nearly unlimited development and modification of all the solution components and ensuring isolation of individual clients and consistency with the declared SLA levels. It was very important to provide environment separation to our clients. vCloud Suite 5.1 powers LinxCloud For the virtualization layer, instead of the commonly used previous version of the solution (suite), Comtegra opted for the expected release of the latest VMware vCloud Suite v5.1. The new solution provides tremendous 24/7 servicing capabilities as well as exceptional configuration flexibility and performance compared to the previous version. Above all vCloud Suite is complete solution and as the only one on the market gives equivalent functionalities both for Windows and Linux, which gives the user freedom of choice. LinxCloud is the first solution to enable software- defined data center implementation. vCloud combines VMware’s leading virtualization, cloud infrastructure and management solutions, which simplifies the implementation of a cloud computing environment. Full integration with all the hardware components allows for environment management from a single operating console. Software-defined data center offers flexible, efficient and reliable IT services through implementing virtualization in all areas: from processing and storage to network services, security and availability. The software-defined data center architecture combines all the hardware resources in the overall processing power and then allocates it to each application on an as-needed basis in an automatic, secure, and efficient manner. VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 provides clients with all the elements required for the implementation and management of a cloud computing infrastructure, such as virtualization, software-defined data center services, rule-based access, disaster recovery as well as process and application management. A great challenge in a short period of time Apart from high system complexity, the tight implementation deadline was a major challenge for all. One month passed from the set up of the hardware platform, which was the basis for software configuration, until the submission of the first demo account. It took another few weeks to prepare the environment to go live. We could not reduce the time needed for extensive platform testing, as the Client had to be provided with a comprehensive, proven and secure environment. Despite a relatively short implementation time, if we wanted to count the man-hours or man-days, it would turn out that a huge team of highly-qualified employees worked on this project in a two-shift (and sometimes even three-shift) system. A dedicated engineer monitored the execution of each stage of the project, and the entire process was supervised by an experienced Project Manager. The level of complexity was even higher due to the fact that the integrator decided to implement the solution – vCloud Suite 5.1 – only one and a half week after its release. This means that there were no previous implementations to refer to should any problems arise. But Comtegra’s experience, close cooperation with the manufacturer, VMware, and the suite design made fast and hassle-free implementation possible. Thanks to this decision, while other clients still debate moving to a new solution, Linxdatacenter is already installing next component versions in vCloud Suite 5.1, streamlining its operation and functionality. This implementation, unique at a regional scale, offers end clients virtual or hybrid data center services with Enterprise-class availability, providing full control over the network aspects and greatly reducing the time needed for new applications delivery by the client. And all this was possible at a significantly reduced cost of implementation and operation compared to a traditional solution. An opportunity was also created for smaller entities to use the environment, which they otherwise would not be able to afford in a private cloud model. “Clients want to make sure that their data is secure and they want to know where exactly the data is stored. LinxCloud meets both of these requirements. Our service, also called “the private cloud”, enables our clients to process and store data on a secure platform and at the same time reduce the costs of hardware and software administration and maintenance. Also, the cloud allows for flexible and immediate adjustment of the hardware platform performance to meet the current needs of the company. The same rule applies to software, which does not need to be bought. You can pay for its use in the same way you pay for electricity consumption. Such an option is much more affordable compared to the traditional licensing model.” Arno Coster, Chief Operating Officer ABOUT LINX GROUP Linx Group (Linxtelecom & Linxdatacenter) is an international telecommunication and carrier neutral datacenter solutions provider. Headquartered in Amsterdam and with offices across Central, Eastern Europe region and Russia, it bridges East with West, providing highly secure and advanced IT solutions to its customers. Linx Group’s unique proposition, which differentiates it in the market and simplifies data management process for the customers, is based on integrated offering of datacenter, cloud solutions and connectivity. The synergy of Linxtelecom and Linxdatacenter, and around the clock technical support, create ‘one-stop- shop’ platform for clients’ data and IT needs and, therefore, maximizes the value received.