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Get the Big Picture for Convergence — in Just One Day!

TS_Guest| August 30, 2011
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Waiting for that budget approval so you can get the latest and greatest server, storage or networking gear? Or maybe you’re already gearing up for a well-deserved infrastructure refresh?

 

This could be a good time to get to work on a data center facility upgrade, or that virtualization management project you’ve been postponing for a while. Oh, and shouldn’t you be thinking about the impact of cloud computing, too?

 

IT infrastructure is converging, bringing previously siloed server, storage, networking, management, and facilities technologies and teams together to provide simplified, more efficient resource management. It’s all part of the drive to enable the speedy response to business needs that’s the hallmark of the Instant-On Enterprise.

 

(Read more about Converged Infrastructure here. For a great intro to the topic, read Duncan Campbell’s blog: Can I rapidly and safely turn my IT into a business growth engine through convergenc​e?  Short answer: yes.)

 

Taking advantage of this architecture and approach requires a shared understanding of the goals, solid business-technology alignment, and a clear road map that encompasses your people and processes in addition to the technology.

 

At first glance, it can look daunting. You probably have previous commitments and ongoing projects, and there is just so little time to coordinate end-to-end planning with different IT teams.

 

Here’s a suggestion: Stop and step back, just for one day. Ongoing operations, projects in the pipeline and business-as-usual can wait. Take one day to spend some quality time with your key business, operations, and IT colleagues and HP experts who can help you to build your vision of convergence with facilitated discussions and in-depth sharing of best practices.

 

We’ve named this offering the HP Converged Infrastructure Transformation Experience Workshop. BUT it’s not your typical workshop. Certainly you won’t be staring at the wall watching PowerPoint slides! We’ve designed it as an opportunity to stand up, walk around, get some fresh air and look at some great visuals while asking the big questions and getting answers from our data-center and converged-infrastructure experts.

 

Most importantly, you’ll hear why converged infrastructure is not just about the newest technologies. Here are a few other things that matter, in a big way:

 

  • The service portfolio. Designing for convergence means understanding what services you intend to offer, how you’re going to source them, and what capacity and availability you need for them.

 

  • Service level management for the portfolio. On top of infrastructure management, this is what makes the difference in providing high-quality services that deliver real business value (as opposed to just operational value).

 

  • Governance. You need to ensure that your business and technology policies and strategy are actually implemented, and that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. Important questions include: How will new service development decisions be made? Who will prioritize business needs? How will conflicts be resolved?

 

  • Metering and reporting. This provides the capability to measure service usage, as well as tracking and business oversight through reporting. In an internal cloud model, most companies don't build an expensive billing system; however, the ability to price services without actual chargeback increases the visibility of IT and helps align business demand with supply.

 

  • A support strategy for smooth service operations. This becomes important in the highly centralized, consolidated, mission-critical converged infrastructure environment.

 

  • Change management and training processes. These are crucial for a fast response to change and for building organizational readiness.

 

  

Here’s what attendees say about these workshops:

 

“The format of the life-size panels and the highly interactive workshop are very interesting, and never seen before. Helps enhance understanding.”

 

“All the topics were relevant to us and were very well addressed.”

 

“We were initially not convinced about the workshop, but it has been a really useful exercise.”

 

“I had planned to get away from the workshop after the initial session but ended up attending the full program due to the compelling content.”

 

We’ll be talking about the HP Converged Infrastructure Transformation Experience Workshop this week at VMWorld 2011.

 

Learn more about HP Converged Infrastructure Services here.

Tags: Change Management| Converged Infrastructure| Governance| infrastructure refresh| metering and reporting| View All (8)
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  • More than 30 years in Sales and Marketing in IT services business. Currently managing global campaigns for Datacenter Care.
  • I’m a Global Strategist, a certified (PMI) Project Manager, specializing in business to IT alignment, agility consulting, Infrastructure Transformation and Strategic Architecture for Big Data, Mobility, Private Cloud, Unified Communications and Collaboration. I drive the strategy, vision and content of strategic consulting services in the Big Data IT Infrastructure services area at HP. As part of this, I meet with senior level customers to understand their challenges, conduct workshops to determine future vision and roadmaps as well as presenting at industry and analyst events.
  • Andre is a Senior Solutions Architect specialising in enterprise infrastructure consulting with particular focus on enterprise storage, server virtualisation, cloud computing, and IT to Business translation. Andre also holds University degree's in Information Technology and Business and Administration majoring in Strategic and Organisational Management
  • Craig Partridge is the WW strategy lead for HP Technology Services Networking group. His role now covers strategy for consulting, professional and support services. The major areas of focus are Mobility, UC, Cloud Networking and IPv6. All aligned to core HP networking solutions - simplified, secure, optimized and available.
  • Don has held roles with the business and marketing of consulting for HP. Currently he supports HP's Client and Microsoft Solutions and the emerging Mobility Consulting services. He holds a MBA from UCLA's Anderson School.
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  • Having joined HP in 2003 Ian Jagger is the world-wide marketing and program manager for HP Technology Consulting's Strategic Consulting Services, Critical Facilities Services and Energy and Sustainability Management Services, as well as emerging IT services Prior to his current role, he served as the HP Services Marketing Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, having joined HP in a similar role in the Middle East. Prior to HP Jagger had a 15 year international sales career, culminating in being Sales and Marketing Director for Steelcase Inc addressing Northern Europe before focusing more specifically on marketing. His initial focus was consultancy and interim marketing management, primarily for small to mid-sized customers based or looking to expand in the Middle Eastern region. Immediately prior to joining HP he was a strategic marketing consultant addressing investment targets for a technology fund. Born in Rochdale, United Kingdom, Jagger holds an honors bachelor of science degree in economics and a degree in social psychology from Loughborough University, England. He also holds a Masters Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Chartered Marketer. He has one daughter and lives in Cary, North Carolina.
  • Jordan Lee has over twenty years of consulting and industry experience, helping some of the world’s largest firms craft and implement their business and IT strategies. His priority is to advise Hewlett-Packard clients how to best prepare for and take full advantage of the dramatic shifts in the IT economy taking place today. Over his career, Mr. Lee has held executive positions both in industry and consulting organizations, where he has provided consulting to some of the largest firms in the US. Over the years, he has helped his clients redesign business processes and organizations, and implement strategic IT programs around ERP, System Integration, Business Intelligence, and IT Infrastructure.
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  • Patrick Lownds is a Senior Technology Consultant and is involved in designing and delivering both Client Virtualization and Cloud Computing solutions in the datacenter. Patrick co-authored “Mastering Hyper-V Deployment”
  • I've been working in HP since 2007 like IT agent, developer, Web designer and then like Web Project Manager
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  • Tom Clement has over 30 years experience in the areas of adult learning, secondary education, and leadership development. During this time Tom has been a consistent champion of “non-traditional” training delivery methods, including blended learning, virtual delivery (self paced and instructor led), the use of training games and simulations, and experiential learning. Tom has spent the past 25 years of his career at Hewlett Packard, focused most recently on HP’s global Virtualization, Cloud, and Converged Infrastructure customer training programs. Tom manages the strategic direction and overall performance of these training programs, ensuring these worldwide programs help HP’s customers capitalize on the business opportunities made available by IT advancements in each of these subject areas. Tom and his global teammates utilize best in class instructors, course content and supporting equipment infrastructure to deliver these training programs to HP’s customers. The team prides itself on providing the Virtualization, Cloud, and Converged Infrastructure content customers need when and where they need it, anywhere in the world. Tom is based in the Washington, DC suburbs and can be reached at tom.clement@hp.com.
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  • Bill is the Principal Data Center Energy Technologist for HP Technology Services. Kosik is a licensed professional engineer, LEED Accredited Professional, a Certified Energy Manager, and a Building Energy Modeling Professional. He is responsible for research and implementation of sustainable, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible design strategies for data centers. He is currently a subject matter expert for the USGBC on the new LEED Data Centers, the EPA/DOE on unification of energy metrics, and the Green Grid on responding to the EPA’s Energy Star for Data Centers program. He has an engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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