Moving away from datacenter complexities

IDC shared in its latest Datacenter Predictions that they expect "more than 60% of companies to change how they manage the majority their IT infrastructure, [relying on advanced automation and qualified service partners to boost efficiency and directly tie datacenter spend to business value][1].

The datacenter has without a doubt become more than just another IT asset. Today's datacenter is fast becoming the foundation of an organization's business model, while, at the same time, IT organizations are facing a pressing need to keep costs down while driving operational improvements. Building and running datacenters is no longer a part-time job for many .

Many organizations may still lack the processes to manage support issues, IT transitions and new application deployments. Budget and IT resources are likely used to keep the lights on, keeping IT leaders away from exploring new ways for IT to bring competitive advantage to the business.

One way IT organizations can start moving away from the complexities of datacenter management is through standardization.

Why standardization?

Standardization can prove instrumental in managing shrinking IT budgets. A standardized operating environment based on Red Hat technologies can help to simplify IT infrastructure so that operations can become more efficient at a lower cost. Running a proven enterprise IT platform also means more predictability, making it easier to roll out new business applications across physical, virtual, and cloud environments, as business requirements dictate.

In fact, many organizations that standardize on Red Hat Enterprise Linux have found significant improvements in reduced costs and improved performance. For example, CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, noted that in its first year of production, Red Hat Enterprise Linux delivered a twofold increase in performance and reduced costs for the group by 50%[2].

Here, we'll take a look at three of the key benefits of standardizing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Satellite.

1) Streamlined management

Infrastructure is the foundation of IT operations for a business, and as such it should be a the top priority - especially in the datacenter. Standardizing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Satellite can prove useful within these environments, simplifying infrastructure to create more efficient operations.

When this proven platform is deployed across an IT environment, the foundation of IT operations is strengthened - thus making it easier to deploy new applications across various environments.

If the operational benefits of standardization aren't enough, total operating costs are also likely to be lower for the business following a deployment.

2) Focusing on security

Standardization can play an instrumental role in IT security, replacing older business IT operations with a modern operating environment. Deploying an environment standardized on Red Hat technologies can help to reduce inconsistencies or variations that could open the door to security issues.

It is not surprising that security is a constant among IT's top priorities - especially when the total number of security incidents affecting organizations has shown 48 per cent growth since 2013. This is according to a study by PwC, which also found that amongst these organizations, the number of respondents reporting financial losses of more than $20 million or more almost doubled over 2013[3][[this is an exact quote, either use quotation marks and provide a more specific cite, or rephrase in your ownwords] .

3) Avoiding downtime

Downtime can have substantial repercussions for a business, whether it's due to loss in customer trust or financial damage. In fact, a 2013 study conducted by Emerson Network Power and the Ponemon Institute compared datacenter downtime cost trends in 2010 (averaging $5,600 per minute) to 2013 ($7,900 per minute). The highest document cost of a single event was more than $1.7 million in losses[4].[must have a cite and make sure that we are using our own words, not theirs]

Using a Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Satellite standardized environment has helped a number of enterprise improve management practices and reduce operational issues to mitigate downtime.

Conclusion

Standardizing is an effective way to reduce ongoing IT management costs and streamline your datacenter. With greater control over a simplified IT environment, and lower operating costs, organizations can direct resources to take on new, strategic projects that deliver a competitive business advantage.

As businesses continue to grow, and demands increase, a standardized operating environment may be the strategic choice for a modern and innovative datacenter.

Read this IDC technology spotlight report to learn what's essential when choosing your cloud management platform tools.

[1] IDC, "IDC Reveals Datacenter Predictions for 2015", http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25324214, Dec 2014

[2] Red Hat, "CME Group Cuts Complexity While Reducing Costs with Red Hat Enterprise Linux", Sept. 2014, http://www.redhat.com/en/resources/cme-rhel-cut-complexity

[3] PWC, "The Global State of Information Security Survey 2015," March 2014, http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/consulting-services/information-security-survey/key-findings.jhtml

[4] ServerLift, "How Data Center Operations are Affected by Downtime Costs", Jan 2014, http://serverlift.com/tech-lift/how-data-center-operations-are-affected-by-downtime