What makes the future exciting? Simplicity
In all mankind’s wildest imaginings about the future, a simpler life is almost always a central theme, driven by amazing technologies.
Some of the most talked about new technologies that promise to simplify life are already here, and some are not far away. The smartphone provides one place to do pretty much anything, anywhere. Smart lighting systems can be surprising helpful, automatically turning off and on lights. And self-driving cars are ready and waiting to be mass produced as soon as the technology that supports them is perfected.
Simplifying today’s data center with software-defined intelligence
One of the places that needs simplicity the most is the data center, where a mix of infrastructure often becomes difficult to manage and maintain. Infrastructure management that leverages software-defined intelligence should be at the core of driving simplicity for the data center, minimizing time spent on manual, repetitive tasks, and reducing human error. Infrastructure management should also do a better job of self-monitoring issues that can be resolved with little or no human intervention.
Finding an infrastructure management solution that brings that kind of software-defined intelligence to the data center doesn’t have to be a dream for the future. Solutions are available today that can dramatically increase data center simplicity. But, when searching for something to make life easier, a few basic requirements need to be met.
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Template-based provisioning and updates
Provisioning servers is often a task that involves manual labor, thereby increasing the possibility for errors. Template-based provisioning cuts down on the time it takes to provision and significantly reduces errors. Think about a server template as a fixed course menu. This menu is crafted by expert chefs, or in this case, subject matter experts for servers, storage and networking, all working together to define the very best ingredients (settings) for a meal. This template is then deployed to any predetermined server, and repeated exactly the same way each time it is needed. IT can queue up the provisioning of hundreds of servers and then work on something else while the infrastructure management software does the work.
Template-based provisioning is practically the very definition of self-driving. IT can create an unlimited number of unique templates to cover all workloads and applications. Just press go, and then spend time on other activities that create more value for the business.
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A consolidated view of all of infrastructure
Most businesses probably have more than just one type of infrastructure spread out across multiple data centers in locations worldwide. And any infrastructure management software is going to require a separate instance once a scale limit is reached, which results in multiple infrastructure management instances to keep track of.
A company with data centers locations worldwide, involving a mix of platforms, would have a difficult time keeping everything running smoothly. A single, consolidated view allows them to view everything at once and respond quickly to any issues.
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Integrated remote support
What if IT could have an extra support person around the data center, checking on mundane but important items–tasks like maintaining warranties for equipment, ordering replacement parts, or handling service tickets? What if this support came included with the management software? Integrated remote support should be part of infrastructure management, saving time on issues that a computer can easily perform.
Imagine the time savings if integrated support could open a service ticket and send an email to verify the email was opened and the issue resolved. If a part breaks, infrastructure management could identify it, automatically order the part, and deliver it straight to the data center. Systems built with software-defined intelligence will know what is broken without human intervention. Keeping up with small but very important maintenance tasks like these, without having dedicated staff, can really make a difference in keeping things running smoothly.
The self-driving data center is here today
Businesses don’t have to look far to find this kind of software-defined, self-driving data center. HPE OneView meets all of the above requirements and manages HPE servers, storage, and networking at scale. The HPE OneView Global Dashboard allows IT to keep tabs on the entire infrastructure, and integrated remote support is included for free with every HPE OneView license.
About Paul Miller
Paul Miller is Vice President of Marketing for the Software-defined and Cloud Group at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). To learn how to migrate with ease to HPE OneView, watch this webinar replay. To learn more about HPE OneView, download the free ebook, HPE OneView for Dummies.
To read more articles from Paul Miller, check out the HPE Converged Data Center Infrastructure blog.
