You're upgrading your company's server infrastructure. How can you prioritize cost-effectiveness?

With all of the new regulatory frameworks, like NIS 2, NIST 800-53 Rev 4 to Rev 5, EU Data Act, Executive Order 14028, etc... (more will be coming), companies should offload the server (and network and storage) upgrades and maintenance work to a cloud provider. Migrate your workloads to the cloud and get out of the hardware business. If maintaining data center infrastructure is not a business differentiator, then stop doing that work and buy it as a service. Focus on what provides value to your customers.

Para priorizar a rela??o custo-benefício ao atualizar a infraestrutura de servidor da sua empresa, é essencial realizar uma análise detalhada das necessidades atuais e futuras da organiza??o. Comece avaliando o desempenho e a capacidade dos servidores existentes, identificando gargalos e áreas de melhoria. Pesquise e compare diferentes op??es de hardware e software, considerando tanto o custo inicial quanto os custos de manuten??o e opera??o a longo prazo. Ado??o de tecnologias de virtualiza??o e cloud computing pode oferecer flexibilidade e economia. é importante também considerar a escalabilidade das solu??es para evitar custos futuros com novas atualiza??es.

Am going through this now actually. We are virtualizing as much as possible into the cloud. We are maintaining some storage on prem for fast access, but we also recommend migrating to the cloud, especially for long-term storage requirements with something like Amazon Glacier. You keep high use files local, and move what you can to the cloud, do your research if you have regulated data (HIPAA, PCI, etc). You offload the hardware costs, and with containerization you can move VMware guests off hardware into the cloud as well, because it getting more and more expensive to maintain the platform.

Cost Effectiveness in simple terms, must be moving from physical to cloud based which allows scalable systems, flexing cost on demand, along with the reduced workforce required to maintain physical devices, which also drives cost down

Prioritizing cost effectiveness in data center server infrastructure requires a holistic approach. Acquisition costs only play a small part. Consider software optimization first. Replacing 1,000 cores with 500, will immediately lower VMware, Microsoft, and most software typically consumed per core. Keeping the lights on 7-year old servers in most cases will cost more than the cost of modernizing and replacing. Then consider power and cooling, rack and floor space, and administrative burden. These aspects will also help your ESG initiatives. Utilizing AMD EPYC will optimize both core count reduction and ESG impact. An example, comparing Intel and AMD's best 4th gen 48-core processors, AMD performs 32% higher with 34% better performance/watt.

One thing that should also be considered here is the technical trainings/certifications that the operations/managing infrastructure teams would need to be able to upgrade to not only a newer version of systems/solutions but also maybe if you’re planning on migrating to newer solutions altogether. This would ensure smoother transitions to newer systems and also be important for your day-2 operations and support.

As noted, costs need to be quantified across the whole piece and not just on running costs alone. Licencing, resourcing, compute, it all needs factoring in to the mix to really get a handle on whether the system is cost effective

Thinking about and planning the next upgrade every 3 to 4 year life cycle plan is a very rigid approach, this often being dictated by vendors with their maintenance plans. Our focus these days should really be on sustainability, customers should be given more options around extended maintenence plans, incentives at purchase where specific hardware components need to be replaced every 4 years.

In evaluating cost-effectiveness, it is good to go beyond the surface calculations and consider long-term implications of options. Meeting the organization's needs is key, investing in upgrades that offer significant benefits, even if they have a higher cost, can be a sound financial decision. It is important to avoid the trap of prioritizing cost savings over other factors. Containing costs is a valid, it is equally important to consider consequences of opting for less expensive solutions that require more work, configuration, or ongoing support. Make informed decisions, consider forming a decision team to evaluate options and brainstorm solutions. Collaborative problem-solving can often lead to innovative and cost-effective approaches.

Pushing to cloud only and taking Microsoft as an option, transition the services from physical to cloud using say Azure Site Recovery services. Once the backup is sound the services can be failed over to cloud first, then the physical services phased out. Simplified lots of steps, but the principal is sound and removes rebuild complexity. The Offline cloud instances can be tested then in isolation and failed over to at implementation. If unsuccessful, fail them back.

1. Maximize Infrastructure: optimize the use of resources through server consolidation, virtualization, and improved workload management. 2. Refurbished and Used Equipment: Consider purchasing refurbished servers or networking equipment. 3. Colocation Services: consider colocation. This allows you to lease space in third-party data centers 4. Containerization: Use containers (like Docker or Kubernetes) to increase efficiency 5. Energy Efficiency: Invest in energy-efficient hardware and cooling solutions 6. Automate Maintenance and Monitoring: Implement automated monitoring tools to prevent server overuse 7. Leverage Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI)