And have power, cooling and space finally caught up with them? To address these issues, traditional server and application consolidation continue to head the list as IDC top priorities for 2012. These priorities will force the CIO to choose a “Strategic Platform” to run the new environment on as you head into the future. And this is where DADI can help.
The age old concept of DADI (Discover, Assess, Design and Implement) can be comforting for CIOs and continues to provide a big win as they seek to align business goals with IT.
The time to “DISCOVER” what comprises the organization is now. What types/counts of servers do you own, how old are they, what chips do they run on and how much do they cost to operate? Consideration needs to be given to your software too. How many lines of code, what classic languages and tools, what 3rd party apps and dependencies exist? A ton of expense is locked up in these questions just waiting to be reduced.
Once you collect your info, you should “ASSESS” the benefits of a new “Strategic Platform” decision. With the advent of commoditized platforms, Linux and “virtualization on the brink of cloud”, you should ask yourself “what will my new environment look like and how much money can I save?” Involve business units now in the decision process and break out of those old stove-piped decisions. Providing value with multiple strategic platform selections may be necessary and prioritized projects should be explored and detailed with your business partners. Business services, analytics and controls should be considered and will all lead to more profit within the company. A preliminary design can then be formulated and carried to the next step for consolidated HW, reduced SW licenses and porting, easier management and less overall CAPEX and OPEX.
A formal “DESIGN” always compliments the process… especially today where application, capacity and availability requirements mesh with virtualization, networking, security, managed or outsourced cloud services and mobile computing. For many businesses, crisp execution and decision-making within this phase are keys to success.
Finally – “IMPLEMENTATION” is where the rubber hits the road. All the hard work of Platform Selection comes down to the details. Finally, testing, installation and integration complete your project. Don’t forget the knowledge transfer and training for the new organizational approach that resulted from the Platform Transition. Side bars are also given for decommissioning and sustaining services.
All in all, “Who’s your DADI?” is not that hard to answer. You probably knew it all along.
Mitchell Maghakian, CTO – NYC & mid Atlantic