IT Innovators: SDDC Resources to get you Started Down the Right Path

In a recent Industry Perspective for Data Center Knowledge, the results of a survey of data center decision makers conducted by vXchnge were discussed. The survey results essentially back up what many in the industry already know—that the future of the data center is software defined.

That doesn’t mean all organizations will transform overnight to a software-defined infrastructure or even in the next few years. As vXchnge’s survey points out, a whopping 77 percent of respondents said they plan to make the move to the SDDC within the next five years. However long that transition may take, it is becoming increasingly clear that a world in which SDDC is dominant is coming, and if you are a CIO, administrator or other IT professional, you need to be prepared.

To help you in that endeavor, I’ve assembled a listing of some good SDDC resources that I’ve come across lately. They include:

This SNIA Cloud webcast is for anyone wanting to know how SDDCs might be implemented and why the concept is important to all IT professionals—even those who aren’t involved with building data centers. The webcast also explores how SDDC concepts can be applied to an existing data center and how IT professionals can develop their own SDDC environment.

This webinar offers a crash course on the must-know items in the pursuit of a secure and compliant SDDC. It covers: adoption trends and convergence scenarios, as well as how to build a robust and compliant SDDC, monitor updates and changes to the virtualized network, and expand your SDDC to the public cloud.

This webinar seeks to answer the question: How do you enable visibility around traffic when you’re not even sure where or how it flows? It delves into the architecture of the modern SDDC, best practices for optimal performance visibility into the virtual network, and the best ways to troubleshoot SDDC-specific performance problems. You’ll also learn how to improve application performance by up to 70%.

This webinar discusses how to secure the SDDC using network virtualization platforms. It also touches on the specialized protections that can be added to monitor and control the activities of privileged users, and to protect and secure the credentials they use.

This interesting article touches on the fact that for most data centers, the number one cause of delays is the data storage infrastructure, with the major bottleneck being I/O performance. It then details how this problem can be overcome, using parallel I/O technology, and how the use of that technology is making the realization of SDDCs possible.

Resources on the components that make up the SDDC:

This white paper examines the topic of SDN, including what it is, benefits, how it works, solutions, and how to bring it to your data center.

This white paper explores the details and nuances of software-defined storage, and explains why the question is no longer whether software-defined storage is the way to go, but how soon it can be implemented. Moreover, it looks at which brand of software-defined storage makes the most sense.

I hope you find these resources helpful. If you have any other resources you would like to add to the list, drop me a line at [email protected]. In the meantime, check back here for future blog posts on a range of IT-related issues.

This blog is sponsored by Microsoft.

Cheryl J. Ajluni is a freelance writer and editor based in California. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Wireless Systems Design and served as the EDA/Advanced Technology editor for Electronic Design for over 10 years. She is also a published book author and patented engineer. Her work regularly appears in print and online publications. Contact her at [email protected] with your comments or story ideas.