IT Innovators: Should a SDDC Underpin Your Hybrid Cloud?

There’s an old adage that goes something like this: Behind every great man is a good woman. While it has been written and said through the years in many different ways, the implication here is clear. No one person rises to greatness without a strong foundation on which to build—usually provided by someone who stands behind them offering constant help and support.

I wonder if a similar thing can be said about the hybrid cloud? Only in this case, I would rewrite the adage to say: Behind every great hybrid cloud there’s a great software-defined data center (SDDC). It’s an interesting idea and if valid, means that if you have any intention of employing a hybrid cloud approach in your organization, you’d be wise to first consider implementing the elements of a strong SDDC.

Think about it. A SDDC is one where all the infrastructure (e.g., server and storage hardware, etc.) is virtualized and delivered "as-a-service." Virtualization makes the datacenter more efficient, flexible and able to easily scale to even the most demanding workloads. And when that virtualization acts as the foundation on which a hybrid cloud is built, it can provide organizations substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies.

Those cost savings and efficiencies come in part from the automation the SDDC delivers—automation of the compute, storage and network resources, as well as operation management. That automation helps reduce the data center complexity, and in turn, the hybrid cloud’s complexity. For an organization’s IT department that means resources can be better utilized and in turn, the department staff can be much more productive.

Those are appealing benefits, for sure. And let’s face it, if you are going to move to a hybrid cloud deployment, you likely aren’t doing so because you are an early technology adopter. You’re after the advantages it can offer and have determined that those advantages—automation, flexibility, scalability, and greater business agility—make sound business sense for your organization. And if that’s the case, then why wouldn’t you consider making that business decision even more compelling by adopting a SDDC as a critical underpinning of your hybrid cloud first?

If you want to weigh in on this discussion, send me your thoughts at [email protected]. Check back here next week for more information on the hybrid cloud and other important IT-related topics.

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.