With the continued expansion of cloud based services and the trend towards 'bring your own device' (BYOD) at work, a more holistic approach to server management is needed to ensure these resources deliver efficiency and cost savings.
The demands that IT managers place on their servers have expanded. The need to analyse massive datasets, offer IP based telephony services, CRM and support for the legions of mobile data devices means that a multifaceted approach to server deployment and management has to be developed.
Also, in an economically competitive environment, it is critical to ensure that the right server is purchased that can meet today's and the future needs. It has to support the move to a unified, hybrid data integration platform to provide the efficiency and productivity benefits that can be obtained from integration with cloud applications.
The hybrid approach
Balancing the needs of a BYOD environment, the moves to more private cloud based services and of course the expanding use of virtualisation means that this trinity of server issues needs a comprehensive management approach.
In the past these channels would have been considered in isolation. Today IT managers are realising that to unlock the value that these strands offer their businesses means integrating them together into a server deployment that delivers a new paradigm to information rich businesses.
The power and flexibility that a holistic and hybrid approach to server management can bring enables businesses to move forward with their business development, yet also maintain any legacy systems that are mission critical to their enterprises. The server technology now available offers unprecedented levels of integration that all businesses can benefit from.
Chris Howard, Managing Vice President of Gartner, has said: "Hybrid IT is the new IT and it is here to stay. While the cloud market matures, IT organisations must adopt a hybrid IT strategy.
"Hybrid IT creates symmetry between internal and external IT services that will force an IT and business paradigm shift for years to come."
It is now critical for businesses to leverage their servers in response to this shift. The trend for more private cloud based installations to bring additional control of these data spaces back to the enterprise is growing.
Smart businesses are realising that private clouds, coupled with virtualisation and the added flexibility that BYOD is bringing, provides a platform that businesses can use for massive commercial advantage.
