Project Description

Enabling the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure w/ HCI and LCM

We built the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure to represent an enterprise virtualization pod primed for an upgrade. We ran into all of the problems associated with a 4 to 5-year old pod based on bringing your own HCI. The CTO Advisor team puts Dell EMC VxRail HCI System Software claims to the test and documents our journey from initial analysis to a conclusion that might shock you.

Download your copy of our VxRail HCI System Software Proof of Concept White paper below to find out what went right and what went wrong.

Value Stories

Enabling the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure w/ HCI and LCM

We built the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure to represent an enterprise virtualization pod primed for an upgrade. We ran into all of the problems associated with a 4 to 5-year old pod based on bringing your own HCI. The CTO Advisor team puts Dell EMC VxRail HCI System Software claims to the test and documents our journey from initial analysis to a conclusion that might shock you.

Value Stories

Enabling the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure w/ HCI and LCM

We built the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure to represent an enterprise virtualization pod primed for an upgrade. We ran into all of the problems associated with a 4 to 5-year old pod based on bringing your own HCI. The CTO Advisor team puts Dell EMC VxRail HCI System Software claims to the test and documents our journey from initial analysis to a conclusion that might shock you.

Value Stories

White Paper

VxRail HCI System Software Proof of Concept

1 file(s)        6.4 MB

White Paper

VxRail HCI System Software Proof of Concept

1 file(s)        6.4 MB

PILLARS:

VxRail is SW and Hardware

VMware Cloud Foundation Integration

The Value

Project Overview

CHALLENGES:

The overhead of operating a data center.

Does VxRail + VMware Cloud Foundation + Intel offer a differentiation vs. competitors?

What’s the confidence level of CTOA in VxRail’s ability to execute?

DELL TECH SOLUTIONS:

VxRail delivers HCI System Software

Dell Technologies and VMware have a long history of collaboration

Demonstrate ease of deployment and integration

Project Overview

CHALLENGES:

The overhead of operating a data center.

Does VxRail + VMware Cloud Foundation + Intel offer a differentiation vs. competitors?

What’s the confidence level of CTOA in VxRail’s ability to execute?

DELL TECH SOLUTIONS:

VxRail delivers HCI System Software

Dell Technologies and VMware have a long history of collaboration

Demonstrate ease of deployment and integration

NARRATIVE

VxRail delivers HCI System Software, a suite of unique, integrated software elements that extend VMware native capabilities to deliver a seamless, automated, operational experience to keep workloads up and running.  The CTO Advisor examines the HCI system software elements (SaaS Multi-Cluster Management, RESTful APIs, VxRail Manager, Ecosystem Connectors, Electronic Compatibility Matrix) to show how they work together to create an integrated solution.

VxRail is a best-in-class solution born of Dell Technologies, VMware and Intel innovation. With the evolution of joint engineering between VMware and VxRail, they have integrated VxRail HCI System Software into VCF, enabling increased functionality and operational capabilities of VCF.

The CTO Advisor has the unique capability to offer the team’s perspective on the impact to data center operations of Dell Technologies’ collaboration with Intel and VMware utilizing the information gathered from hands-on experience with the VxRail HCI System Software.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By the end of this project, you will have a technical perspective and value statement previously reserved for insiders only. In our 7-video series, we walk you through the operational value of VxRail Software along with its intricacies, minor missteps, and giant leaps forward. The CTO Advisor also summarizes our findings in an upcoming research whitepaper dedicated to pulling the curtain back for enterprise data center managers helping them to understand the actual value of VxRail HCI System Software.

VxRail is Software and Hardware

Dell EMC VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure delivers VMware Cloud Foundation using rack-mount servers. During this phase the Dell EMC and Dell partner engineers will complete an initial deployment allowing for the operation of a tightly integrated vSphere platform by the customer.

Project Media: Video 1

Presales Interview

Keith Townsend takes on the ”Executive” persona in this video. Jeremy Merrill, a Dell Tech SME will brief Keith on the strength and benefits of Dell Technologies/VMware/Intel integration. The target audience is the data center architect. Jeremy makes strong claims on the benefits of the solution. This video sets the stage for much of the validation testing conducted by the CTOA SME.

View Video

Project Media: Video 1

Presales Interview

Keith Townsend takes on the ”Executive” persona in this video. Jeremy Merrill, a Dell Tech SME will brief Keith on the strength and benefits of Dell Technologies/VMware/Intel integration. The target audience is the data center architect. Jeremy makes strong claims on the benefits of the solution. This video sets the stage for much of the validation testing conducted by the CTOA SME.

View Video

Project Media: Video 2

VxRail Technical Overview

Keith Townsend sets the stage for the project. What problem is the CTO Advisor team trying to solve. As existing Dell Technologies customers, what are the current pain points? What are the outcomes the CTOA team would like to see?

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VMware Cloud Foundation Integration

The integration of VxRail HCI System Software and VMware Cloud Foundation is an engineering feat that must be discussed. The CTO Advisor tackles everything from Life Cycle Management to operational attributes of tight software integration and details the distinctive value presented to the operational team integrating the VxRail HCI Software and data center operations far beyond LCM.

Project Media: Video 3

SaaS Controller Surprise

In this technical review video, CTO Advisor Analyst, Alastair Cooke, sits down with CTO Advisor Engineer Thom Greene and Dell SME Curtis Edwards. The trio takes a look at the work from a more traditional technical perspective. Specifically, the team goes deeper into the SaaS controller. The CTOA team expected much of the value to be in the integration of VxRail and VCF. We discover some pleasant surprises with the SaaS cluster controller

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Project Media: Video 4

VxRail Technical Overview – Part 1

Keith rejoins the program for a conversation with Thom Greene. Thom shares the high-level technical results of the work with VMware Cloud Foundation Integration. Keith probes Thom to understand the overall operational potential value for the CTOA as an organization.

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Project Media: Video 4

VxRail Technical Overview – Part 1

Keith rejoins the program for a conversation with Thom Greene. Thom shares the high-level technical results of the work with VMware Cloud Foundation Integration. Keith probes Thom to understand the overall operational potential value for the CTOA as an organization.

View Video

Project Media: Video 5

VxRail Technical Overview – Part 2

Alastair and Thom are joined by Dell Technologies’ Joe Mauer to discuss the technical details of VMware Cloud Foundation. What did Thom find in his implementation and use of VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail?

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The Value

Part of the value that The CTO Advisor provides over all others is consistency. We don’t test or implement technology for the sake of technology. We carefully investigated how VxRail HCI System Software can add real-world change and value to businesses worldwide—taking a deep dive into how it compares to its competition and the differences in between. The Dell Technologies + VMware + Intel collaboration powerhouse is a story that needs to be told, and The CTO Advisor is here to tell it.

Project Media: Video 6

End Design

Keith wraps the technical overview. Draws out what he believes the potential benefits of VxRail within the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure and where potential challenges remain.

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Project Media: Video 6

End Design

Keith wraps the technical overview. Draws out what he believes the potential benefits of VxRail within the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure and where potential challenges remain.

View Video

Project Media: Video 7

Concluding Analysis

Keith provides an executive overview of the research the team conducted and introduces the written work.

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