The Next Evolution of Virtualization

The next evolution of virtualization is the Software Defined Data Center or SDDC and it is quickly becoming the next logical step in the continued evolution of cloud technology that will give you the ability to run legacy enterprise applications as well as the other cloud services. In my opinion you could also define Software Defined Data Center as a converged datacenter so to speak. My friend and colleague, Edward Haletky wrote a great post on SDDC and data protection, which raised this question. How the heck to we recover SDDC?

IT as a Service: Not Just for a Cloud

I was going to write about how building a cloud is similar to moving, but the more I think about it, the more I think people are confusing an automated virtual environment with a cloud: IT as a Service is not just about cloud. Having automation does not imply your virtual environment is a cloud or visa versa. Granted, using IT as a Service is important for a cloud if you look at the NIST definition of a cloud, but it is not necessary for a cloud. Perhaps IT as a Service is just a stepping stone towards a cloud, perhaps it should start as a data center play?

Virsto: Software Defined Data Center: Tip of the Iceberg

VMware buying Virsto is a big move and after considerable discussion a logical step for VMware in many technical areas as well. We previously mentioned that Virsto would add to VMware’s existing in Software Defined Data Center (SDDC), but there is more to this than just SDDC, which I believe is the end goal. Getting there absolutely requires a storage abstraction layer. So what does VMware gain other than SDDC with Virsto.

Security Automation = Good Security Practice

As I shoveled even more snow, I was starting to think about automation, as in how could I get something to shovel the snow for me, which lead to thinking about automation within the cloud. I see lots of discussion about automation in the cloud. Many of my friends and colleagues are developing code using Puppet, Chef, vCenter Orchestrator, etc. This development is about producing the software defined datacenter (SDDC). However, I see very little in the way of security automation associated with SDDC.

Vyatta: Building Block for Brocade SDN Plans

Brocade has stated they will buy Vyatta for an all cash deal. This is good news for Vyatta and perhaps a way for Brocade to partake of software that could rival VMware’s purchase of Nicira when Vyatta’s own SDN features are married with Brocade Ether Fabric technology. Brocade has been in the software business for a while now, but only with respect to their own hardware. With Vyatta, they will shortly own a building block to allow Ether Fabric to extend into the virtual and cloud environments. It would be short sighted to say this is just an SDN play, this purchase shows there is quite a bit of benefit to Brocade.

Is the Software Defined Data Center the Future?

VMware purchased Nicira, backed the Openflow Community, and is now touting software defined data centers (SDDC). But what is a software defined datacenter? Is it just virtualization or cloud with a software defined network? Or is it something more than that? Given heavy automation and scripting of most clouds, do we not already have SDDC? If not where are we going with this concept? What does SDN add to the mix?