Virtustream builds a cloud computing platform with a difference

7/31/2019 Virtustream builds a cloud computing platform with a difference

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/virtustream-builds-a-cloud-computing-platform-with-a-difference 1/4

Smarter Computing

IBM Systems & Technology Group Computer Services

Virtustream is a ull-spectrum cloud provider that delivers enterprise-

class cloud solutions to clients worldwide. At the center o Virtustream’s

oering is a secure high-perormance cloud platorm, xStream, oeringhighly available and elastic compute resources with true consumption-

based pricing that can be delivered as private, multi-tenant or hybrid

clouds, depending on each client’s requirements. The company’s Cloud

Proessional Services team also provides expertise in the areas o cloud

adoption, architecture strategy, migration roadmaps and integration

services.

Meeting varied customer requirementsBy providing enterprise-class cloud services, Virtustream helps

clients eliminate the cost, complexity and risk o managing their IT

architecture themselves – while greatly improving service quality and

exibility. When selecting a managed cloud provider, companies need

to decide what balance they need between cost, perormance, security

and elasticity and whether the services oer enterprise-class security,

assurance and support.

Virtustream recognized that nding just the right balance between

these actors would be critical or their enterprise customers.

Virtustream oers a comprehensive set o cloud solutions – private,

virtual private and public. To gain the ull benet rom the cloud their

clients needed a exible platorm that could be combined together to

deliver hybrid clouds. The Virtustream virtual private cloud is core to

this ability and to support these exacting requirements, Virtustreamneeded a highly adaptable and scalable inrastructure that could

support a large number o virtual machines (VMs) while oering strong

perormance. With over 100 clients, the company needed capabilities

that could dynamically scale to match customer requirements minute

by minute.

Virtustream builds a cloudcomputing platform witha differenceBased on smarter computing solutions from IBM

Overview

The need

Virtustream wanted to offer clients

enterprise-class cloud services and

provide greater performance than other

cloud computing providers, offering

cloud services with application SLAs,

consumption-based pricing and

compelling cloud economics.

The solution

IBM solutions are at the center

of Virtustream’s Cloud platform,

including IBM® System x® 3650 class

servers running VMware virtualization

augmented with IBM Systems Directorand an extensive suite of IBM Tivoli®

software. Virtustream uses this powerful

combination as part of the xStream

cloud platform that supplies a range of

cloud computing services, ranging from

private on-premise cloud management

for the hyper-security conscious, to its

multi-tenanted xStream managed cloud

services.



Smarter Computing


Evaluating competing oerings As long-time users o IBM technology, Virtustream immediately

considered IBM servers or this environment. Due to the signicance

and scale o the project, the company undertook a structuredevaluation process beore making a nal decision, however. It careully

benchmarked products rom IBM, HP and Dell, as well as a ‘white

label’ server. It discovered early on that the alternatives were ‘aster in

a sprint’ – but that the IBM option was the clear winner when it came

to real-world perormance. Dell’s server in particular was 20 percent

aster than the IBM System x3650 at running a single VM. However

Virtustream’s test showed that the Dell machine’s perormance

decreased when you added more than ve VMs. In act, while the other

options could run a maximum o 16.5 VMs, Virtustream discovered

that the System x servers would stretch to as many as 35 – an increase

o 112.5 percent. For multi-tenant Cloud solutions scalability is

essential, so Virtustream selected the IBM System x3650 platorm as

the basis or its system.

The xStream concept enables Virtustream to oer clients a range o

cloud architectures to meet their individual requirements. This broad

spectrum o oerings includes private clouds running on the client’s

own inrastructure in their datacenter, all the way to virtual private

clouds provided by Virtustream. Virtustream clients choose to run its

xStream sotware both on- or o-premise: or in any combination. The

choice o architecture must balance requirements or security, elasticity,

perormance and cost, while delivering the greatest TCO savings

rom secure multi-tenant clouds. The company takes potential clientsthrough a cloud strategy and design process to optimize the design o

their cloud solutions.

Smarter Computing: The IT Inrastructure o a Smarter Planet

Virtustream has gained an ultra-reliable, pure x86-based cloud-ready platorm supporting multiple virtualized environments.

Benchmarking against competing solutions rom HP and Dell showed that the IBM System x3650 could host more than twice

the average number o virtual machines compared to the other vendors – ideal or supporting the company’s multi-tenanted

xStream oering. The company delivers cloud computing services to clients through a variety o models, supported by the

highly exible IBM System x hardware and Virtustream’s xStream management platorm.

The IBM Tivoli solution is a crucial component o the Virtustream platorm, providing a range o Integrated Service

Management capabilities, helping ensure compliance and adherence to service level agreements (SLAs). The company has an

in-depth view o resources at any time and can use these insights to oer clients true consumption-based pricing. Moreover,

sophisticated virtual network trafc-shaping technologies enable Virtustream to provide guaranteed I/O throughput on specic

mission-critical workloads. These capabilities combine with the Virtustream xStream platorm to enable enterprise-class cloud

services.

The benet

Virtustream’s enterprise clients benet

from signicant total cost of ownership

(TCO) savings by moving from traditional

environments to the company’s Cloud

platform, which is supported by IBM

technology, with some saving as much

as 60 percent. The exibility of the IBM

System x platform enables Virtustream

to run as many as 30-40 virtual machines

(VMs) on each physical server, and Tivoli

software helps to control network trafc

so that I/O throughput can be guaranteed

for mission-critical workloads.



Smarter Computing


Easy inrastructure management with IBM Tivoli Virtustream also uses a suite o IBM sotware within the xStream

platorm to enhance unctionality, including IBM Tivoli Monitoring

and IBM Change and Conguration Management Database. TheIBM Tivoli toolset includes a number o connectors to non-IBM

inrastructure components, the Tivoli sotware is also highly cross-

compatible, enabling Virtustream to link to clients’ environments

and deploy comprehensive monitoring. In combination the xStream

platorm and the IBM toolset, Virtustream can analyze aggregate

workloads to ensure that it provisions the most appropriate resources.

It can also perorm extremely granular analysis o resource usage,

enabling variable consumption-based pricing.

IBM’s equipment is enhanced with sophisticated virtual network

trafc control capabilities which make it possible or the company to

guarantee I/O throughput or specic workloads, making the solutionsuitable or mission-critical applications and databases. Virtustream was

only the seventh company to be certied by SAP to run the SAP ERP

application in the cloud, a direct consequence o the provable security

and perormance levels o the inrastructure. Virtustream’s largest

client – Domino Sugar, the world’s biggest sugar rener – migrated

170 applications, including all o its SAP operations, over a 16-week

period onto the xStream platorm. Virtustream claims that the resulting

environment is the largest hosted SAP solution in the world.

Enjoying the benefts

By selecting cloud-ready IBM technology to support its cloud platorm, Virtustream has gained the rock-solid reliability and perormance to

ensure it consistently meets enterprise clients’ service level agreements

(SLAs). On the basis o its own tests, Virtustream discovered that

the IBM System x had the capacity to scale up to 112.5 percent

more virtual machines than the competing oerings the company

benchmarked. This showed Virtustream that the IBM platorm is ideal

or running multiple VMs or multiple-tenancy cloud environments.

The IBM solution provides a number o key dierentiators or

Virtustream – enabling it to oer true consumption-based pricing and

guaranteed I/O throughput or mission-critical workloads, helping

drive up client satisaction.

A study o the company’s clients has shown signicant total cost o

ownership (TCO) savings rom using the xStream platorm – some

up to 60 percent – in moving rom traditional IT environments to

the Virtustream Cloud oering. Moreover, the IBM reputation or

perormance and availability complements Virtustream’s ocus on

dierentiating itsel rom the competition by oering and meeting

enterprise-class SLAs to clients.

Solution Components

Hardware

• IBM® System x® 3650

Software

• IBM Tivoli® Monitoring

• IBM Tivoli Change and Conguration

Management Database

• IBM Systems Director

• SAP ERP

• VMware



For more inormation To learn more about smarter computing rom IBM and how we can

help you integrate, automate, protect and transorm your IT, contact

your IBM sales representative or IBM business partner, or visit:ibm.com /smartercomputing

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2012

IBM United Kingdom LimitedPO Box 41North HarbourPortsmouthHampshirePO6 3AU

Produced in the United Kingdom May 2012

IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, System x and Tivoli are trademarks o InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. A current list o other IBM trademarks is available on the Web at “Copyright andtrademark inormation” at: ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml .

Reerences in this publication to IBM products, programs or services do not imply that IBM intends to make these available in all countries in which IBM operates. Any reerence to an IBM product, program or service is not intended to imply that only IBM’s product, program or service may be used. Any unctionally equivalent product,program or service may be used instead.

All customer examples cited represent how some customers have used IBM productsand the results they may have achieved. Actual environmental costs and perormancecharacteristics will vary depending on individual customer congurations andconditions.

IBM hardware products are manuactured rom new parts, or new and used parts.In some cases, the hardware product may not be new and may have been previously installed. Regardless, IBM warranty terms apply.

This publication is or general guidance only.

Photographs may show design models.

XSC03123-GBEN-00

Please Recycle

http://ibm.com/smartercomputing


http://www.ibm.com/

http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml

http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml

http://www.ibm.com/


Documents

Virtustream builds a cloud computing platform with a difference