Chuck's Blog

And Even More VMware Goodies

Things come in waves, don't they?

Just now, someone sent along a great presentation on how ControlCenter 6.0 (EMC's multi-vendor storage management software) does useful things like report on storage utilization on a per-VM basis, visualizes VMs in the storage topology correctly, even does chargeback on a per VM basis (among other neat tricks).

If you're thinking about managing VMware storage at scale, it's worth a scan ...

More VMware Goodness

I know a lot of you out there are really into this VMware thing, as am I.

Well, someone sent me a few cool links today, and I wanted to share.

The first was an impressive WebEx demonstration on using space-spaving snaps to make VDI setup and administration a breeze.  Not for the technically faint-of-heart.

Yes, it's really fast, but I wonder how fast it'd be on an enterprise flash drive?? ;-)

In the same vein, I also got sent a WebEx link showing SRM (Site Recovery Manager) going through its paces with EMC replication technology.  Again, not for those of you who don't like gory details.

I really enjoyed both, and learned a lot.

See all the VMware-related videos from EMC here.

Tiers, Tiers Everywhere

I've been noticing increased activity from vendors large and small to offer newer tiers of storage in our crowded, noisy marketplace.

That's a good thing -- the more choices we all have, the better.

But, at the same time, I think it's also important to have a bigger context about what's going on here, and what it might mean for consumers of these technologies.

Physical Security and Information Management

There's an important new class of information that's being captured more frequently -- and that's physical security information.

All those CCTV devices and other sensors you see everywhere are silently gathering more and more information about us and our movements. 

And, despite the obvious benefit of providing more security for all of us, it's raising interesting questions at several levels.

This post was triggered by an interesting press release today, announcing further progress on EMC's physical security solutions.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know I like to dig down behind these announcements, and share the story behind the story; hopefully to expose an interesting thought or two.

And this one is no exception.

The Future Of IT -- Very Big and Very Small?

So, you either believe that IT is undergoing yet another upheaval, or you don't.

You either buy into Nicholas Carr's core premise (as found in "The Big Switch"), or you don't.

But if you do buy into these ideas, there's another implication to consider.

There will likely be very little medium-sized IT in the future.  Just the very big, and the very small.

Which NGDC Do You Want?

The acronym stands for "next generation data center", and -- once again -- this discussion is very much in vogue across the industry. 

So many pieces are coming together, that there's a new hunger for a conversation around "what does it all look like in a few years".

I think there's actually two distinct NGDC models emerging, and -- the real question is what kind of business do you see yourself in?

Information Governance -- An Update

Like many of you, I tend to be on the lookout for interesting trends in this industry.

No surprise, but trends come and go.  Some start out strong, but may lose steam or morph into another discussion entirely.

Others continue to gather steam until the concept becomes part of our overall fabric of thoughts and ideas.

And I think I owe you an update on "information governance". 

I'm Starting To Really Like These Guys ...

We all read lots of different things from different sources. 

But, I've got to tell you, I'm starting to read the Xconomy guys more and more -- great, insightful thinking that goes far beyond the usual coverage that's either shallow, incorrect or both.

As an example, you'll probably appreciate this take on some key aspects of EMC's acquisition strategy.

Interesting reading!

Data DeDupe -- Product or Feature?

Ah, you've got to love this bloggy world we're living in.

Today's post was driven by industry speculation that EMC and Quantum might be doing something.

Which, of course, lead to a broader discussion on data deduplication.

And, inevitably, I felt I might weigh in and try and attempt a tiny bit of clarification here.

VDI -- The Red Hot Discussion

I've never seen anything like this in the industry.  VMware is going from strength to strength in a way that's hard for many of us to fully comprehend.

Just when you thought the server-oriented ESX party was raging, over the last 6-12 months the VDI discussion has become extremely interesting, especially to larger organizations who are seeing the potential to save money, deliver better user experiences, improve security and so on.

As a result, a number of vendors are being drawn into extremely interesting conversations around VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), including EMC.

I thought I'd offer up a few thoughts on this, based on what I'm hearing from people.