Of VMware And Shipping Containers

I came across a useful analogy to describe what server and desktop virtualization might really mean to the broader IT ecosystem.

I was having a great discussion with a network service provider, and we were discussing trends in our business that might create opportunities in his business.

And, strangely, I found myself talking about shipping containers.

It's Hard To Beat A Good Analogy

If you're in the job of explaining things, you know the value of a great analogy.  When it works right, it's a powerful shortcut to key concepts that can take a long time to explain, and -- even then -- you don't get the visceral engagement you can evoke with a great analogy.

Analogies have their limits as well.  And if you're talking to someone with a certain, well -- precise -- orientation, they enjoy finding the places the analogy doesn't work.

Fine -- at least you understand the core point.

The Story Of Shipping Containers

A lot of stuff gets moved around the world by truck, train, ship, etc.  I remember a time when the truck would drive to the port, all the stuff would be loaded onto a ship, the ship would get to the other end, more effort to unload the ship, put the stuff on a truck, and then to a train, and so on.

Lots of effort -- friction in loading and unloading stuff.

A while back, someone one came up with the idea of a standardized shipping container.  People who made stuff would load up the container at their location, and the container would be seamlessly transferred between different modes of transportation.

Costs were reduced.  Speed increased.  New options for moving stuff were created.  And if you were in some part of the transportation ecosystem, you had to think about things differently.

VMware As A Shipping Container?

You hear the word "containerization" when people talk about certain aspects of server and desktop virtualization. 

Your server, desktop, application, etc. is now a file that can easily be moved and run anywhere.

Just like a shipping container, it now moves much easier from place to place.

We usually think of this ease of movement in terms of things like HA, load-balancing, server migrations, consolidations, etc.

All useful and valuable.  But that's just the opening game, I'd offer.

Now Let's Juxtapose The "Shipper"

When standardized shipping containers were introduced, everybody in the transport business had to scratch their heads, and revisit their services and offerings about the new model.

And, just maybe, those people who sell network services to corporations might see the same sort of phenomenon.

Now that there's a standardized container, what might people want?

Example #1 -- Load Balancing Across Multiple Data Centers

If you're a large IT shop, you've probably got multiple data centers.  And in your dreamier moments, you can probably envision a world where compute loads can be actively balanced between locations, whether server or desktop.

But there's a problem -- the network. 

If you're moving something from A to B, you need a boatload of instantaneous bandwidth to move application and data -- for a very short period of time.

And networks today are generally priced on aggregate bandwidth, and not instantaneous needs.

Now, if a network was priced by the "move" -- how much, how fast, it'd be a different game, right?

It would be somewhat easier to decide whether the optimization gains by a "move" of a server or desktop from A to B would be outweighed by the costs of doing so.

And, just maybe, we'll see network providers offering a "move virtual container" service and pricing model.

Example #2 -- Follow The Sun

EMC does a lot of software development around the globe.  Different teams work on different aspects of the project at different times of the day.

Some of our teams have containerized the development environment (with VMware, naturally), and ship it around from place to place as needed.

The network groans when this is happening, but if someone offered us a "move" network service, it'd be a different game.

And I'm sure we're not the only ones who are doing this, or will want to in the future.

Example #3 -- The Container Cloud

After a while, I've had a few customers in virtualized environments take a look at their landscape and wonder why they're still supplying power, pipe and ping for their containerized server and desktop images.

I mean, what value is added by having something run here rather than their.  And if someone can do so better / faster / cheaper by leveraging economies of scale, why not?

These senior IT people still want control of what goes into the container, who accesses it, etc.  But they're now interested in simply having a network service that runs the containers they've built -- in addition to moving it to the right place at the right time.

Traditional outsourcers may not be well positioned for this new requirement.  What the customer wants is essentially a network service -- go run this thing on my network, and don't need the value-add that traditional outsourcers do for traditional IT.

If this market emerges (as many of us think it will), who's going to meet this need?  Maybe it's yet another aspect of the container business.

And I'm Sure There's More To This ...

... but I think you get where the thinking might go.

In the physical world, the introduction of containerization revolutionized the business permanently.  And if you were in the shipping business, this was a big deal.

In the information world, we're watching containerization being introduced as we speak.  And if you're in the network (i.e. shipping) business, this may be a big deal.

We'll see!

BTW -- Check Out Chad's Blog

My fellow EMCer Chad Sakac is blogging up a major storm over at http://virtualgeek.typepad.com.  If you've got the same passion for VMware-related topics as I do, it's quickly become a must-read for many of us.

Comments

[Sam]

In the shipping business the introduction of containerization is a big deal.

Shipping Container

[Storage Masters]

I think that standardizing anything would really make the world a better place, no more second guessing! Shipping containers provide the best example of how it would be very efficient if things were just standardized like these are!

[Ed Grigson]

Great analogy, and one that still holds nearly four years later. I've just posted an update to this exploring the concept a bit further;
http://www.vexperienced.co.uk/?p=989