We conclude our article series on the new balance between the cloud and the modern data center. This week, we explore how to create this effective balance between the cloud and data center with trusted partners to help guide you on the journey.
Each data center is unique, and each business operates its critical infrastructure differently. Maturity in our industry is both great and a bit of a challenge. In the past, going to the cloud was a default answer to many challenges. This is why working with partners that assist and strategize around the cloud and data center balance is a powerful advantage.
Today, business and IT leaders expect a greater balance between cloud systems and data center solutions. By understanding where a workload operates best, they can make better IT decisions that impact their business while reducing cost and complexity.
The challenge becomes managing it all transparently. With more distributed systems, increased complexity and, in some cases, supporting critical legacy infrastructure, it can become overwhelming to wrap your head around supporting so much.
The other variable is to what extent you’re supporting your systems holistically. Too many contracts and data points will leave you with admin fatigue and too many data points to examine. In working with modern systems encompassing cloud, on-premises, edge and now high-density compute solutions, you must cover all your bases. Partners like Service Express take a holistic and consultative approach to understanding the balance and what’s best for a company’s requirements. In many cases, these considerations include legacy hardware and software components. With older systems still operational and critical, data center and IT operators will still want support and coverage. Working with a partner that offers post-warranty support alongside engineering services for essential legacy gear is a crucial consideration.
If your organization has equipment on-prem or in a colocation, working with a reliable partner will save your team time, money and potential headaches.
Modernization efforts and real-world impacts
Finding the right balance between cloud and on- prem means reflecting on your current business model. With complexity growing and distributed systems becoming the new operating normal, critical infrastructure leaders have turned to partners like Service Express to optimize their IT teams and improve overall business functions. Finding the right balance means ensuring you have the right processes to support an often complex and distributed business.
Remember, by leveraging alternative solutions to traditional OEM maintenance options, you can use TPM for warranty, post-warranty, gap, EOL and End of Support Life (EOSL) for your server, storage, network and software support. Third-party support can help you significantly reduce maintenance spending, strategically extend hardware life cycles, maintain productivity and more.
Further, working with a TPM has a lot of cost- savings incorporated as well. The OEM business model relies heavily on new product sales and solutions, which demand research and development budgets, cutting-edge technology and a large team of developers. OEMs also shoulder much more significant overhead and legacy costs.
Service Express operates differently. They focus on helping IT professionals optimize their investment in OEM equipment and solutions as effectively and as long as possible, according to current and future needs. With decades of experience, a database of equipment insights, stringent inventory processes, advanced automation technologies, a robust supply chain and more, Service Express can better control costs. The result is that they pass savings directly to customers without compromising on service or innovation.
Finally, this service doesn’t stop at new or modern gear. Legacy infrastructure and software components are also supported. Working with legacy infrastructure support is a great way to extend the life of your equipment and reduce costs, but you’ll still need maintenance and support.
Working with a TPM like Service Express allows you to create that balance between modern infrastructure, cloud computing and legacy components.
Final Thoughts and a Look Into the Future
There’s no slowdown when it comes to our adoption of new technologies; just look at the meteoric rise of ChatGPT. Every metric shows more connected devices, more data flowing and higher reliance on the modern data center. More so, we’re seeing critical pieces of infrastructure being pushed further and further into the edge.
Working with reliable partners will help you pave your digital path and reinvent your data center to get you to the next level.
Finally, it’s important to note that infrastructure modernization isn’t just deploying brand new equipment and software services. Instead, infrastructure modernization is a holistic approach to better understanding your IT requirements and business. Modernizing the services around critical legacy infrastructure is often a part of the equation. You don’t need to replace it, but you do need to find the right balance to manage these critical pieces of your environment.
A cloud and data center balance will revolve around the most optimal use of your critical systems. You’ll also need to find ways to support these systems alongside business, IT functions and physical infrastructure. To reduce clutter, eliminate data overhead and develop true modernization efforts, consider those partners that enable infrastructure support and help you find the right technology balance.
Download the full report, Top Methods To Modernize and Balance Your Infrastructure, featuring Service Express, for checklist to use when comparing providers.
