The maturity of the cloud and rapid advancements in data center infrastructure is driving IT executives to rethink their strategy on how IT services are delivered to their business. There are many taglines used to describe these technology improvements such as optimization, transformation, etc. Management might see this as a challenge. However, visionaries will see this as an opportunity.
In today’s blog, we’ll focus on the executives who have accomplished the crucial first step, identifying the need to change. But how do you start, build a business case and gain key stakeholder buy-in?
What is a Workload Assessment?
Simply put, a workload assessment involves examining your applications and the underpinning infrastructure, comparing against service offerings and new technology platforms now available and determining the appropriate placement of these workloads to improve delivery and reduce spending.
So is this a technology assessment? Technically, yes, but the focus should be on the application, or more importantly, the business requirements.
This is a top-down approach where your firm’s strategy is owned and defined. Fundamental requirements such as security and compliance will drive the first level of decision criteria for the assessment. The next level involves understanding the strategic importance of each application – be it to customers, internally, or a combination. These requirements will continue to refine decision criteria that will drive each placement decision.
The outcome of the assessment will include a current state to future state mapping of your application portfolio along with projected TCO and ROI to justify the initiation of transformational programs and projects.
Below are three tangible benefits from completing a workload placement assessment:
Identification of Cloud Suitable Workloads
Are internal, rarely used applications running on enterprise-grade infrastructure within your data center? During the analysis phase, you will classify your applications based on purpose, availability, performance, compliance and other business requirements. Perhaps some of your applications are better suited for a pay-as-you-go cloud solution, far more cost-effective than continuously refreshing and supporting data center hardware.
Data Center Consolidation Opportunities
Due diligence will surely include diagnosing redundant applications, powered on equipment that is no longer being used, or other unused technology that can be removed from your environment. Simultaneously, newer cutting-edge technologies that are denser and more powerful, will reveal how you can do more with less. The result will be the need for a smaller physical footprint. Maybe those multiple sites you are supporting can now be consolidated?
Acquire Full Transparency and Visibility
At an absolute minimum, the completion of your assessment provides full transparency into your application portfolio and supporting infrastructure requirements to ensure service levels are achieved. Data gaps, risk identification and improvement opportunities will be tracked and acted against to ensure you are delivering quality service to your consumers. Armed with this knowledge, you are empowered to make smart, priority-based decisions on what changes will have the highest impact on your company.
The Align Solution
Are you ready to transform? Align's Discovery & Assessment Lite program can help jumpstart your transformation. Download our Assessment Lite Overview to learn more. Align brings over 3 decades of experience and a comprehensive approach to transformations, ensuring the very best in current and future state workload assessments and results-drive migration to get you where you want to be.
If you’re already dreaming about your future state, contact us today to get started.
