Data Center Optimization by Managing the Virtual Infrastructure

Virtualization is transforming every part of the data center optimization process, especially servers and storage. Virtualization technologies like VMware ESX bring benefits that include better utilization of IT investments and staff, increased flexibility, faster responsiveness to business needs, and more flexible services through resource sharing.

Managing virtualization technologies requires a new approach. Traditional management software tools were designed to manage physical resources and do not provide sufficient visibility into virtual resources; they do not clearly identify the interdependencies between virtualized servers and storage systems. Because virtualization breaks the relationships between physical server, network, and storage components it can be difficult to diagnose and address operational problems using traditional software tools. Many companies are looking for better ways to manage performance and resource utilization as their virtual environments scale up.

Akorri BalancePoint is designed to help get control over virtualized IT environments by managing performance and utilization across the server and storage domains.

Here’s what BalancePoint can do:

• Maps the physical and virtual resources for each application running on a VM, and identify interdependencies. BalancePoint’s ViewPoint Topology maps show exactly how everything is connected.
• Measures the performance of each physical and virtual element, and system performance as a whole using Akorri’s GuidePoint™ mathematical modeling technology.
• “Fingerprints” the performance workload type of each VM, showing how each is performing and how much capacity is used.
• Provides alerts and recommendations for remediation when performance or utilization problems exist in the virtual infrastructure. Baselines the performance and utilization requirements of applications before they are moved to virtual servers.
• Identifies which VMs are “resource hogs” so you can keep them from impacting other applications. BalancePoint  also helps identify how many more VMs your system can handle.
• Provides greater control over managing I/O performance, so more performance sensitive apps such as databases or mail servers can be moved to VMs.
• Produces “key performance indicators” (KPIs) such as Infrastructure Response Time (IRT) and Performance Index (PI)to help you keep an eye on the health of the virtual environment and take action before problems occur.
• Provides daily updates on the exact efficiency and current necessities of your environment, and helps plan future requirements through a comprehensive and flexible reporting engine.

To request a free demo version of BalancePoint as Virtual Appliance, please click here