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Archive for category Best Practices

5 Strategies for Moving Your Business to the Cloud (Article)

May 25

Posted by Anil Desai in Articles, Best Practices, Cloud Computing, Systems Admin | No Comments

BizTechLogoI recently wrote an online article for BizTech’s Small Business magazine, titled “5 Strategies for Moving Your Business to the Cloud“.  Here’s the introduction to the topic:
Small businesses can use the cloud to gain scale and ensure that their infrastructure keeps up with their growth ambitions.
When a small company finds itself growing, it often faces serious challenges in maintaining an IT infrastructure capable of keeping up with the rest of the business. Leveraging cloud implementations can provide huge benefits to small companies facing these challenges. However, as with any IT initiative, a sound technology strategy can make the difference between success and failure. Here are some important considerations, based on my consulting experience…
Please see CDW’s BizTech site for the complete (free) article and more cloud-related articles for SMB’s.

Building and Managing Storage Environments for MSPs: Free Webinar on 05/27/2015

May 22

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Cloud Computing, Storage, Systems Admin, Virtualization, Windows Server | No Comments

I’ll be presenting a Ziff-Davis webinar on the topic of Building and Managing Storage Environments for MSPs.  The topic will cover best practices and considerations for moving from local-based storage architectures to storage-based service offerings.  For more information, or to register for the free webinar, please visit Building and Managing Storage Environments for MSPs.

Attend the Microsoft MVP Virtual Conference: May 14-15, 2015

Apr 24

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Cloud Computing, Databases / SQL Server, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Presentations, Virtualization, Webcasts, Windows Server | No Comments

MVP15_MicrosoftMVP_VC_EmailBannerMicrosoft is soon hosting a great free event that Microsoft and the MVPs are putting on, May 14th & 15th.  Join Microsoft MVPs from the Americas’ region as they share their knowledge and real-world expertise during a free event, the MVP Virtual Conference.  As a member of the IT Pro selection committee, I can definitely vouch for the many interesting session topics (I’m planning to attend as many as I can on both says).

The MVP Virtual Conference will showcase 95 sessions of content for IT Pros, Developers and Consumer experts designed to help you navigate life in a mobile-first, cloud-first world.  Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Developer Platform, Steve Guggenheimer, will be on hand to deliver the opening Key Note Address.

Why attend MVP V-Conf? The conference will have 5 tracks, IT Pro English, Dev English, Consumer English, Portuguese mixed sessions & Spanish mixed sessions, there is something for everyone!

Come learn from the best and brightest in the tech world today. All of the sessions will all be delivered by the Americas’ Region Microsoft MVPs. These MVPs are experts who present at premiere conferences, independent community events and local user groups all over the globe.

This is a technical conference focused on helping attendees to learn and develop skills for everything from everyday technical work to wackier weekend projects. Whether it is on the IT Pro, Dev or Consumer side of things, you can bet that the content of MVP V-Conf will be cutting edge, exciting and relevant.

Be sure to register quickly to hold your spot and tell your friends & colleagues.

The conference will be widely covered on social media, you can join the conversation by following @MVPAward and using the hashtag #MVPvConf.   We hope to see you there!

Optimize SQL Server with Flash Storage: Webinar

Mar 12

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Databases / SQL Server, Storage, Systems Admin, Virtualization | No Comments

On March 12th, I’ll be presenting a free online webinar titled, “Optimize SQL Server Performance with Flash-Based Storage – On a Budget“.  Here’s an overview of what the session will cover:

Are you tired of database latency? Low transaction throughput? Have you created a complicated storage design just to eek out a few more IOPS? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you should consider investigating flash-based storage. A flash-based storage array provides consistent performance, simple storage design, and low latency for SQL Server workloads such as OLTP, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing.

Register for the webinar to learn more about how moving to flash-based storage addresses many of the pain points that application owners and DBAs face in the spindle world.

SQL Server and storage-related issues are among the most common issues I run into with my clients.  This presentation, sponsored by PureStorage, will try to dispel many of the myths and not-so-best practices, and will include some real-world input from Rob “barkz” Barker, Solutions Architect at Pure Storage.  Be sure to register if you’re planning to attend!

Windows Server Software-Defined Storage and Networking Presentation: Dec. 5th, 2014

Nov 24

Posted by Anil Desai in Automating / Scripting, Best Practices, Microsoft Hyper-V, Networking, Presentations, Storage, Virtualization | No Comments

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I’m excited to have been given the opportunity to present at the December meeting of the Central Texas Systems Management User Group (CTSMUG)!  I’ll try to post some more details on the topic here within the next week. 

The meeting starts at 10:00am and includes lunch.  For details (including directions and a full agenda) and to register to attend, see the Event Details.  There are lots of other interesting topics on the agenda, so do try to attend if you’re in the Austin area!

BrightTALK Webinar: Windows Server Enterprise Storage and Networking Features

Nov 14

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Management, Microsoft Hyper-V, Presentations, Storage, Virtualization, Windows Server | No Comments

imageOn December 9th, 2014, I’ll be presenting a free online webinar titled, Windows Server Enterprise Storage and Networking Features.  Here’s a quick overview of the topic:

IT professionals face many challenges in their struggle to deliver the infrastructure, applications, and services that their organizations need. Common issues include limited budgets, datacenter infrastructure complexity, and technical expertise to support a wide variety of changing goals. The presentation will provide guidance and best practices for data center admins that are looking for cost-effective ways to increase automation, improve hardware resource utilization, and provide HA/DR features without having to make costly investments in third-party products.
This webinar will discuss:

  • Features that include support for iSCSI-based SANs,
  • SMB-based virtual disks
  • Management UI and automation improvements
  • The latest version of Hyper-V
  • Low-cost high-availability

Register online if you’d like to attend!

Note: To access the recording of this session (and all of my past BrightTALK webinars), please search using https://www.brighttalk.com/search?q=Anil+Desai.

Upcoming Cloud and Hyper-V Webcasts on BrightTALK

Jul 16

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Cloud Computing, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Hyper-V, Networking, Presentations, Virtualization | No Comments

BrightTALK

I have a couple of upcoming presentations on the BrightTALK web site.  The presentations are free to attend are available online (registration is required).  Also, feel free to take a look at my previous BrightTALK presentations.

Designing Cloud Architectures with Hyper-V

August 8th, 2013 at 11:00am Pacific

Presentation Link

Designing Cloud Architectures with Hyper-VMany of the technical aspects of cloud-based solutions are a natural progression for those environments that want to expand upon their virtualization deployments. This webinar will provide technical details and best practices for deploying new features in the Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V 3.0 platforms. Topics will include reducing storage costs, implementing high-availability and disaster recovery, and improving automation to reduce data center costs and increase efficiency.

Streamlining IT Operations with Windows Azure

October 8th, 2013 at 3:00pm Pacific

Presentation Link

Streamlining IT Operations with Windows Azure

While few would call the use of cloud-based technologies a “quiet revolution”, Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform has expanded into a wide range of different services that can be leveraged to reduce costs and increase IT efficiency. The challenge for IT professionals is to arrange the pieces of the puzzle into an optimal arrangement for many different types of workloads. This presentation will focus on practical advice for using SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS approaches to building private, public, and hybrid clouds. It will include examples of applications and workloads that could benefit from the use of cloud technology, and the benefits and drawbacks each approach.

Note: To access the recording of this session (and all of my past BrightTALK webinars), please search using https://www.brighttalk.com/search?q=Anil+Desai.

BrightTALK Presentation: Application Performance Monitoring (APM) in Virtualized and Cloud Environments

May 24

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Cloud Computing, Presentations, Storage, Virtualization, Webcasts | No Comments

imageOn June 6th, I’ll be presenting another live, free webinar on BrightTALK.  The title is Maintaining Service Levels with APM in Virtualized & Cloud Environments.  Here’s the abstract/overview of the content:

Significant changes in IT infrastructure approaches are driving data centers towards high levels of efficiency and automation. Virtualization and public/private/hybrid cloud architectures can help reduce costs and simplify administration, but the primary goal for IT organizations is to ensure that the applications and services they deliver meet or exceed their users’ needs. This presentation will provide advice and recommendations that focus on end-to-end monitoring and management of highly virtualized and cloud infrastructure components, including user experience, storage, networking, and hypervisors.

Visit the site to register for the webinar, or use the below information to sign up. And, while you’re there, be sure to check out the huge library of related content that’s available for free!

A BrightTALK Channel

Note: To access the recording of this session (and all of my past BrightTALK webinars), please search using https://www.brighttalk.com/search?q=Anil+Desai.

BrightTALK Webcast: Managing VM Sprawl: [Re]gaining Control of Your Data Center

Jan 4

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Cloud Computing, Management, Presentations, Virtualization, Webcasts | No Comments

imageI hope the New Year is off to a good start for everyone!  For many data center administrators, the tasks related to supporting a wide variety of virtual machines and related infrastructure is going to take a lot of time and resources.  To help address some of the chaos, I’ll be presenting a free webcast titled Managing VM Sprawl: [Re]gaining Control of Your Data Center at the upcoming BrightTALK Virtualization Conference.  The presentation will take place on January 11, 2012.  Here’s an overview of the topic:

As virtual machines have become the default method of deploying new applications and services many organizations have found that they’re encountering the problem of “VM Sprawl” – the rapid proliferation of VMs that make management difficult.

In this presentation, you’ll learn:

  • Common causes of VM sprawl and how to address them
  • Specific technical administration issues that are unique to virtual machines
  • Methods of managing a VM’s “life cycle”, from initial deployment to retirement
  • Ways to maintain control of data center resources while also allowing for end-user self-service
  • Ways in which automation can help manage the major causes of VM sprawl

This online conference provides a wide variety of different presentations, so be sure to check out information about the Virtualization Summit and register for the event.

Note: To access the recording of this session (and all of my past BrightTALK webinars), please search using https://www.brighttalk.com/search?q=Anil+Desai.

Talk TechNet Webcast: Virtualization Q & A

Jun 1

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Management, Microsoft Hyper-V, Microsoft System Center, Virtualization, Webcasts | No Comments

imageI was recently invited to be a guest in a TechNet Webcast.  The Webcast is scheduled for Friday, June 10th at 11:00am Central time.  You can see more details and register to attend at the following page:

TechNet Webcast: Talk TechNet with Keith Combs and Matt Hester – Episode 36: Virtualization with Anil Desai (Level 200)

Here’s a brief overview of the topic description:

Want to talk about Virtualization?  This is the show for you.  Anil Desai is a Microsoft Windows Server Virtualization MVP so bring your Hyper-V questions. I’m sure Anil will be happy to takes questions on some of the other products like System Center Virtual Machine manager.  Tune in and listen, call in, or send us questions on the web via Live Meeting.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to get your questions answered.

Presenters: Keith Combs, Sr. Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation, Matt Hester, Sr. IT Pro Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation, and Anil Desai, Independent Consultant, Microsoft Windows Server Virtualization MVP

I look forward to answering questions from attendees!

Webcast: “Understanding and Managing VM Sprawl”

Dec 1

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Management, Policies, Presentations, Security, Virtualization, Webcasts | No Comments

The idea of virtual machine “sprawl” – the rapid proliferation of VMs without adequate IT oversight or management – seems to be a popular one.  I have written and spoken on this topic before, but there have been enough changes in the tools and implementation methods for server virtualization to merit an updated presentation.  That’s the topic of a recent webcast that I recorded for TechTarget’s SearchCIO.com site. 

The webcast is titled “Understanding and Managing VM Sprawl”.  An archived version is available for viewing at no cost (though registration is required).  Here’s a brief abstract of the topic:

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Virtualization can help address many of IT’s biggest headaches, but it can also lead to a problem known as "VM sprawl" – the rapid proliferation of VMs without sufficient IT oversight.  The result is an environment that doesn’t meet security or administration requirements, putting applications, services, and data at risk.

This webcast will provide an overview of VM sprawl – its root causes and related issues, along with ways to mitigate the main issues.  Specifically, it will provide best practices for managing the entire virtual machine life cycle (from deployment to retirement) and details related to tracking VMs in the environment.  The webcast will then describe how automated virtualization management solutions can help provide all of the benefits of virtualization with minimum administrative overhead.

The content is targeted towards IT managers and higher-level IT people.  It focuses on virtualization management strategies, though there’s a good amount of technical depth.  The presentation is roughly 45 minutes in length.  I hope you find it useful, and feel free to post questions or comments here.

Microsoft Virtual Event: The New Efficiency

Oct 23

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Presentations, Virtualization, Webcasts, Windows 7, Windows Server | No Comments

If you’ve been following some of the latest keynotes and presentations from Microsoft, you’ve probably run into the theme of “The New Efficiency”.  Microsoft has been using this term to describe the benefits of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010.  While listening to presentations can be useful, it’s also valuable to spend some interactive time with other technical professionals and experts.  To that end, Microsoft is hosting another live “Virtual Conference” on October 27, 2009.  Visit the Event Overview page to see details of the virtual conference.  Here’s an excerpt that describes what’s covered and who will be presenting:

Join renowned Microsoft technologies expert Paul Thurrott, Windows IT Pro senior technical director Michael Otey, Exchange guru Paul Robichaux, and Windows IT Pro editor in chief Jeff James for an in-depth, spin-free deep dive into the new efficiency.
In just three hours, directly from your own computer, the keynote and three technical sessions will provide you with:

  • an overview of everything that Windows® 7 has to offer
  • a deep-dive into enterprise-oriented features such as AppLocker, Branche Cache, DirectAccess, federated search, and BitLocker to Go
  • a complete coverage of all of the new features and functionality brought by Windows® Server 2008 R2, including Hyper-V virtualization with live migration and PowerShell 2.0
  • an in-depth presentation of the rich user experience, the many deployment options, and information protection and control capabilities offered by Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010
  • a clear understanding of the ways Windows® 7, Windows® Server 2008 R2, and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 work better together

This event is presented in an interactive, real-life simulation! You will experience a lifelike visual environment, networking and interactive tools, staffed sponsor booths, and educational chats to complement each conference session.

I’ll be available to answer technical questions in the Microsoft booth during the morning sessions (from 9:30am to around noon Central time).  Feel free to stop by and ask questions or view the materials and presentations that are available online.

For more details, see the Agenda and Speaker Info pages.  Be sure to Register – it’s free, and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home or office to attend. 

Best Practices to Prevent and Manage Virtual Machine Sprawl (White Paper)

Jul 1

Posted by Anil Desai in Articles, Best Practices, Management, Virtualization | No Comments

Sun-manage_vm_sprawlOften, new technology tends to bring with it some new problems that need to be addressed.  Granted, the problems are “better” ones to have, but they’re important concerns nonetheless.  Server virtualization is no exception.

It’s somewhat ironic that one of the main problems that server virtualization is designed to address, server sprawl, is often replaced with a similar problem – VM sprawl.  It’s a topic that I’ve written a lot about in the past and on this blog.  I recently revisited the topic and expanded on it in a White Paper that I wrote for Sun.  Here’s the introduction from Best Practices to Prevent and Manage Virtual Machine Sprawl:

While server consolidation using virtualization can significantly decrease costs and improve efficiency, organizations often find that they need to deal with an associated issue: the rapid proliferation of VMs with inadequate management. This article will provide best practices for addressing the issue of "VM Sprawl", including the following:

  • Creating and enforcing deployment policies
  • Detecting and addressing unauthorized VMs
  • Managing security and compliance in virtual environments
  • Managing the entire VM lifecycle and Planning for VM retirement
  • Sidebar: Steps to gaining (or regaining) control of a virtual environment.

The White Paper is available for free, but registration on the Sun Web site is required.

Hyper-V in Review: Strengths and Drawbacks

Sep 8

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Microsoft Hyper-V, Virtualization | No Comments

It has been several months since Microsoft’s Hyper-V has become officially available.  Since then, there have been some twists and variations, including a dedicated Hyper-V Server product that doesn’t require any Windows Server licenses (I’ll write about that sometime in the future).  It seemed like a good time to take a small step back and re-assess the state of Hyper-V.  In the early days, there was no shortage of fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) being cast at the product.  Just a few months later, most experts seem to agree that Hyper-V is ready for the Enterprise and is a perfectly-viable option for data center deployments.

My recent SearchServerVirtualization.com article, Assessing Hyper-V’s Benefits, limitations looks at some of the details.  From the article’s introduction:

Earlier this year, the letters "ESX" were synonymous with server virtualization and VMware seemed to be the only practical game in town. It has now been a few months since a stealthy little software behemoth from the Pacific Northwest released its serious virtualization contender. And in that time, things have changed. In this tip, I’ll highlight some of the post-release considerations for Hyper-V.

Hyper-V’s strengths and weaknesses
Hyper-V’s primary strength is probably its ready availability in the data center. If you’re running Windows Server 2008 on 64-bit hardware, you’re just minutes away from enabling an industrial-strength Hypervisor. Hyper-V’s management tools should be familiar to anyone who manages Windows systems, and the last few months have shown that it is a stable and reliable option for the data center.

Of course, Hyper-V is not without its limitations. Virtualization experts are quick to point out that it doesn’t support live migration of VMs between servers and doesn’t allow administrators to over-commit memory (VMware provides both features). But, Hyper-V provides numerous options based on clustering, so building highly-available Hyper-V deployments is possible and supported. Users of this new product on the enterprise virtualization scene will need some time before completely trusting this candidate over the incumbents.

The full article is available for free and provides details related to support policies, and technical pros and cons of Microsoft’s latest virtualization product.

Optimizing Hyper-V Performance

Jul 28

Posted by Anil Desai in Best Practices, Management, Microsoft Hyper-V, Virtualization | No Comments

If you’re in touch with your geeky side, there’s a good chance that you’re always looking for ways to squeeze more performance out of your IT investments.  This is especially true for situations that involve virtualization, where some of the primary motivation is reducing costs through server consolidation. 

I have recently written two articles for SearchServerVirtualization.com that cover the  topic of monitoring and optimizing your VMs that are hosted on Microsoft Hyper-V.  Some might be obvious, but others are somewhat cleverly-disguised.  The first article, Optimizing Hyper-V performance: Monitoring tips focuses on ways in which you can make sure your host servers and VMs are running smoothly.  From the introduction:

How can you be sure whether your Hyper-V host servers and virtual machines (VMs) have been optimally configured? Installing and enabling Microsoft Hyper-V and creating VMs is a fairly straightforward process; but the techie tendencies in all of us seems to nag the question "Isn’t there something more I should do to improve performance?" This tip targets system administrators who have deployed Hyper-V and want to ensure that they’ve made the most of host servers and VMs.

The second article, Optimizing Hyper-V performance: Advanced fine-tuning provides details on Integration Services, synthetic vs. emulated drivers, and ways in which you can improve overall performance of storage and network resources.

I hope these articles will serve as a useful checklist for Hyper-V management.  If you have any further suggestions, feel free to leave them as comments here or on SearchServerVirtualization.com.