The document discusses the vision for a "Polysynthetic Data Center", which is described as a new approach to the data center that integrates software-defined infrastructure, processes, and methodologies. It summarizes that the Polysynthetic Data Center extends beyond traditional data centers, proactively puts together systems and services to achieve business outcomes, relies on enabling technologies like software-defined concepts and the Internet of Everything, and is driven by business requirements. Implementing a Polysynthetic Data Center requires advancing infrastructure maturity and aligning organizational maturity around a services management approach.

1. The Polysynthetic Data Center
A NEW DATA CENTER / HYBRID CLOUD VISION
June 2015
© CAW Holdings, LLC

2. About
Christopher
(Chris) Williams
Chris Williams is an industry recognized, highly innovative IT
visionary in Cloud Infrastructure. Definitely not "Business as
Usual", his unique combination of deep technical and business
leadership skills make him an ideal transformation leader aligning
people, process and technology.
Original VCAP-DCD (#49) and VCAP-DCA (#225)
Acknowledged as lead architect of one of the first client
production, virtual infrastructure platforms using fully converged
infrastructure
Mentioned as one of “…the who’s who in the dataverse…” of
virtualizing Oracle on vSphere
Wrote the foreword to the VMware Press book, “Virtualizing
Oracle Databases on vSphere” (ISBN 978-0-13-357018-2) by Don
Sullivan and Kannan Mani
Veteran speaker/presenter at technology conferences and
business forums including VMWorld, VMware Partner Exchange,
Data Center Insights
Extensive experience in designing and deploying Cloud
infrastructure to support business critical applications, and
supporting business processes

3. 3
THE CLOUD PENDULUM
Seems like “Everyone is running to The Cloud”…
Simplify IT
Cheaper: Reduce Capital Expense
More flexible and agile than traditional Data Center
Business Driven Focus – Providers Compete for your $$

4. THE CLOUD PENDULUM
…But there may be trouble ahead…
For Example:
IT didn’t simplify – in fact it just got more complex
More Expensive Overall: Capital Expense went down, but
Operational Expense skyrocketed
Increased agility led to virtual machine sprawl and a loss of
control of managed systems
System performance difficult to manage or predict,
especially for business critical and tier 1 applications
Cloud Services Provider outages significantly and negatively
impacted business even though SLAs were met

5. THE CLOUD PENDULUM IS SWINGING BACK…
Reality: Not everything fits on an external Cloud.
Many (most) external Cloud platforms are just a new form of IT
Outsourcing.
Whoever controls the hypervisor and interfaces, controls everything
(including you)
You still must fully understand the infrastructure and interfaces your
apps run on, including when they are hosted on an external Cloud (the
one that you don’t really control – see the last rule)
If your applications weren’t good outsourcing candidates to begin with,
moving them to an external Cloud won’t help.
“The Cloud is like The Hotel California. It’s easy to get your applications
in, but it’s not so easy to get them back out.”
–Paul Maritz, EMC/Pivotal and former CEO of VMware
Bottom Line: The Private Data Center is Alive and Well – It’s Just
Changing!

6. Context Based Security
Private Data Center
Compute Storage Network
Service Delivery & Management Methodology
Virtualization and Orchestration
Converged / Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Cloud Service
Providers
Cloud Data
Centers
IT is in the midst of its most important transformation in decades...
Private Network /
Internet
Application
Mobility
APP APPAPP APPAPPAPP APP APP
Any User Any DataAny Device Any LocationAny Workload

7. Virtualized Storage Virtualized Compute Virtualized Network
…and now relies on fully virtualized components across the stack
Virtualized
Applications
The software-defined journey we’ve begun takes us in new directions. It’s
one that is changing the concept of the data center permanently:
• software-defined data center (SDDC)
• enterprise hybrid cloud
• big data, fast data
• mobile computing

8. SDN, SDDC, SDE, … vs. New Data
Center – What’s the difference and
how do they fit together?
‘Software-defined’
definitions
software-defined anything/everything (SDx):
“What all these ‘software-defined’ concepts really boil down to is: virtualization of the underlying component and
accessibility through some documented API to provision, operate and manage the low-level component. Analysts are
talking about Software-defined anything/everything (SDx) changing the enterprise workplace.”
-- Softwaredefined-enterprise.com
Common SDx memes:
Software-defined data center
Software-defined networking
Software-defined enterprise
SDx is a foundational, enabling
approach to embarking on the software
defined journey…

9. Internet of Things
The Internet of things (IoT) refers to uniquely
identifiable objects and their virtual
representations in an Internet-like structure.
– Proposed by Kevin Ashton in 1999 though the concept
has been discussed since at least 1991.
Internet of Everything
“Cisco defines the Internet of everything (IoE) as
bringing together people, process, data, and things
to make networked connections more relevant and
valuable than ever before-turning information into
actions that create new capabilities, richer
experiences, and unprecedented economic
opportunity for businesses, individuals, and
countries.”
– Cisco
The Internet of Everything is supported and made feasible via the software defined journey, embodied by a new
kind of data center…
Advancing the Internet of Things to its next logical step

10. ‘Poly * Synthetic’…
/ˌpälisinˈTHetik/ adj.
Usually used in Linguistics to describe a Language.
Definition – Polysynthetic Language (Google): denoting or relating to a language characterized by
complex words consisting of several morphemes, in which a single word may function as a whole
sentence. Many American Indian languages are polysynthetic.
The Polysynthetic Data Center…
The continuous predictive (re)compilation of infrastructure, process, and methodology
expressed as a single, managed data center entity. It relies on a transformational approach
to IT that enables and securely delivers on-demand services to the business by leveraging
software defined resources and shared services that can be consumed flexibly as they are
provided.

11. The Polysynthetic Data Center | Properties
A balanced, business driven IT approach integrating software defined infrastructure, process, and methodology
The Polysynthetic Data Center…
• extends beyond the traditional data center to include optimized network and cloud, both internal and external
• intentionally, proactively, and predictively puts together specific systems and services in context to achieve
specific business outcomes, which often are unique to a given organization
• will usually span multiple locations and include endpoint devices, depending on context
• relies on and integrates several enabling technologies, methodology and concepts, including SDx and IoE, as
foundational principles
• is business requirements and associated desired outcomes dynamically describing and driving IT strategy, use
and consumption – It’s not just a wave of new technology and systems
• is capable of using consumption based models (even intended to do so), although some organizations may
choose not to use this capability
• reduces cost in most cases, but cost is not the primary value driver – business agility, control, and flexibility are
more important

12. Polysynthetic Data Center: Components
Context Based Security
Private Data Center
Compute Storage Network
Service Delivery & Management Methodology
Virtualization and Orchestration
Converged / Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Cloud Service
Providers
Cloud Data
Centers
Private Network /
Internet
Application
Mobility
APP APPAPP APPAPPAPP APP APP

13. POLYSYNTHETIC INFRASTRUCTURE
Polysynthetic DC
Building Blocks:
Spans multiple physical locations and will greatly reduce the size and scope of your internal data center (but you will still need one)
Distributed IT infrastructure made up of modular components implements a single data center entity across all locations
All functional components are swappable because all of them are abstracted, while consolidating systems management
Connectivity combines Software Defined Networking and Network Feature Virtualization to ease application and system mobility
across infrastructure components
Multiple Cloud systems use common, organization owned APIs to move apps based on business need
Private Cloud Core (Command and Control)
Other Cloud
Services
GoogleAmazon
Salesforce
Site Private
Cloud
vCloud Air
Site Private
Cloud
Azure

14. SUPPORTING POLYSYNTHETIC APPLICATIONS
Leverage All Forms of Virtual Infrastructure:
Software Defined Compute
Software Defined Network
Software Defined Storage
Software Defined Software
Polysynthetic Infrastructure concepts must extend up the stack to complete the Data Center picture…
Polysynthetic Applications (a.k.a. Software Defined Software) must ideally be fully modular and both
“aware” of and use the capabilities provided by the underlying infrastructure
This isn’t as easy as it looks (and it doesn’t look easy). How do I get it RIGHT?
Virtualize 100% of everything (not just compute), including especially your Business Critical and Tier 1 Applications
Continuously mature both your technology and IT Service Delivery / Service Management capability
Align your technology to support your business goals – and then continuously keep them aligned
Enabled: Polysynthetic Infrastructure
Enabled: Polysynthetic Data Center

15. BUSINESS CRITICAL AND TIER 1 APPLICATIONS
• The first cornerstone: virtualizing business-critical applications
• What’s business critical?
Question: “Can I run my business without this application?”
Answer: “No” or “Not for very long” = Business Critical
• Business-critical apps are also tier 1 apps, but not all tier 1 apps are business-critical
• Most business-critical and tier 1 apps have one or more of the following in common:
• High compute loads – either with heavy threading or heavy math processing
• High RAM utilization
• High and specialized I/O – particularly storage
• High availability configurations – often requiring OS or application clustering
• Complex networking configurations – public and private networks, often to support clustering
Today’s vBCA questions: Now that I’ve virtualized my business critical apps, where is the best place to host them? How do I know
they’re optimized? When do I move them? Can my infrastructure support them, especially as they move?

16. Implementing a Polysynthetic Data Center requires aligned maturity in 2 key areas:
Commitment to advance your IT infrastructure, including non-x86
platforms
• Software-defined Compute (Machine Virtualization)
• Software-defined Network (Network Virtualization)
• Software-defined Storage (Storage Virtualization)
• Software-defined Software (Application Virtualization)
Integrate and balance internally and externally provided services, including
cloud
Ensure all physical components meet the demands of your data center
approach
Key Milestones:
Virtualize all business critical and
tier 1 applications
Converge Infrastructure (especially
network and storage)
Optimize utilization across cloud,
network, shared services and
internal systems
Polysynthetic Data Center: Getting It Right…

17. Implementing a Polysynthetic Data Center requires aligned maturity in 2 key areas:
Align the organizational roles and responsibilities
to a services management approach
Define, simplify, optimize, and then automate core
operational processes (across the enterprise)
Weighing and balancing on-premises and externally
provided services and disciplines
Stack Management
“I need an Oracle database
server. It should be based on
my standard build…”
“I need a standard database system…”
“I need a data service to provide
information for my
Upcoming marketing Initiative…”
“…to support my new sales automation
application…”
Systems Management
Services Management
17
Polysynthetic Data Center: Getting It Right…

18. When technology and organizational maturity don’t align…
Infrastructure becomes chaotic and almost impossible to manage
• Lots of tools for individual point solutions with little to no strategic oversight
• No integration or coordination or management between systems
• Technology and infrastructure sprawl (including VMs)
• Overly complex systems and configurations
• Greatly increased operational risk
• Increased costs
Like giving the keys to the McLaren MP4 to
a teenager who just got his driver’s license…
When technology gets too far ahead:
18

19. Bureaucracy reigns and becomes a “wet blanket”
• Processes become overbearing (process for the sake of process)
• Air of “nothing gets done without someone else’s approval”
• Loss of agility – process overrides capability
• “Shadow IT” becomes a common way of doing things
• Increased costs
When processes and organization get too far ahead:
Like making an elite F1 race driver
compete on the track with a Trabant…
When technology and organizational maturity don’t align…
19

20. When first deploying,
start small and grow
Once your platforms are
established (and growing),
it’s time to move systems
Replace vs.
migrate vs. retire
• Remember: KISS
principle first – then
Think Big, Start Small,
Scale Fast…
• Bake a “batch of
cookies” and perfect
the recipe
• Bake several batches of
cookies – make sure the
recipe doesn’t change
• Build cookie factory…
• Driving a train and
changing rails
• Understand where you’re
migrating to and why (private
cloud, public cloud,
outsourced, managed
service)
• Many systems will migrate
easily
• Some systems will migrate
with difficulty, often the
oldest or most critical
systems
• A few systems will just go
quietly…
Maturing to the Polysynthetic Data Center
getting started

21. Maturing to the Polysynthetic Data Center
achieving business goals
Understand business
goals first
New technology will
intentionally add layers of
abstraction in your Data Center
– Avoid adding corresponding
layers in your organization
Keep organizational
maturity aligned and
slightly ahead of
technology maturity
• Business and IT leadership
must consistently
communicate and remain
strategically aligned
• Implement services
management capability in IT
operations
• Align services provided to
business goals
• Abstraction in technology will lead
to more complexity
• Abstraction in organizations will
lead to more bureaucracy
• Optimized infrastructure
architecture and organizational
design are key to reaping the full
benefits
• Higher maturity is not higher
complexity
• Resist technology for
technology’s sake
• Resist process for process’ sake

22. Thank You!
CHRISTOPHER A WILLIAMS
FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, CAW HOLDINGS, LLC
E: CHRISW@CAWLLC.COM P: (303) 507 -1331
“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly,
knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall
catch excellence.”
--Vince Lombardi