Spring 2018

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]One size fits all was never a good idea for consumers buying clothing, and it certainly doesn’t work well for purchasing IT. That’s because every business is different. Each enterprise has unique business processes, security concerns, customer demands, and financial limitations. Because of these differences, enterprises worldwide are turning to a better IT strategy–hybrid IT.

Hybrid IT complexity slows digital transformation

Hybrid IT gives enterprises more options, letting them choose public cloud, private cloud, on-premises solutions – or a combination of all three. It also lets them blend CapEx, OpEx, as-a-service, and pay-per-use consumption models.

Sound complicated? Well, it can be. That’s part of the reason why businesses are accelerating their need to develop and implement a successful digital transformation strategy. Hybrid IT is helping enterprises pursue digital transformation, but as you would expect, the picture is not completely rosy.

In 2017 IDC conducted in-depth interviews at Fortune 1000 enterprises that had been disrupted by digital transformation. According to the report, The Future of Hybrid IT Made Simple, ninety percent of those interviewed said that their firms have deployed a hybrid IT strategy consisting of on-premises infrastructure and multiple cloud providers. IDC concluded that this multi-cloud strategy will eventually lead to unmanageable asset sprawl–unless a comprehensive hybrid IT strategy is implemented.

Enterprises are focused on two things: keeping their business running and supporting digital transformation initiatives that will keep them competitive in the market. Hybrid IT allows them to do that—but at a cost. For IT operations staff, hybrid IT is more complex in terms of deployment and ongoing management. Initial set up takes more time, and training people to use different portals is time-consuming and costly.  Application developers struggle with inconsistencies of services across private and public cloud. And line-of-business (LOB) executives are concerned with fragmented business controls and governance standards, as well as escalating costs.

Although a hybrid IT strategy increases options, it also increases complexity. An enterprise must decide the best place to run workloads and then efficiently manage and track hidden expenses for a variety of workload deployments. Because speed and agility are vital for today’s digital business, hybrid IT’s complexity problem must be solved.

Innovating on behalf of customers

To speed digital transformation while simplifying the many IT options available, enterprises are turning to industry experts. One such expert is Optio Data, a Data Strategy company.

Optio Data helps customers do business faster and more efficiently by delivering state-of-the-art IT solutions. Achieving this goal requires an innovation mindset, so Optio Data is always exploring new ways to solve its customers’ unique challenges.

In the fall of 2017, Optio Data agreed to beta test HPE OneSphere, an as-a-service hybrid-cloud management platform that simplifies management of cloud environments and on-premises infrastructure. They were looking for a simple-to-deploy and easy-to-use solution that would help a wide array of customers move toward digital transformation, while evolving legacy environments.

Digital transformation for legacy infrastructures

Optio Data wanted a solution that addressed the needs of customers who required not only the fast and flexible development options that a cloud-based solution can provide, but also the security and control of keeping their solution on premises. HPE OneSphere provided the answer.

HPE OneSphere’s open environment enables the use of public, private, and third-party service catalogs, providing customers with multiple options to both fulfill their user needs and meet their SLA and business obligations.

Simplifying IT management

Optio Data also needed to address the complexity of managing enterprise IT environments, especially those that incorporate hybrid IT capabilities. “A lot of our customers are surrounded by competing obligations. They’ve got so many things going on that the technology typically isn’t the issue,” continued the Optio Data engineer. “They’ve got their own internal pressure from management. They just need to have something that works.”

HPE OneSphere simplifies IT management because it brings multiple IT environments into a single view. The Optio Data engineer went on to explain, “HPE OneSphere definitely makes internal processes simpler. You no longer have five requests to get a new server stood up. You have one request to get access to a pool of resources and bang, you’re done.”

Consolidated resources save time, money

A unified view in HPE OneSphere means that an IT manager can set up secure environments that allow different teams more self-sufficiency in using their IT resources as needed without the aid of additional requests to IT. This functionality not only reduces requests, but also cuts overhead management, allowing people to work faster.

For example, HPE OneSphere enables the DevOps capabilities needed to support fast application delivery, including detailed usage and cost metrics, as well as self-service access to users across lines of business, development, and IT.

One feature in particular that differentiated HPE OneSphere for Optio Data was its fast setup and ease of use. From onboarding the environment to actually using the application, HPE OneSphere was up and running in a single day.

“My first impression of HPE OneSphere was that it’s very quick and easy to get up and running,” concluded the Optio Data engineer. “I’m traditionally used to this type of solution taking days, weeks, or even months to set up and be ready to use. HPE OneSphere was ready to use after roughly a day.”

Controlling they complexity of hybrid IT Digital transformation is key to helping businesses succeed in this rapidly changing world. And a comprehensive hybrid IT strategy is supporting that digital transformation – as long as complexity is controlled. HPE is excited to partner with Optio Data, providing the expertise, software, and hardware that businesses need to simplify their hybrid IT strategy.

To listen to Optio Data talk about their HPE OneSphere beta test experience, watch this video:[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uyzKpJFHWE&feature=youtu.be” el_width=”70″ align=”center”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Learn about HPE’s approach to controlling hybrid IT complexity by checking out the HPE website, HPE OneSphere.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]