IT is in the crosshairs of a major data center architecture transition driven by a phenomenal rise in factors including Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and real-time analytics, finding a deeper relevance in the current business landscape. Over the last year, Intel developed the concept of software-defined infrastructure (SDI) as the next step in datacenter transformation. One of the main aims of Intel’s SDI is to do away with the problems of rigid and proprietary systems, which means that an easy switch from different service providers for all your datacenter pieces is now possible. To this end, the concept behind SDI is to extend the definition of the software-defined datacenter (SDDC), and create a kind of “IT nirvana” if you will, where storage and networking pieces can quickly, easily, and cost effectively be brought together. While we may not be there just yet, this is a very good start.
Intel introduced SDI primarily to make IT more flexible, agile, and cost-effective, but there may be other ways to utilize its capabilities as well. One of the ways SDI could have a tremendous impact, is by optimizing the IoT value chain. Think of the IoT value chain as a collection of products and solution providers, right at the core of a device (such as a processor or OS) to the cloud, including all of the data analytics and application software that comes in between. Data analytics driven by the Internet of Things value chain could be an effective use case for cloud data centers looking to implement SDDC practices that encompass both SDI and SDN (software defined networking). I’ll talk about this aspect of SDI briefly in this article, but if you want more information on the topic, you can read more here.
