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In my last post I said I'd be writing a series of posts on where I think the data center is headed. This is the first in that series and it starts with my blueprint of the journey that we're all on to simplify the data center...customers and vendors alike. If you look back at the history of IT development, the industry typically works in major 10 year cycles, where new technologies are envisioned, developed, and deployed. About the time this new technology hits the mainstream, we as developers are already thinking about what the next big thing is. This has been true since the early days, though the trend lines are accelerating compared to earlier trends. Some of these trends include mainframes, PCs, client/server, Internet, and now virtualization. Inside of these trends are mini-trends such as Web 2.0 or SaaS, which are actually fine tuned implementations of the macro trends. The graphic below shows you my take on the next major trend. It's really all about creating the Dynamic Data Center. I'd argue that virtualization isn't really a trend (even though I called it one above) but rather a technology advancement that has enabled us to progress toward a truly Dynamic Data Center. It's an important technology, but it's "just" a technology...a means to the end we all are shooting for. CIOs are not screaming that they need virtualization. They are screaming about needing a lower cost, more flexible data center. The first phase of this new trend is the Server Consolidation phase. This is where the first wave of technologies - Server Virtualization, are inserted in the data center. These are products like VMware ESX, Citrix/Xensource, Microsoft Hyper-V, etc. These products allow servers to be partitioned securely, enabling multiple applications to run in virtual containers as if they have their own underlying hardware. This technology is a takeoff on the mainframe VM capability. The innovation is applying this powerful concept to the x86 architecture. The result is that server utilization can be increased, lowering CAPex, power, and cooling. However, it often has the unfortunate side effect of making the data center more complicated, as now IT managers need to manage virtual machines in addition to physical machines. That being said, it is still very valuable and powerful technology. No question. Phase 2 is about reducing complexity - both the complexity that is inherent in the data center today as well as that introduced by Phase 1 technologies. Key to this phase are technologies such as IO virtualization and enhanced management software. If phase 1 was all about virtualizing the server, phase 2 is about virtualizing and simplifying what surrounds the server. One thing I think that will be critical to phase 2 success are common standards. Phase 1 was for early adopters and companies could deploy their technology with little regard for interoperability. In phase 2, simplification means that applications and virtual machines must work in a heterogeneous environment. This is at all levels, not just the server level. For example, there must be a path for virtual machines that run on VMware to migrate to a Xen environment and vice versa. There must also be common management interfaces. This is key to starting the next, and final phase of this wave, the Business Agility Phase. In the BAP, applications are delivered wrapped in virtual machine templates and can be deployed on any server at any time. In fact, the deployment rules are based on business SLAs managed by automation engines (more on this in my next blog). So that is the journey as I see it today. From static, inflexible data centers to fully automated, dynamic data centers. All the fun will be in how we get there! Stay tuned for more on that.