CLDS001: ODCA and Usage Models for Cloud Computing
Published on 11 Sep 2012 · Filed in Liveblog · 639 words (estimated 3 minutes to read)This is session CLDS001, titled “The Open Data Center Alliance and Developing a Usage Model Roadmap for Cloud Computing.” The presenters are Mario Mueller, VP of IT Infrastructure at BMW Group and John Pereira, a marketing director at Intel. Both Mueller and Pereira are also involved with the Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA).
The session starts out with some background on ODCA. The ODCA is driven by customer requirements and customer demands, and the requirements are not guided by any vendor bias (at least, that’s the goal). The ODCA acts in three ways: create and deliver open cloud services; collaborate with standards bodies to create open cloud standards; and something else I wasn’t able to catch. (Sorry.)
The ODCA has hundreds of members. There are organizations on the steering committee (like BMW), contributing members (like Nokia or Verizon), solution provider members (like CiRBA, Citrix, Cisco, RedHat, CA, VMware, Teradata, Hortonworks, and more), and adopter members (too many to list). Intel serves as a technical alliance to the ODCA, but does not have a voting role in the ODCA.
ODCA started in late 2010 with only 5 organizations, quickly growing to 70 members aiming to create user-driven cloud requirements. In 2011, the ODCA released its first set of user-driven requirements (focused on security), and membership increased significantly. In 2012, the ODCA held Forecast (tied in with Cloud Expo) and the first solutions provider summit, and more usage models were released.
The lifecycle for usage models:
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First, the ODCA defines usage models (customer voice).
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Next, align the SP solutions to ODCA (industry solutions).
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Third, members start to adopt solutions (initial adoption).
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ODCA shares the results of customer adoption (scale out).
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Usage models are evolved based on the results of customer adoption (learn).
Pereira next takes the audience through a sample usage model, this one focused on security monitoring. Following that, Pereira matches up various Intel technologies (he does work for Intel, after all) to various ODCA initiatives.
At this point, Mueller (with BMW Group) takes over, and starts his section with a brief video. (Unfortunately, it’s mostly a BMW commercial.) As a result of BMW’s adoption of ODCA-related initiatives, Mueller reports the following results (among other things):
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99.95% IT availability in plants
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Consolidation from 25 data centers to 9 data centers
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Energy savings of about 4900 MWh per year
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53% reduction of the highest risk segment
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Annual 20% reduction of critical incidents with business impact
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55% of the IT budget is spent on developing and enhancing IT solutions (only 45% for operations)
Even with these results, BMW is still seeking to improve uptime, self-service, automation, and flexibility/elasticity.
Naturally, BMW faces a number of challenges:
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Lock-in with proprietary solutions can happen quickly; must be avoided
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Operational reservations (fear of losing control)
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Licensing and license management
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Migration scenarios
BMW uses/used ODCA usage models in their datacenter/cloud design, and references usage models in the procurement process. Mueller states that BMW is “100% committed to the goals of the ODCA”.
Which usage models has BMW adopted? BWM is using material from both the operations usage model (service catalog, standard unit of measure) and technology usage model (carbon footprint, VM interoperability, long-distance workload migration). Repeating an earlier announcement, Mueller talks about his 100% renewable energy-based datacenter in Iceland. This datacenter has a PUE of <1.2 and produces zero carbon dioxide emissions.
Mueller now shifts his discussion to BMW ConnectedDrive, which now has more than 1 million cars delivering data. This will generate enormous amounts of data and lots of application requests. This service is something that must be built to exacting levels of performance and availability, given the visibility of the service to the end customers of BMW (the car owners).
Mueller ends the session with a call to join ODCA and help “shape the future,” and then opens the floor to questions from the attendees.