At the start of 2023, comdivision was tasked with evaluating the existing global IT infrastructure of the company. Based on a survey conducted at 78 subsidiary locations, a conceptual design and an implementation strategy were developed, achievable by our client within three years.
During the assessment, comdivision identified these main issues:
Business Continuity Risk: Vital IT services are vulnerable at low-availability sites, which threatens business activities. A revamped global IT architecture would address this by boosting reliability and uptime.
Centralized IT Services: To meet compliance, governance, and availability requirements, IT services should be centralized and offered from strategically located data centers. This will improve consistency, control and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.
Economies of Scale and Operational Efficiency: Adopting standardized components and services can achieve cost and operational efficiencies, making IT management and maintenance more streamlined.
The client chose to implement VMware Horizon on Azure in conjunction with the Azure VMware Solution (AVS) to address these challenges. The solution offers the comdivision provided a solution using a hybrid cloud in three strategic locations covering the Americas, EMEA, and ASIAPAC. The solution includes three main types of presence:
Supported by client-operated data centers and/or a specific public cloud, the Client Cloud delivers services for Remote Offices/Branch Offices (RoBo) and edge locations according to a unified global architecture. The Client Cloud focuses on key aspects such as availability, scalability, manageability, and security to secure a reliable and robust infrastructure for the organization's IT requirements. Managed by a global IT team, this private cloud provides a manageable, dedicated environment that combines the benefits of cloud computing with the enhanced control and adaptability of on-premises infrastructures.
An edge location is a strategically placed, compact computing unit providing specialized local services (such as for production processes) based on standard edge modules (small/medium) to meet the needs of specific, remote locations. Operated remotely by a global IT team, edge locations ensure efficient monitoring and management of the infrastructure. Employing redundant Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) connections, edge locations maintain reliable and resilient communication with the cloud and other edge locations, optimizing network performance and securing uninterrupted service.
A RoBo (Remote Office/Branch Office) location is a remote computing facility designed to support the operations of an organization's satellite sites by exclusively consuming IT services from the cloud. Based on standard RoBo modules (small/medium), it provides a scalable and flexible infrastructure tailored to the needs of remote offices or branches. Operated remotely by global IT personnel, RoBo locations ensure efficient management and monitoring without the need for onsite IT staff, resulting in a zero-touch IT experience.
Business Continuity Risk: The revised, global IT architecture can diminish the risk by ensuring increased availability and reliability.
Centralized IT Services: Centralizing IT services from strategically placed data centers will reinforce both consistency and control while guaranteeing regulatory compliance.
Economies of Scale and Operational Efficiency: Standardized modules and uniform services will enable cost and operational economies of scale. Streamlining processes and reducing complexity will lead to a more efficient IT service management and maintenance.
Enhanced Security and Compliance: The proposed new architecture can bolster security and ensure compliance by centralizing IT service provision and implementing uniform security protocols across all sites.
Optimized Network Infrastructure: mplementing SD-WAN at the core of the new IT architecture can enhance network performance as well as reliability and security, resulting in a smoother user experience and better support for business-critical applications.
The existing IT infrastructure underscores the need for an updated global IT strategy. This overview emphasizes the main reasons for a new IT architecture, designed to address challenges and improve organizational efficiency, security, and scalability. "comdivison, with their standardized approach, was able to quickly analyze our existing infrastructure. The provided design allowed us to quickly understand the future version and execute a swift transition approach with the continued support of the comdivision architecture team," the CIO of the customer added.
