I have discussed the importance of management and planning in a virtualized environment. IDC Technologies is predicting 20% annual growth in virtualization management software going from $871 Million market to $2.3 Billion by 2013.
Management software has been around for many years but is often shelfware. The challenge with management software is that all too often businesses will purchase the software with little to no budget for getting the software installed and their team trained. The logic is that “this is just management software” and not critical to the operation! We can just have Joe the Network Administrator run with it. Joe agrees to take on the task but with little to no experience or training. The software is setup in a manner that is not according to best practices. Joe and the rest of the team find the management software is cumbersome to operate and monitor. No one uses the software or updates …. Shelfware! The conclusion: “This management software is no good!”
The key to having success with management software is five steps:
1. Take plenty of time to select the management application and then have the team commit
2. Senior leadership needs to be committed to implementing and using the application
3. Have a consultant implement the solution according to best practices
4. Have proper training for the internal owner of the application and the team
5. Have a consultant do some hand holding and follow-up … checking back to ensure that the application is being used correctly
In a virtualized environment management software will rise in importance for successful operation so get your arms around it and commit to your solution for success.
Source Article: Virtualization Management Software Market to Grow, IDC Says: