readiness assessments

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READINESS ASSESSMENTS Kicking Off Successful IT Projects

AUTHOR PAGE:

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Assessments allow businesses to uncover potential issues ahead of time, forcing discussion about defining “ Success “ and project ROI. The Assessment will also provide key stakeholders the detail necessary to increase confidence in a successful project outcome.

Bill Annino is the Vice President of Data Services at Carousel Industries and the survivor of hundreds of IT projects. 02

TABLE OF CONTENTS: PAGE

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CHAPTER 1: Why Readiness Assessments Matter CHAPTER 2: Best Practices to Consider CHAPTER 3: Voice over IP (VoIP) Readiness Assessments CHAPTER 4: Video Readiness Assessment CHAPTER 5: Secure Mobility Readiness Assessments CHAPTER 6: Power & Cooling Readiness Assessments CHAPTER 7: Data Center & Desktop Virtualization Assessments

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CHAPTER 1:

WHY READINESS ASSESSMENTS MATTER With network technology becoming ever more complex and IT teams being asked to do more with less, taking the time to plan thoroughly prior to kicking off your IT projects is more critical than ever.  

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CHAPTER 1:

WHY READINESS ASSESSMENTS MATTER

of IT project failures can be attributed to project management and planning source IBM

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54 %

DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! Assessments Increase üü Technical accuracy üü Shareholder project understanding & buy in Likelihood of: üü Meeting project timelines üü Meeting Budgetary expectations üü Meeting employee expectations

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CHAPTER 1:

WHY READINESS ASSESSMENTS MATTER

source IBM

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40%

Only of IT projects meet schedule, budget and quality goals.

With such a high percentage of IT projects destined for failure, it just makes sense to bring “best practices” based readiness assessment processes to the front of the project.  Unexpected costs, dissatisfaction with project results and the potential for abandoned projects are all risks that can be mitigated with proper planning.

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CHAPTER 2:

BEST PRACTICES TO CONSIDER Ensuring an IT project is properly prepared for requires engaging all relevant IT, business and partner stakeholders. A key step is to identify all technical and business goals across the group to ensure your infrastructure is prepared.

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CHAPTER 2:

BEST PRACTICES TO CONSIDER

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Leveraging the engineering and project execution expertise of the professional service lead and the product manufacturers pays huge dividends.

GET THESE PEOPLE ENGAGED (at a minimum)

üü Project leader üü Network team üü Security team üü Physical infrastructure üü Business unit leaders üü Professional Services üü Software vendors üü Hardware vendors üü QA team üü Executives (project sponsors)

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CHAPTER 2:

BEST PRACTICES TO CONSIDER AVOID MISSTEPS Allowing each stakeholder to define and discuss how the various technical needs for their project will effect others in the delivery team and how they relate to other team members technical initiatives. This lowers risk and aligns the priorities and expectations of the entire group.

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CHAPTER 2:

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Every enterprise IT project impacts your network. How will yours hold up?

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BEST PRACTICES TO CONSIDER

KNOW HOW YOUR NETWORK WILL REACT: üü Traffic simulation and testing üü Quality of service (QOS) üü Network configuration üü Bandwidth , packet loss, latency üü Wireless capacity üü Security and Firewalls üü Physical Infrastructure üü Data center utilization levels üü Desktops, Laptops and BYOD endpoints

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APPLICATION-SPECIFIC ASSESSMENTS

Each IT Project comes with its own unique challenges and requirements. Whether it is VoIP, Video, Secure Mobility, Physical Infrastructure or Virtualization initiatives, these insights will help you avoid project pitfalls and save time and money.

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CHAPTER 3:

VOICE OVER IP (VOIP) READINESS ASSESSMENTS

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CHAPTER 3:

VOICE OVER IP (VOIP) READINESS ASSESSMENTS To ensure that your VoIP call network is reliable and robust, it is vital to perform a complete evaluation of your current network infrastructure and Avaya VoIP system. This will enable your enterprise to establish an efficient environment for IP telephony by accurately determining how your existing network will respond to the demands of an enterprise Voice over IP communications system. These assessments can range from basic voice traffic simulation with quality MOS measurements including LAN/WAN QoS policies, IP Phone DHCP/backup settings up through more comprehensive evaluations of your deployed AVAYA solution including Enterprise VoIP Optimization, Network Region design, CAC, Data Network implications and beyond.

5x

Resolution Costs

MITIGATE RISK üü Post-cutover resolution can cost up to 5 times more üü Rollout of new capabilities delayed due to escalation üü Network/Telephony downtime negatively impacts uses and productivity

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CHAPTER 3:

VOICE OVER IP (VOIP) READINESS ASSESSMENTS

of the time. Is your network ready?

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“ 100% Phones need to work

VOICE READINESS ASSESSMENT OPTIONS CAN INCLUDE: üü Comprehensive voice traffic simulations and testing üü Network design review and QOS benchmarking üü Identification of potential network performance issues with remedy proposals üü Network region/IP codec design review üü Full QoS (Quality of Service) review of reliability, scalability, packet management, endpoint quality and more üü VoIP network configuration review

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CHAPTER 3:

VOICE OVER IP (VOIP) READINESS ASSESSMENTS Reality and best practices don’t always match up. With hundreds of enterprise VoIP implementations under our belt, Carousel suggests you perform a Gap Analysis that includes: üü Analysis of network region design of existing Avaya Communication platform üü Review of encryption use and effectiveness of data security measures üü Evaluation of IP telephony installation environment, FCE survivability, software and firmware üü Review of existing standards documents for Avaya infrastructure, including test and failover plans

PLANNING EXPANSION AND MAJOR CHANGES? IS THE VOIP FOUNDATION STRONG ENOUGH?

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CHAPTER 4:

VIDEO READINESS ASSESSMENT

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CHAPTER 4:

VIDEO READINESS ASSESSMENT An effective and productive video teleconferencing solution requires the support of a stable, reliable networking and IT infrastructure. Analyzing your network in detail is critical in order to determine your current capacity for utilizing video services and understanding remedies for weaknesses in your network.

DIG DEEPER:

READ MORE ABOUT ENTERPRISE VIDEO ON OUR BLOG

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CHAPTER 4:

VIDEO READINESS ASSESSMENT

BANDWIDTH STRESS TEST

PACKET LOSS SIMULATIONS

LATENCY & JITTER ANALYSIS

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CHAPTER 4:

VIDEO READINESS ASSESSMENT NETWORK FEELING DOWN? STRESSED OUT

Undertaking a comprehensive bandwidth stress test will evaluate your network under both typical and peak loads to determine its fitness to accept or support a video teleconferencing system.

SENSE OF LOSS

Network testing with precision tools to simulate packet loss over your enterprise network in various point-to-point scenarios will provide you with an analysis detailing the packet loss “break point” as it exists on your current infrastructure.

FEELING SHAKY?

Delays in the communication response time of your data network - transmission latency - can introduce poor video quality, jitter, usability issues and other quality loss problems to your video teleconferencing network. 19

CHAPTER 5:

SECURE MOBILITY READINESS ASSESSMENTS

DIG DEEPER:

READ MORE ABOUT SECURE MOBILITY ON OUR BLOG

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CHAPTER 5:

SECURE MOBILITY READINESS ASSESSMENTS For enterprises with rapidly increasing mobile demands, a project readiness assessment delivers the intelligence necessary for ensuring a project that succeeds at delivering secure and reliable wireless productivity at work.

START HERE! Network Review üü Review of current working environment and mobility requirements üü Growth planning and business process review Usage and Applications üü Mobile device review and profiling of most common mobile usage patterns üü Review of existing compliance frameworks and critical secured mobile applications

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CHAPTER 5:

SECURE MOBILITY READINESS ASSESSMENTS SECURE MOBILITY CHECKLIST üü Review of existing network segmentation, NAC and MDM architecture üü Review of firewalls, IDP devices, edge and client protection measures for mobile effectiveness üü Review of existing remote access solutions for use in a BYOD mobile environment üü Review of mobile device acceptable use and security policies üü Review of data classification and data storage on mobile devices as part of your Data Leak Prevention policies and processes üü Review of authentication and enforcement policies and processes üü Best practices review of existing and proposed mobile network design

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CHAPTER: 6

POWER & COOLING READINESS ASSESSMENTS

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CHAPTER: 6

POWER & COOLING READINESS ASSESSMENTS

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By reviewing your data center’s energy management infrastructure you can identify gaps in your power/cooling planning and opportunities for making your facility more robust and efficient.

Initial evaluation should include: üü Rack level power analysis üü Visual UPS inspections üü Visual room power distribution inspection üü Visual precision cooling inspection üü Room drawings with dimensioning produced in Microsoft Visio

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CHAPTER 6:

POWER & COOLING READINESS ASSESSMENTS With Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis you can simulate your entire data center, load it with equipment, turn everything on and see what happens.  By performing a CFD analysis you can simulate air flow to and from servers and CRAC units, see how air recirculates and identify opportunities for improvement. You can find problem spots and update your plans before costly decisions are made, saving time and money.

DIG DEEPER:

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST ON OUR BLOG TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CFD AND HOW IT SAVES COMPANIES MONEY. 25

CHAPTER 7:

DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS

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CHAPTER 7:

DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS DATA CENTER VIRTUALIZATION READINESS Virtualization has ushered in a revolution in how the modern data center operates, offering strong bottom line advantages for companies eager to consolidate their computing resources and reduce long term IT costs. But how does your current virtualization solution truly match up to that promise?

PERFORM A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF YOUR EXISTING VIRTUAL SERVER CONFIGURATIONS. üü Complete configuration analysis performed by VMware vCenter Operations Manager software üü Deep configuration discovery for full suite of VMware virtualization platforms üü Operating System patch version and level assessments üü Review of security infrastructure for compliance with industry best practices üü Server hardening analysis based on VMware and Microsoft guidelines

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DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS Perform a complete evaluation of the applications and data relationships currently hosted on your virtual servers. üü Complete survey of customer environment, business requirements and data management strategies üü Full inventory of existing virtualized application components and services üü Analysis and visualization of existing communication paths and application relationships üü Application dependency review and mapping of underlying virtual infrastructure

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DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS MAKE SURE IT’S THE RIGHT SIZE A Virtualization Performance and Rightsizing Assessment Should Include: üü Trend-based storage analysis and long term utilization review üü Comprehensive guidance report for optimizing virtual server density üü Identification of chronic storage capacity shortfalls and areas of reclaimable waste üü Full review of platform health, operational risks and long term performance needs üü Long term growth and risk planning based on “what if?” scenario projections

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CHAPTER 7:

DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS DEFINE DESKTOP USE CASES

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Start by defining exactly how the platform will be used by various groups of users, and ensuring you meet all of their requirements.

Whether it’s contact center agents or sales people, each group within a company has certain software that they use, including operating systems and applications, along with hardware requirements, from desktops and laptops to tablets, printers and input devices such as smart card readers. Matching the ‘desktop’ with the ‘users’ and ensuring your network can support their requirements is the essence of VDI.

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CHAPTER 7:

DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS A crucial element to the success of a VDI deployment is ensuring the underlying network can handle the additional traffic. Every single user request now has to travel over your corporate network to a server. It all adds up. And nothing will torpedo a VDI deployment faster than users suffering with poor response time.

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CHAPTER 7:

DATA CENTER & DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION ASSESSMENTS Virtual Desktop Network Readiness Checklist üü Evaluation of existing data center utilization level, performance and capacity üü Complete inventory of enterprise desktops, hardware and software applications üü Review current network infrastructure for fitness to support virtualized desktops üü Recommendations for eliminating unnecessary hardware and software redundancies üü Plan development for consolidating server resources to optimize storage utilization üü Memory, CPU and storage performance review to determine individual application demands üü Development of complete implementation road map based on measured technology requirements üü BYOD platforms and support requirements

DIG DEEPER:

READ THE FREE WHITEPAPER – 3 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL DESKTOP DEPLOYMENT 32

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