Microsoft Private Cloud part 2: unlimited virtualization rights
A new whitepaper was released in January comparing private cloud solutions from Microsoft and VMware, taking a look at the functionality, benefits and economics of each solution. This series of blog posts breaks down the components of the whitepaper into consumable chunks and I’ve added my own commentary.
Licensing rights for your cloud
Private cloud building is not for everyone. That’s right – I said it. Despite some of the FUD that exists out on the Interweb private clouds are not the best option for everyone and their dog. While you gain in security and control, you lose in economies of scale. Licensing through the Enterprise Enrollment for Core Infrastructure means that you need 50 processors to use initially, which is a fair bit of computing power, and you have to be ok with making a 3 year commitment.
However, for companies that are looking to better use their IT infrastructure in a way that adds real value to the business and who want or need more control than what a public cloud scenario can provide, building a private cloud is a great option to have. The tools (Windows Server + System Center) have been around for a while and are proven solutions which your IT staff are likely already familiar with. Compared to other options, using Windows Server and System Center is quite cost effective (more on this coming in future posts in this series).
From the white paper:
Microsoft Private Cloud – Unlimited Virtualization Rights Microsoft private cloud solutions are built using Windows Server with Hyper-V and System Center – the combination of which provides enterprise class virtualization, end-to-end service management and deep insight into applications so you can focus more attention on delivering business value. Microsoft private cloud solutions are delivered through our wide ecosystem of partners and are offered as custom, pre-configured, or hosted offerings - so, no matter your unique business need; there is a Microsoft private cloud solution for it.
Microsoft private cloud solution is licensed through the Microsoft Enrollment for Core Infrastructure1 (ECI) licensing program. ECI is a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) enrollment, available in two editions (Datacenter and Standard), that allows a simple and flexible per processor licensing option.
ECI Datacenter is strongly recommended for customers exploring Microsoft private cloud solutions.
ECI Datacenter edition includes Windows Server Datacenter, which supports unlimited virtualization rights. This means that customers license on a per processor basis, with ability to have unlimited Windows Server based virtual machines on a particular physical processor. Additionally, ECI Datacenter also includes System Center 2012 Datacenter edition, which provides rights to manage an unlimited number of physical or virtual operating system environments. The components of ECI Datacenter are shown below.
Fig. 2: Microsoft ECI Datacenter Components and Value Proposition
Our approach is focused on delivering the benefits of scale to you – through unlimited virtualization rights and significantly simplified licensing for Windows Server and System Center. A deeper cost analysis is provided in the Private Cloud Economics section of this whitepaper.
