Converged infrastructure can save CIOs about 80% of lifetime hardware operational, testing, and planning costs. That is the result of a new Wikibon study published by Wikibon CTO David Floyer.

This figure is not specific to any one converged topology, and Floyer found that none of the choices are “bad” and IT shops have places for all of them. However, the key value in choosing is the number of SKUs. The savings is greatest if the entire topography from hypervisor to application is a single SKU. Next best is a two-SKU topology with a separate application order, etc. The reason for this is that the fewer SKUs that are involved the simpler the management becomes.

The study is the result of interviews with Wikibon members about the value propositions they derived from different converged topologies. The feedback overall was that the fewer SKUs involved, the greater the value to the business and IT.

For the business, Floyer writes, the IT value comes from deploying applications. The business value of converged infrastructure therefore comes from two major values:

1. Speed to deploy an application,
2. Speed to update functionality of an application without impacting operational service level agreements (SLAs).

The study found that one of the most common reasons that IT chose a converged infrastructure was a compelling case from the business for rapid implementation. This motivated IT to find an innovative solution to implementing new applications. The specific examples Floyer included in his report ranged from expanding into new international markets to implementing VDI. The report also includes a longer case study of using VCE Vblock for SAP converged infrastructure.

As with all Wikibon research, the full report is available without charge on the Wikibon Web site. IT professionals are invited to register for free membership in the Wikibon community. This allows them to publish their own questions, tips, Professional Alerts, and longer papers on the site and gets them invitations to the periodic Peer Incite meetings, where their peers discuss how they are solving real business and technical issues with creative use of advanced technologies.