Taking the no fuss,no surprise routeto evergreen IT
How Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) helps
you manage tight budgets and long lead times
to provide scalable and customizable IT

Introduction

Managing IT equipment
refresh in a world of change
In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world, IT teams face a constantbattle to ensure that their enterprise’s workforce is fully equippedwith the right tools to do the job.
Whether it is a sudden switch to hybrid working or a need to scale
quickly to support digital innovation, new hardware, software, andsolutions must often be implemented promptly and efficiently tosupport business operations.
But that’s easier said than done. IT acquisition and implementation can becomplicated and the process is often characterized by lengthy procurement
periods and delays. The inflexibility of procurement processes has been
exacerbated by the pandemic, with the fragility of global supply chainsleaving many enterprises suffering severe disruption and scrambling foralternative sourcing options. Many of the challenges stemmed from thespeed at which things could be delivered, with research from Gartner1
showing that more than half of IT leaders in 2021 reported a decreasein IT equipment and that, as a result, 40 per cent planned to duplicate
key suppliers to create redundancy.
These challenges have led many organizations to consider new waysof gaining on-demand access to computing resources. Most notably,
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – where organizations can access thelatest industry-leading solutions such as data center servers through a
no-risk, no-surprise, pay-as-you-go consumption model - emerged asa game-changer as it simplifies the management and provisioning of IT.
This e-Book considers the benefits of IaaS in today’s dynamic businessenvironment. It shows how it can be deployed to free-up budgets andresources - helping IT leaders concentrate on more value-added activities
such as delivering digital innovation.

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Taking the no fuss, no surprise route to evergreen IT

Challenges

The challenges
faced by IT leaders
Many IT leaders will recognize the challenge of delivering business objectives within theconfines of restricted budgets. Traditionally, procurement processes based on upfront
capital expenditure have met the need for new hardware, software, and solutions. Thisapproach makes the IT department a ‘cost-center’ with considerable resources required
to purchase and maintain new equipment before needing to do it all over again when
the next refresh cycle comes along.
CAPEX procurement also takes time and requires a large amount of internal oversight.
Typically, a Request for Proposals needs to be issued, and formal processes must be
followed before a successful supplier can be put in place. For the hard-pressed IT
manager challenged to keep up to date with technology trends, refresh cycles andlengthy procurement processes can be a source of immense frustration and can result in
the use of outdated equipment. This inflexibility can also cause significant problems whenan organization needs to respond quickly to external challenges by implementing newworking patterns, often at short notice.
Global supply chain problems have made traditional approaches to IT procurement evenmore challenging. According to research by the Uptime Institute2, the pandemic, extreme
weather and political change/instability have caused interruptions to global supply chains.
This looks set to continue with the tightness of supply for many critical components,from chips to power electronics and even major electrical equipment. Consequently, theresearch showed that most data center operators expect problems with the supply chainof critical data center products such as servers in the coming two years. They predict itwill affect either capital expenditure projects or the general availability of IT equipment,with only one in four expecting no delays or impacts.
So, CAPEX IT procurement does not always provide the answers. IT leaders are therefore
looking for more agile and adaptable ways of refreshing their hardware and software,and increasingly want to deal with suppliers who can help manage this process fromstart to finish.

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Taking the no fuss, no surprise route to evergreen IT

IaaSIntroducing IaaS as a concept
So, why do these business challenges create the right environment for Lenovo’s TruScale IaaS? The
answer lies with the inherently flexible nature of the as-a-service concept. Instead of ‘buying’ equipment
such as data center servers, IaaS means organizations can access state-of-the-art equipment througha no-risk, no-surprise, pay-as-you-go consumption model that can be easily scaled without incremental
capital investments. For IT managers, this approach presents multiple advantages over traditional
procurement approaches.
These include:

Access to the right equipment,
without delay:

Simplifies the IT supply chain:

The PAYG model means organizations canbenefit from state-of-the-art equipment without
lengthy budget approvals and procurement delays.

Many as-a-service providers offer a portfolioof solutions, easing supply chain complexity byreducing the number of vendors that IT leadersneed to deal with each day.

Equipment stays supported
from cradle to grave:

Trusted advice at a time
when needed most:The as-a-service approach means infrastructureis always supported, eliminating the risks ofdowntime and obsolescence.

As-as-service providers are usually experts in thelatest hardware, software, and services, meaningthat they can act as an extension of internal IT
teams, especially during staff shortages.

There is a bigger picture to be considered, too. Scalable and customizable IaaS solutions support thesudden and unpredictable adoption of more flexible working patterns across an enterprise, somethingwhich proved crucial for many organizations following the onset of the pandemic. And IaaS offers
a proven approach to delivering a genuinely modern IT environment, making it possible to build
a cloud-like experience but with on-premise security and control.
Indeed, these are compelling propositions at a time when disruption – from either global issues
or the pace of technological change – has emerged as the new norm.

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Taking the no fuss, no surprise route to evergreen IT

TruScale

How TruScale IaaS
metering data drives
system improvementsHaving outlined some of the top-line benefits,
it is worth looking at how TruScale IaaS can be
implemented in practice and evaluating the kind ofexperience it can deliver for end-users.
Using a pay-as-you-go data center as an example,
IaaS would require no upfront costs, with on-premise
equipment paid for as a subscription service.
The customer or partner never takes title, andconsumption is metered and billed monthly –it is not another embedded lease.
Versatility is delivered in several ways. The
design of the infrastructure and the financial
agreement that supports it can be customized tospecific business requirements. The end-user candecide how flexible and how much commitment
is required. And simplicity is built in – it doesn’t
matter what platform the end-user is running:
TruScale IaaS can be applied to anything within
the Lenovo portfolio.
An all-inclusive service offering is provided too.
Lenovo manages the planning stage, involving
infrastructure assessment and identification of
the proposed solution. It also manages activation,with the equipment installed and deployed
as required.

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Consumption is then managed through aunique metering technology that detects power
consumption through the CPUs. This approachmeans customers are only charged for what
has actually been used. And finally, Lenovo
oversees optimization, ensuring cost successand identification of any add-ons that might
be required.
For the customer, visibility is critical. An
online portal provides insight and metrics on
performance data. Customers can also use theportal to set budgets and control spend. Tickets
can also be raised and tracked, with progress
updates provided by the managed service team.
Monthly pricing structures are simple and allinclusive of associated services (maintenance,support, remote monitoring and system health)in one bill.
Ultimately, the aim is to remove the pain ofoperating and maintaining on-premise data
center infrastructure. Lenovo ensures it all runs
optimally, 24/7. This frees up internal IT teams
to concentrate on driving digital innovationand supporting new business models.

Taking the no fuss, no surprise route to evergreen ITCase study

Medical company optimizes IT
environment with TruScale IaaS
A large medical services company was struggling to meet the needs of its
customers due to aging data center infrastructure, meaning it was missing
many critical service levels. The shortcomings also meant the company
could not scale to meet growing business demand and keep pace withcompetitors. It was also unable to make the financial investments needed
to deliver the required customer-centric innovation. After assessing market
alternatives, the company adopted a Lenovo TruScale IaaS solution basedon Lenovo ThinkAgile with SAP HANA, Veeam and VMware. It included
all the Lenovo services for maintenance, field support and management.
Notably, the complete solution was deployed in less than 30 days from thesigning of the contract.
The result was the development of a modern, dynamic infrastructure thatfully supported business operations. This technology adoption was delivered
with no upfront investment, and based on a genuine pay-as-you-go modelwith visibility and scalability built-in.
The impact on the medical services company was immediate. It provided
the basis for far more responsive customer service, with for instancemuch faster quoting and better delivery coordination. Those factors havetranslated into a 30 per cent uptick in revenue and a 40 per cent reduction
in management costs. Meanwhile, the IT team has been released from
responding to day-to-day service issues and is free to deliver on broader
efforts around digital innovation.

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Taking the no fuss, no surprise route to evergreen IT

Conclusion

The past couple of years have shown that IT leaders need to act
decisively in the face of global uncertainty. New working patterns andbusiness models must often be implemented at short notice, requiring
IT infrastructure that can be scaled quickly and efficiently, and withvisibility and control.
Too often, CAPEX investment methodologies have proven slow andresource-intensive and have failed to support organizations adequately
in times of change. Now, though, Lenovo TruScale IaaS has taken thecomplexity out of the procurement process for on-premise data centers,
giving IT leaders the tools they need to build the vision that can take abusiness forward. The no-risk, no-surprise, pay-as-you-go consumption
model provides a simple and effective means of introducing evergreen
IT while controlling budgets and empowering internal people totake on more value-added roles.
This customizable and scalable approach is a critical enabler of digital
innovation, providing IT leaders with the flexibility and agility they needin today’s dynamic business environment.

Visit our website to learn more about
how Lenovo TruScale IaaS can provide
flexible infrastructure that helps you
innovate without limits.
1
2

https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/cio-agenda-2021-invest-in-your-supply-chain-before-its-too-late
https://uptimeinstitute.com/2021-data-center-industry-survey-results

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