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Virtual Lab Automation: The Foundation for Private Cloud Infrastructure Service Delivery
2 June 2011
 
Chris Wolf  

Virtual lab automation is an essential step on the path toward internal cloud hardware infrastructure as a service (HIaaS) maturity. Organizations should avoid point-solutions unless a specific feature only found in a purpose-built virtual lab automation tool is required. Instead, organizations should deploy highly robust cloud infrastructure service automation solutions that expose lab automation as a feature. Doing so creates a starting point for growing automated service delivery on non-mission-critical workloads. This assessment defines product alternatives in the lab automation market and outlines evaluation criteria to help enterprises choose the best product for both short- and long-term needs.





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Table of Contents

Contents
  • Summary of Findings
  • Analysis
    • Platform Architectures
      • Purpose-Built Lab Automation
      • Traditional ITSM Platforms
      • Purpose-Built HIaaS Cloud Automation
      • Public Cloud HIaaS Automation
    • Evaluation Criteria
      • User Experience
      • Management
      • Security
      • Back-End HIaaS Infrastructure
      • Availability
      • Storage
  • Gartner Definitions
  • Comparison
  • Recommendations
    • Look Beyond Purpose-Built Lab Automation Suites
    • Consider Lab Management as a Feature, Not a Platform
    • Gain Broad Input for Product Selection
    • Don't Discount the Importance of Infrastructure
    • Plan for VMware vCloud Director's Long-Term Impact
    • Exercise Caution when Aligning with a Startup
  • Conclusion
  • Recommended Reading
Figures
Figure 1.
Virtual Lab Automation Solution Comparison




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Resource Id: 1710815