Two of the key questions facing IT managers are whether or when to converge. We have posted many blogs on the pending move to network convergence and have been asked by many people, “Why do you think we should move to convergence?”, “Prove to me that it works” and “Show me the money (ROI and TCO)”. The bottom line being…why does this make sense? We posed that question to ESG’s Bob Laliberte and asked him to write up his thoughts on the subject, and he developed the following paper, “Network Convergence in the Data Center Makes Sense.”

In thinking about this question, Bob started by pointing out what the top IT priorities were for 2010. The table below shows what IT is thinking about and provides a basis for why network convergence in the data center makes sense. Look at the top items: “Increase use of server virtualization,” “Data center consolidation” and “Upgrade network infrastructure.” The move to network convergence can help them address three of the top four priorities with increased used of virtual I/O solutions, such as Cisco UCS, HP Flex-10/Virtual Connect and IBM’s Virtual Fabric Solution, which will upgrade their networking infrastructure to 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE), increase the flexibility of host connectivity with virtual network interface cards (NICs) and Universal Converged Network Adapters (UCNAs), and the list goes on.

The question of whether to converge or not to converge is not a one-size-fits-all answer. For many IT organizatoins, this will be a mult-phase transition over many years. In his paper, Bob details where IT is investing in 2010 and why, how they are using network convergence to justifiy their investments with improved costs savings and how and why it makes sense to choose convergence in the data center today and into the future. To read or download the full paper click here.

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