PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Leadership in UCF IT spent seven months working together on a strategy for the next generation data center. The output of that effort was a document outlining new technologies, methods and processes for compute, storage and network. Additional strategic conversations as that team was completing its work focused on the deficiencies in the on campus hosting space. It was concluded that given the efficiencies of the new platforms it would be better to no longer rely on the on campus data center spaces as primary hosting space. A decision was made to move all data center infrastructure to DataSite Orlando (DSO), a tier 3 commercial hosting space. This project is the outcome of that decision.
PROJECT PURPOSE
Migrate all storage, compute and primary data center networking to an off-site commercial hosting space known as DSO. This will eliminate all reliance for the on campus enterprise data center and will reduce university spend on utilities, building maintenance and failures.
- Build a modern server, storage and network platform at DSO
- Sunset all compute and storage from the on campus data center
- Utilize software defined networking
- Utilize software defined storage
- Utilize automation to reduce time to deploy
- Improve security
- Improve availability, reliability and scalability
- Increase compute and storage capacity
- Reduce (remove) reliance on tape-media
- Reduce infrastructure complexity
- Reduce operating expenses
- Improved security posture for UCF’s Data Center Environment through the use of new tools and technologies
- Improved availability, achieved through the successful implementation of newer hardware with fault-tolerant switching architecture
- Scalability, achieved through the successful implementation of new network tools and technology
- Increased redundancy and survivability achieved through the move of UCF’s data center to an improved and hardened facility
- Significant power savings for the university’s main campus data center
- Increased storage capacity
- Reduced infrastructure complexity achieved through the decreased use of external storage appliances
- Increased scalability achieved through the implementation of a hyper-converged design, enabling the ability to scale CPU capacity and storage with additional blades easily.
Project Start: 1/2/2018
Project End: 9/30/2020
Phase I – DSO Network and Infrastructure Buildout
- Physical server racking
- Q/A Phase
- Network Upgrade
- Production VMware Validated and Design Deployed
- VMware Automation Integration
Phase II – Server and Application Migration
- Testing
- Migration of virtual servers to DSO
- Install Load Balancers
- Firewalls setup
- Migrate ERP
Phase III – Decommission CSB Infrastructure
Project Sponsor:
Aaron Streimish
Executive Director Strategy & Planning, UCF IT
Project Executive Sponsor:
Michael Sink
Associate Vice President & COO, UCF IT
Project Manager:
Philip Magyar
Program & Planning Manager, UCF IT
For questions about this project please contact the Project Manager.