Conference: Virtualization Track

Track Chair:
Anne Skamarock
Research Director
Focus Consulting

Track Chair:
Barb Goldworm
President and Chief Analyst
Focus Consulting

Virtualization is not a fad! It is driving a fundamental shift in how we think about our data center environments. Are you up to speed on all the latest virtualization terminology and technologies? Do you need help separating the vendor hype from the realities of life in the trenches? Are you building the virtual infrastructure you need to deliver a flexible and agile foundation for the future? The Virtualization Track is the place to get answers to these questions—and many more—enabling companies to embrace virtualization with confidence and efficiency.

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Tuesday, May 19
10:15 am–11:15 am	Conference Sessions Virtualization Technology Primer Feeling bewildered by the slew of acronyms, technologies and concepts describing virtualization? Need a high-level overview of what virtualization means to you and your business? Do you want to get your arms around server virtualization, hypervisors, OS virtualization, hardware assists, virtual desktop architectures, application streaming and isolation, virtualization cloud services, bursting to the cloud—and more? If so, this is the session for you. Storage Virtualization II - Effective Use of Virtualization This session builds on Storage Virtualization I from Interop Las Vegas 08. Attendees should already have a basic understanding of this subject. Storage Virtualization Part II covers practical issues of block virtualization in order to make most effective use of it. This session describes the implementation step-by-step and aspects of availability, performance and capacity improvements. Other topics this session covers includes: the role of storage virtualization within policy-based management, and its integration in the SNIA Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S). Learning Objectives: 1. Understand a detailed example of the implementation of storage virtualization 2. Understand the management techniques necessary to effectively control virtualized storage 3. Increase awareness of the impact of virtualized storage on other aspects of computation (especially virtual servers) and networking Speaker - Rob Peglar, Vice President, Technology, Xiotech Corporation Rob Peglar is Vice President, Technology for Xiotech Corporation. A 31-year industry veteran and published author, he leads the shaping of strategic vision, emerging technologies, defining future offering portfolios including business and technology requirements, product planning and industry/customer liaison. He is a member of the SNIA Board of Directors, serves as Chair of the SNIA Tutorials, as a Board member of the Green Storage Initiative, and as Secretary/Treasurer of the Blade Systems Alliance. He has extensive experience in storage virtualization, the architecture of large heterogeneous SANs, replication and archiving strategy, disaster avoidance and compliance, information risk management, distributed cluster storage architectures and is a sought-after speaker and panelist at leading storage and networking-related seminars and conferences worldwide. Prior to joining Xiotech in August 2000, Mr. Peglar held key technology specialist and engineering management positions over a nine-year period at StorageTek and at their networking subsidiary, Network Systems Corporation. Prior to StorageTek, he held engineering development and product management positions at Control Data Corporation and its supercomputer division, ETA Systems. Mr. Peglar holds the B.S. degree in Computer Science from Washington University, St. Louis Missouri, and performed graduate work at Washington University's Sever Institute of Engineering. His research background includes I/O performance analysis, queuing theory, parallel systems architecture and OS design, storage networking protocols, clustering algorithms and virtual systems optimization.
2:45 pm–3:45 pm	Conference Sessions Virtualization - Life in the Trenches Articles often describe the value that virtualization technologies can bring to IT but what is it really like to implement server virtualization? What are the "gotchas" to avoid? Does desktop virtualization really work? Does it really offer the benefits that the vendors are touting? Hear about the experiences of those who have implemented various virtualization solutions. Find out what strategies worked and which ones didn't. Listen to accounts of life in the trenches, and learn what to consider for your next steps in your own implementations of virtual infrastructure.
4:00 pm–5:00 pm	Conference Sessions The Impact of IT Virtualization on Applications and Networks Virtualization is not new. However, what is new and evolving is the great interest in deploying server, storage and desktop virtualization. While each of these forms of virtualization can provide significant business value, each have the potential to significantly complicate the task of ensuring acceptable application performance. In this session, vendors from different areas of IT will identify network technologies, designs and best practices that enable IT organizations to enjoy the benefits of virtualization without enduring the potential pitfalls. Moderator - Jim Metzler, Vice President, Ashton, Metzler & Associates Jim has a wide background in the IT industry. This includes being a software engineer, an engineering manager for high-speed data services for a major telco, a product manager for network hardware, a network manager at two Fortune 500 companies, and the principal of a consulting organization. In addition, Jim has created software tools for designing customer networks for a major IXC, and directed and performed market research at a major industry analyst firm.
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Wednesday, May 20
10:15 am–11:15 am	Conference Sessions Virtual Reality: Understanding the Security and Compliance Implications of Server Virtualization Server virtualization is hot! Whether your executives think green or simply want to save some green, everyone is deploying virtualizationm - the benefits are undeniable. As we embrace virtualization, we must strategically approach security and compliance from the start. Virtualization introduces new attack surfaces and a swath of new availability risks. This brave new world also impacts how we approach compliance, governance and risk management. Corman will explore best practices and real world successes in assuring virtualization benefits. Speaker - Josh Corman, Principal Security Strategist, IBM/ISS Joshua Corman serves as Principal Security Strategist for IBM Internet Security Systems. With over a decade in security and IT, Corman designs strategic and technical vision of security solutions for emerging issues. He has spoken at leading industry events such as RSA, Interop, InfoSec, LinuxWorld, and IT Security World. His Evolving Threat campaign encourages strategic approaches for dynamic threats.
11:30 am–12:30 pm	Conference Sessions Conflict Avoidance with Application Virtualization What is the first thing that happens when you roll out a new application to a group of desktops? The phone rings off the hook with users complaining that a previous application is no longer working. Are help desk calls about application conflicts getting you down? With recent reductions in support staff and budget, do you need a better way to handle user problems and avoid costly "deskside visits?" Come hear how application virtualization and streaming technologies address inter-application conflicts, greatly reducing help desk calls and onsite support visits and improving operational efficiencies.
3:15 pm–4:15 pm	Conference Sessions Virtual Desktop Delivery - One Size Does Not Fit All When discussing virtual desktops, most people think of virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI) based on server virtualization technologies. However, there are a number of methods for delivering, provisioning and managing virtual desktops. This session will examine a range of technologies that can be used to deploy and manage virtual desktops, and how to match these technologies with user requirements.
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Thursday, May 21
10:15 am–11:15 am	Conference Sessions Is There a Compelling Business Case for Desktop Virtualization? You have heard good things about VDI, but is there really a business case for moving to a virtual desktop infrastructure? Whether you are just starting to evaluate desktop virtualization or have started implementing virtual desktops, building a business case for your next phase can help you get the investment dollars you need to move forward. This session will give you the information you need to begin to create that business case and help your management understand how desktop virtualization can reduce your total cost of ownership (TCO), including your ongoing opex costs.
11:30 am–12:30 pm	Conference Sessions Virtualization - Enabling Disaster Recovery for Any Sized Business Enterprises have invested money in disaster recovery (DR) for years, while small and mid-sized companies with limited budgets simply hoped and prayed that nothing disastrous would happen. Today, companies of all sizes are leveraging virtualization to create cost-effective DR implementations. This session discusses why and how so many companies are utilizing virtualization to implement successful disaster recovery plans.
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