November 2007 / November 2007 - Multi Platform Environments Best Practices
Seamless integration across disparate computing platforms is a growing need in the SMB Market . Some companies have their marketing department in-house and need the flexibility of Apple’s OS X platform, and software companies often require the freedom of a Linux based platform for development . In general small and medium businesses are beginning to understand the value that a non-homogenous network computing environment can provide to their users and their customers. What once used to be a dream of having multiple platforms operating and communicating within the same IT infrastructure is now a reality thanks to standardization and flexibility across vendor platforms. In this month’s tech brief we will look into some of the best practices for properly maintaining a mixed computing environment.
Platform Standardization
Platform standardization of software and hardware are two of the most commonly ignored factors within a mixed environment, and as a result may become a source of problems which can plague cross platform infrastructures. Whenever a new operating platform emerges, such as Microsoft Vista, the vendor makes changes and upgrades to improve it over its predecessor. Organizations that have recently migrated to Windows Vista have had to adjust to new ways of accessing programs and using a new graphical user interface, which impacted productivity of end users until they were trained on and familiar with the new platform. This issue is not isolated only to the Windows platform . With the release of OS X Leopard for Apple users, there are over 300 new features available which will take early adopters time to adjust to. Problems do not just exist for the end user alone; the challenges that can face your IT personnel can be daunting from a systems integration perspective as well. While some organizations believe that they must have the latest technology in place to maintain a competitive advantage, the latest technology does not necessarily translate to the best when it comes to worker productivity. There are bugs and glitches in new programs that not only can be a source of frustration, but also a source of lost productivity. As a best practice, it is typically not recommended to switch to a new platform until the first major update, such as a service pack, is released.
Standardization on an operating platform holds especially true for Linux, due to the many distributions and availability of both current and past versions of these distributions. Often, Linux users prefer to use their customized version of a particular Linux distribution. This can lead to several problems. Most commonly, these custom designed operating systems are not supported and therefore lack vendor documentation. These custom systems, while comfortable to the specific user, are often so unique that installing patches or performing upgrades can become more involved and time consuming than is really necessary. By using an industry standard and licensed platform, such as Red Hat Enterprise, an organization can eliminate the risk of a new hire having a lack of experience within a certain distribution. A licensed platform like Red Hat also entitles an organization to product support and regular software updates which is critical for security and stability reasons.
Likewise, consistency of hardware across the organization is an important measure to take. By keeping hardware consistent, IT inventory becomes easier to track and maintain as information such as warranties and other support issues can be monitored with consistency. One source of time impact for IT personnel is vendor management. By keeping your hardware platform consistent, it allows your current IT support structure to deal with one primary source, as opposed to managing multiple vendor relationships which can cause inefficiency and support issues.
Messaging
Office communication, whether internal or external is another vital process to standardize within a mixed environment. Typically, end users in a mixed environment do not run Linux as their desktop operating system. Macs and PC’s are the most commonly used machines for end users due to their ability to run business management software as well as supporting other common end user activities. Although Macs are gaining market share, it is important to note that the Windows operating system is still the dominant platform for messaging activities in the SMB marketplace.
When thinking about servers and centralized messaging and collaboration suites in non homogeneous computing environments, there remains a great deal of misconception and varied opinion with regard to infrastructure. At this point regardless of what the end users are running as a operating systems, Microsoft Exchange is still the preferred messaging platform to use assuming there is a Windows Active Directory server in place. There are several reasons for this. First, Exchange has the highest feature set, with services such as active sync and shared calendars, contacts, and folders. Furthermore, Mac users can run Entourage and Windows users can utilize Outlook to get access to this full feature set. Despite the Linux platform not exhibiting as much mail client flexibility, Linux users can still utilize third party email clients like Mozilla’s Thunderbird or Exchange’s web mail system to access their email and take advantage of most features. Finally, from a cost planning perspective, using a Windows based Exchange server along with proper software and configuration adds the most longevity to a messaging system from a cost and scalability perspective. There are however several exciting messaging and collaboration suites that are being developed and improved that run on Linux, and solutions such as Zimbra and Scalix show real promise as open source alternatives to Exchange for the SMB market. In time these options may prove to be viable alternatives for small and medium business to consider when deciding upon a messaging suite for their business.
File/Print
A decision point for some multi platform organizations is what type of infrastructure to have in place for file storage and print functions. Apple OS X server should be assessed with caution as a server platform for a mixed environment. These servers carry a high price tag and in many cases, have limitations on the volume of users that can connect at the same time and effectively use resources. Most organizations within a mixed environment default to either the Windows or Linux platform for file or print services. Deploying a Windows server in a mixed environment, and equipping it with third party software can potentially be three times more efficient in the proper allocation of system resources than a traditional Apple OSX server. If only Windows and Linux exist in an environment, and Windows is the dominant player, programs such as Samba can be used to allow a Linux server to participate in a Windows network. It is not uncommon to see a Linux server providing some functionality such as storage or web hosting within a mixed environment. If the network is predominately Linux, add on programs such as Windows Services for UNIX can be applied to an environment to give Windows servers access to Linux- based network services. Again it is worth mentioning that it is critical to make sure that all operating systems at the server level are consistent in order to make maintenance and interoperability more streamlined and to reduce the likelihood of interoperability conflicts brought on by version differences.
Virtualization
Virtualization is an extremely useful technology when managing a multiplatform network architecture. Operating system virtualization is the use of software which allows a single piece of hardware to run multiple operating system instances at the same time. Virtualization lends itself to a mixed environment by severely cutting down the cost of purchasing multiple servers, and by helping an organization consolidate servers. Although these servers rely on resource specifications and robust hardware, virtualization can allow an organization to run for example, two Linux servers and Exchange all on one box. Companies such as VMware offer several virtualization tools to help increase business efficiency processes regardless of what platforms are running within an environment. Other benefits to switching to a virtual infrastructure are:
- More efficient use of server hardware
- Easier management and better security
- Faster, more flexible, and more reliable disaster recovery at a lower cost
Want More Information?
Operating and maintaining a mixed environment can be a daunting task for any business. As organizations begin to realize and leverage the capabilities of mixed platform environments, steps need to be taken to ensure the management and consistency of this best of all worlds’ mentality. Thrive Networks’ Strategic Consulting Division will work with your management team to identify the core functions of what your organization wants to accomplish; with a greater understanding of your organizational goals, Thrive can help your company examine how all of these technology platforms can plug into and help your organization achieve those goals. For further information on how to best design a mixed environment for your business, please contact Thrive for more information.