Stage 1: Assess Current State
You need to understand what compute infrastructure you have before you can decide what to do with it.
Conduct a compute inventory
Output: Complete list of all servers: OEM, model, age, support status, current utilization, and the workloads running on each.
Identify end-of-support hardware
Output: List of all servers that have passed or will pass end-of-support within 12 months.
Identify performance-constrained workloads
Output: List of applications that are experiencing performance problems on current hardware.
Identify AI capability gaps
Output: List of AI or ML workloads that the organization wants to run but cannot on current hardware.
Stage 2: Define Requirements
You have assessed current state and need to define what the new infrastructure must support.
Document workload requirements
Output: CPU, memory, storage, and network requirements for each workload to be deployed on new hardware.
Document growth projections
Output: Projected workload growth over 3 years, including planned AI deployments.
Verify ISV certifications
Output: List of OEM and platform certifications required by the applications to be deployed.
Verify facility readiness
Output: Confirmation that power, cooling, and network capacity is available for the planned deployment.
Stage 3: Build the Business Case
You have defined requirements and need to build the case for executive approval.
Build the TCO comparison
Output: 5-year TCO comparison between new hardware and maintaining current hardware.
Quantify the performance improvement
Output: Estimated performance improvement for constrained workloads on new hardware.
Quantify the energy cost reduction
Output: Estimated energy cost reduction from improved performance per watt.
Quantify the AI capability value
Output: Estimated business value of AI capabilities enabled by GPU infrastructure.
Stage 4: Procure and Deploy
The business case has been approved and you are ready to procure and deploy.
Select OEM and reseller
Output: OEM and authorized reseller selected based on evaluation criteria.
Place purchase orders
Output: Purchase orders placed with confirmed lead times.
Execute deployment plan
Output: Hardware deployed per the implementation roadmap.
Complete integration testing
Output: All integration tests passed before production cutover.
Stage 5: Establish Ongoing Lifecycle
Hardware is deployed and you need to establish the ongoing lifecycle management program.
Establish the refresh cadence
Output: Documented 5-year refresh schedule with budget allocated.
Implement support contract management
Output: Process for tracking support contract expiration and renewal.
Implement end-of-support tracking
Output: Process for tracking manufacturer support status for all hardware.
Establish performance monitoring
Output: Monitoring and alerting for compute utilization, performance, and health.
DCS Global can accelerate any stage