What this calculator does is discover all of your virtual machines
and then estimates the cost of migrating them to a cloud on Rackspace,
or Windows Azure. Since the SolarWinds VM-to-Cloud Calculator
is free what have you to lose? Get your download now.
The VM->to-> Cloud calculator automatically takes stock of your
virtual machines and provides an inventory of their CPU, memory,
storage, and capture description. From the results you get a
comparison of the costs of switching to cloud servers at: Amazon EC2, Windows Azure, and Rackspace Cloud
Servers.
As a bonus this free cloud migration calculator for
VMware tool recalculates its estimates if
you add more Virtual Machines to your network.
Cloud computing reminds me of this saying by Arthur Schopenhauer
(1788-1860)
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being
self-evident.
It's interesting to just see what it would cost to switch to cloud
computing.
Even if you are not migrating just yet this freeware utility will give you a
baseline, which you could use later.
Installing the SolarWinds VM-to-Cloud software is straightforward,
just provide IP address(es) of your VM servers, and an
administrator's name and password.
The key to this gadget is read the screen showing how a VM instance
would map to one of 3 cloud providers, Amazon EC2, Windows Azure or
Rackspace.
Optionally, you could generate a report. If you want more
detail then upgrade to another SolarWinds product called
Virtualization
Monitor.
Reduced Costs in the Long-term Timing is the key
to switching to cloud computing. If your servers' hardware is
struggling because of recent increased capacity, then this could be the
moment to try cloud computing. However, if you have just bought a
rack of new servers then this is not a good time for me to suggest that
you ditch them!
Fewer IT Staff If you are about to hire more
techies, then why not switch to cloud and save those salaries.
Cloud services have numerous IT specialists who have seen every problem
before, and are organized to patch the servers and spot problems before
they impact the business. In any case, they can just swap-in
another virtual server at no cost to you.
Businesses with Seasonal Spikes If you need extra
capacity but only for about 30 days in a year, then the charge-by-use
model used by cloud computing could be just what you need. Expanding
businesses should give cloud consideration, after all, what if they
expansion is short lived?
Finally, it's obvious, but I have to mention it, having someone else
to physically house your servers saves office space, and also fractionally reduces
running costs such as electricity bills.
Download Your Free Cloud Migration Calculator for VMware
Who is the VM-to-Cloud Calculator Designed For?
This free utility is designed for IT pros who are curious to estimate what
it would cost to move their servers to
the cloud. The SolarWinds VM-to-Cloud calculator removes the need
for back-of-envelope guesswork with just a few clicks you have an
estimate of the cost to computing with Amazon EC2, Rackspace or Windows
Azure.
I found the hardest part of the install was remembering where I
downloaded the zip file! The rest was easy, I extracted the .msi file, clicked on the
licence agreement, and let the install wizard perform the setup.
After the install completes, Calculator launches, and you are ready to
begin. Should you need find the application later look on the
start menu, or if all else fails navigate to:
Should you need to uninstall this cloud migration
calculator for VMware, then go to the Control Panel, Programs,
scroll down to 'S' for SolarWinds VM-to-Cloud. It's a sign of a good
freeware program that it uninstalls easily and completely.
Recommendation: Click on the 'Get Geeky' tab.
Also
visit the
Thwack forum.
SEUM (Synthetic End User Monitor)
If you have a website then SEUM will enable you to analyze its
performance from a customer's point of view. The idea is that once configured, the
monitor will inform you if a web-based application is not performing
within specified thresholds.
Synthetic End User Monitoring
At the front-end is a browser where you make a recording of the transactions just as a
customer would. At the back-end SQL analyzes the components of
these web-based
actions. The SEUM monitor then presents you with a chain of events,
any red dots highlight steps that take too long to complete. See
screenshot right.
My recommendations for additional handy
utilities. Many of these downloads are free, while others
are fully-functional, but time limited.
SolarWinds are happy to provide you with a free specialist tool, which is ideal for testing, and then
supply a more comprehensive suite for larger organizations. To let you
into a secret, for small networks, the free tool is all you'll ever need.
Guy Recommends: Orion's NPM - Network Performance Monitor
Orion's performance monitor is designed for detecting network outages. NPM makes it easy to see what's working, and what needs your attention.
This utility guides you through creating network maps. It also helps troubleshooting by indicating whether the root cause is faulty equipment, or resource overload.
