Peak performance through a ‘software-defined environment’: why it matters

Gone are the days when database users had to tell computers exactly what to do. Now, computers can figure out how you want them to work, before you do – and act on that knowledge faster than you could.

This concept has been coined by IBM as a “software-defined environment” (SDE), or more broadly referred to as “software-defined everything.” Instead of having hardware processes wholly dependent upon the commands of users, the software is configured to act as the operator, leaving the human user free from tedious technical labor.

Why SDE?

Let’s assume that a particular worker is beginning a project. While once left to choose between a “one size fits all” approach or to designate specific hardware parameters for each individual project, a software-defined environment will automatically adjust such settings based on the user’s historical and assumed preferences for the given task at hand.

Over the course of a project’s cycle, an SDE will continue to dynamically respond to the needs of the user. Under previous limitations, if a company was simultaneously engaging in multiple projects of differing magnitudes, a complex project could max out the computing power devoted to it while other simpler jobs could use fewer resources than expected. This discrepancy could let unused potential go to waste and delay important work from being completed – unless, of course, the human operator noticed the issue and constantly rebalanced the inputs in real time, leaving a tradeoff between computing efficiency and employee time and energy.

The role of an SDE is to monitor these processes and reallocate resources appropriately so that you don’t have to. Previous IT infrastructures could be compared to hotels where workloads would rent a room for as long as they please, but while they do so, nobody is permitted to frequent the empty hotel rooms. An SDE better resembles a conference center with giant rooms divided by adjustable walls. The software utilizes deep analytics to decide exactly where the walls are placed and moves them as needed.

Looking towards the future

Software-defined environments are a fresh innovation that businesses are only beginning to adapt. The roadblocks to implementation are less specific to SDEs and more concerned with general change itself. Most companies budget about 80% of IT funds towards maintaining existing operations with only the remaining 20% left for improvements, putting it out of their price range – even if it saves money in the long term.

Because developers realize that SDEs will surely be subject to even greater fundamental improvements in the future, and also that business owners are generally reluctant to alter their system’s underlying infrastructure more frequently than needed, they have built software that seamlessly allows for potential upgrades (or to abandon the system for a competitor) while still retaining valuable data. This is far easier than with past alternative infrastructures that made it difficult to transfer between technology vendors.

Although it may take time for businesses to implement the technology on a wide scale, software-defined environments have already shown promise by providing a technical infrastructure adaptable to the user’s needs rather than relying on them for manual inputs. As they become more commonplace across industries, business owners will likely forego the initial investment in favor of saving money, time, and labor on behalf of their employees.