Virtual Resource Management: VSM Talks With Dunes Technologies By VSM News Staff published: Wednesday, December 01 2004
Dunes Technologies is a leader in service management solutions for virtual resources. With the recent announcement of the availability of Dunes VS-O for VMware VirtualCenter and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 workflow and policy based orchestration, VSM checks in.
VSM: Good morning. Could you introduce yourself and describe briefly what your company does?
SB: I am Stephane Broquere, CEO of Dunes, a software company that brings service management solutions to heterogeneous virtual machines.
VSM: Tell us more about your company’s applications, and the importance of virtualization in that context.
SB: Since 2001, we have been developing and commercializing software management solutions for virtual machines with service management in mind. In 2002 we released S-Ops, which allowed users to centrally manage heterogeneous virtual machines. Since VMware came into the market with VirtualCenter, we have decided to provide an orchestration solution, called Dunes VS-O (Virtual Service Orchestrator). Dunes VS-O answers the needs for VMware consultants to differentiate themselves from their competition by providing an open platform. That allows integrating other subsystems, such as backup automation, with the virtual infrastructure and the development and implementation of workflows based on the unique customer best practices and operational procedures.
VSM: Does your solution help customers in the area of Disaster Recovery?
SB: It surely does, by allowing them to compose their particular disaster recovery scheme through the workflows, continuously evaluate the situation and act upon it by means of their policies. They integrate their Disaster Recovery resources by using either our built-in integration modules or our web service SDK.
VSM: How do the business drivers that would cause companies to consider virtualizing their servers relate to the business reasons to look to your products?
SB: Virtualization and orchestration are about doing more with less. Virtualization is about having more software on less hardware, orchestration is about having more processes with fewer people. Consolidating resources shouldn’t just be about technology but also about people and processes. When you can have your IT staff focus on bringing value by aligning the needs of the business with that of the technology, rather than continuously repeating tedious procedures in a manual fashion, I believe you solve a pain point and see the gains.
VSM: Can you elaborate on the roles that VMware and Microsoft Virtual Server play at your company?
SB: VMware has been, is and will remain a key partner of Dunes. We have now joined the VMware Technology Alliance and we were showcasing Dunes VS-O at VMworld 2004. Dunes is a kind of “total partner” to VMware, from being a VMware VAC to being a VMware Technology partner. As for Microsoft, we are working together with them on integrating Virtual Server 2005 with Dunes VS-O.
VSM: Why should a customer look at your company in particular as they consider some of the advantages of server virtualization?
SB: Look at your TCO or your ROI and you will see that 90% of it is about ensuring business continuity while minimizing operational management risks. This is what Dunes VS-O is all about.
VSM: Who are your competitors?
SB: We don’t have any direct competitors. You will find some other companies providing orchestration solutions, such as Tivoli or Enigmatec but when you look at their respective value propositions you will find that they are more complementary than competing.
VSM: What are the key differentiation points with their solutions?
SB: We provide the framework with which consultants can add value, by developing new functionalities that enhance our management solution, and by providing a tailor made solution to the end customer according to its particular needs. We believe technology is a commodity that serves a unique purpose: enabling software as a service. Those best positioned to provide services are the consultants, so they should be the ones helping the technologist decide what to do next.
VSM: Server virtualization is really in its infancy. Can you share with us where you might see this technology leading us in the future?
SB: Server virtualization is about decoupling hardware from software, so the future will be about forgetting the technology and getting service on demand. I believe virtualization, in general, will drive this evolution.
VSM: How do our readers learn more about your company?
SB: I invite them to visit our website at: www.dunes.ch.
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