how do I create a common operating environment?

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Clarification of Question by crabbshack-ga on 13 May 2005 07:44 PDT

I need to establish a common operating computing environment as an
attempt to standardize our technology assets.  I am primarily
concerned with hardware and software assets only, more specifically,
storage hw, open systems hw, wintel hw, and mainframe hw, as well as
standardizing operating systems platforms to be utilized.  All of this
would be available through a service oriented architecture.

Your first step is determining your budget for the associated project,
but the sounds of it, you probably have a reasonable budget to work
with this, because you're going to need it.

Your second step is responding back to me and clarifying what exactly
you're looking for, not in such a vague definition of
software/hardware and mainframe.  What is your current asset base
looking like?  Do you have a wide range of mainframe and workstations,
is it one mainframe, maybe some sublevel servers and a client system.

I think past that, you best bet is to turn to one of the big SOA
providers that can deal you the whole package.  You can purchase a
service contract then that should incorporate more than just the sales
aspect, but also service and support for X period of time from the
seller until you can train your own staff properly to take over the
task at hand and use the sellers technical guidance on a as needed
basis.

If you are looking to scrap the entire setup you have and go from
scratch, then the world is definately an open book and I can't
honestly tell you which direction to go, thats going to depend on so
much more than you could probably provide here to me.  Again, best
bet, get on the phone and check with some of the larger providers for
total turnkey setups and migration paths.

I will be consolidating many entities into one or several entities for
ease of mgmt, security, cost savings, etc.  I want to establish a COE
platform as a means to standardize what will be going into my data
centers.  Everyone within my organization will have one common (or in
this case many) denominator with which to work from.  Assume that my
budget will be significant and cover all costs associated.  I have a
dozen or so mainframe, at least a several hundred Unix based servers
as well as several hundred Wintel servers.  Workstations are not
applicable.  This is a major undertaking as you can see.