finit - what's trending: topics on the cloud and infrastructure
TRANSCRIPT
Key Topics on the Cloud and Infrastructure
Impact to the CFO organization and EPM / CPM solutions
May 13, 2016
Rob Cybulski
Why is Finit here?
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Finit takes pride in being a company of makers and doers; people who dig in and get their hands dirty
We make and deliver personalized financial reporting solutions and experiences
…Not Company to Company, but Person to
Person
By listening, questioning, and analyzing
Finit Culture
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No debt or external ownership means complete alignment & focus on our client’s needs and vision
We bring a quality of craftsmanship to our designs and execution that lead to solutionsthat are functional, usable and efficient
We actively seek feedback and invest in training and professional growth in our consultants
We use employees, not contractors. Compensationbased on CLIENT SATISFACTION
A CULTURE OF INTEGRITY
ADVOCATES OF YOUR INTERESTS
DRIVEN TO DELIVER
TAILORS OF OUR CRAFT
Our Partnership with Clients
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Finit Customer Success
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Our values, culture, and approach to becoming a trusted advisor to our
customers has led to
100% customer success
for every Finit client (250+) and for every EPM / CPM project (500+)
Some Finit Customers
Questions
About the Presenter
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Rob Cybulski
• Co-Founder of Finit
• 17 years of EPM / CPM Implementation experience
• Assisted over 100 clients in various strategy, design, development and leadership activities.
Agenda
• Cloud computing• Cloud computing service models
• Cloud deployments
• EPM / CPM vendors approaches to the Cloud
• Deployment Use Cases
• Infrastructure and Platform• Virtualization
• Performance Drivers
• Backup and Recovery Approaches
• Technical Testing Strategies
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Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing Introduction
• Cloud Computing: a network of remote servers accessible through the internet that are used to provide resources, data and / or applications when required (i.e. on-demand). • Cloud Computing can apply in many different forms and has
different service models ranging from providing hardware / infrastructure resources to providing software applications.
• Additionally, Cloud Computing can be deployed different ways, from having it publicly available to everyone to being privately available to just your company.
• Prior to the Cloud, EPM / CPM customers used two methods:• On-Premises: where clients themselves procured, managed and
hosted the infrastructure and software applications.
• Hosted: where clients used a 3rd party that procured, managed and hosted the infrastructure and software applications.
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Cloud Service Models
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• Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS)• Pronounced as “EYE-AZZ”
• IaaS provides the infrastructure and hardware resources (i.e. servers, storage and networking) through the Cloud.
• Platform As A Service (PaaS)• Pronounced as “PAZ” or “PASS”
• PaaS provides ‘platform’ resources such as databases and web services. It can also provide development resources when used for application development purposes.
• PaaS and IaaS providers have some overlapping areas.
• Software As A Service (SaaS)• Pronounced as “SASS”
• SaaS provides software applications and solutions through the Cloud.
Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS)
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• At its core - provides hardware and infrastructure resources (i.e. servers, storage and networking) for companies to use, but the client configures the hardware with whatever software they want. Clients are essentially "renting" the hardware instead of owning it.
• With an IaaS model, the client is typically responsible for all software management.
• Client buys the infrastructure and typically has the ability to scale as needed:• Base setup may be 4 servers with 16 CPU’s, 32 GB of RAM and 500 GB of
storage each.
• May scale during peak periods to add more resources.
• How it can be used in EPM / CPM:• Use IaaS to be the underlying infrastructure that your EPM / CPM software
products are installed and deployed from.
• Example of IaaS providers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, Rackspace
Platform As A Service (PaaS)
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• At its core – provides core foundation components such as operating systems, databases and web services. Collectively, the components are the ‘platform’ available to clients.
• PaaS providers typically provide the platform along with hardware components available with IaaS providers.• Most PaaS providers provide some of the same hardware components in
a traditional IaaS offering.
• Outside of EPM / CPM, it can be used for software development by giving developers toolkits and a development execution environment.
• How it can be used in EPM / CPM:• Use PaaS to be the underlying infrastructure and platform that your EPM
/ CPM software products are installed and deployed from.
• Differs from IaaS as you get the databases, web services and foundation components installed and managed, whereas with an IaaS you typically need to set them up and manage them.
• Example of PaaS providers: Microsoft Azure, Google App Engine
Software As A Service (SaaS)
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• At its core – provides software applications accessible through browsers and other third party tools (i.e. Microsoft Office).
• With a SaaS model, the client pays for use of the application and the software vendor manages the infrastructure, platform, software and all tasks (upgrade, patching, backups, performance, etc.).
• In most SaaS models, the client has no insight or knowledge of the infrastructure or platform, they just see the applications.
• Subscription-based licensing is the norm in a SaaS model, and in many cases you pay on a per user, per application basis.• Multiple applications of the same product may involve multiple licensing
subscriptions.
• May not be best fit for Enterprise customers utilizing multiple solutions.
• How it can be used in EPM / CPM:• Deploy solutions to users on SaaS solutions
• Example of SaaS providers: Oracle Cloud, Salesforce, Adaptive Insights, Host Analytics
Service Model Summary for EPM / CPM
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• IaaS / PaaS• Model for deploying EPM / CPM software applications where a complete
integrated server environment exists.
• Software will continue to be traditionally licensed (named user +maintenance)
• Client can deploy as many software applications / solutions as they want on their IaaS / PaaS cloud environment.
• Client or 3rd party vendor required to install and manage the EPM / CPM software applications.
• In PaaS model for EPM / CPM through a provider such as Microsoft Azure, client gets integrated platform items on top of IaaS infrastructure.
• SaaS• Model for deploying pure Cloud EPM / CPM software applications.
• Software licensed on subscription basis (per user per application)
• Software vendor manages all infrastructure, platform and software components.
• In many EPM / CPM SaaS models, solution fit is for more stand-alone requirements versus complete CFO solution.
Cloud Deployment Options
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• Public Cloud• A public cloud is available for public use. In a SaaS service model,
your SaaS application will be specific to your organization, but will be deployed on shared infrastructure and platform resources.
• Private Cloud• A private cloud exists only for one organization and can be hosted
either internally or externally. An internally hosted private cloud is really just hosting your own servers.
• An external private cloud is dedicated to you, but your data sits outside your firewalls.
• Hybrid Cloud• A Hybrid cloud deployment involves two or more cloud
deployments that remain separate.
• In CPM / EPM terms, this may mean using SaaS applications via a public cloud for some solutions and applications via a private cloud / on-premises deployment for others.
Cloud Benefits for CPM / EPM
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• New Functionality Sooner -> More Frequent Upgrades• Software vendors managing SaaS & PaaS EPM / CPM solutions
tend to upgrade solutions more quickly than clients on their own.
• Quicker Deployments• Cloud solutions can be ready for use in minutes or days versus
previous lengthy process.
• Potential for Cost Savings• Cloud deployments and licensing models may overall lead to cost
savings for organizations.
• This may additionally be achieved through the scalability / elasticity of resources by not paying for peak resources all the time and paying for them only when you need them.
• Scale for Performance• IaaS and PaaS with software designed for those models have the
ability to scale and deliver tremendous performance on-demand.
Cloud Challenges
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• Less control / Privacy• Less ability / insight into how the solutions run and operate
• More formal process to fix issues
• Less ability to force change
• All data is maintained on vendor data centers / outside your walls
• Infancy of SaaS solutions• SaaS solutions are largely targeted for small / mid-market or
stand-alone needs.
• SaaS solutions can lack ability to scale for performance.
• Integration is in infancy and in many cases, utilizes processes that existed 20 years ago.
• Many vendors lack a comprehensive strategy for the Enterprise
• Cost• In some cases, a subscription model is more costly over the long-
term for an organization than a traditional licensed approach.
CPM / EPM Vendor Cloud
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Products/Software On-Premises IaaS PaaS SaaS
OneStream
Oracle Hyperion Legacy:HFM, Planning, Essbase
Oracle Hyperion CloudSolutions:
PBCS, ARM, FCCS, EPR
SAP
Host Analytics, Anaplan, Adaptive Insights
Deployment Use Case - OneStream
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• IaaS or On-Premises / Private Cloud Deployment• OneStream deployed on servers either through an IaaS service
provider or internally through on-premises environments.
• Good use case for: • Clients who want full control of infrastructure and services.
• Not good use case for: • Clients who want to lessen their IT responsibilities.
• PaaS Deployment• OneStream deployed through Microsoft Azure and their PaaS
service model.
• Good use case for: • Clients who want to minimize IT responsibilities
• Not good use case for: • Clients who want full control of infrastructure and their data.
Deployment Use Case - Oracle
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• SaaS Solutions Only• Utilize Oracle Cloud solutions such as PBCS, FCCS, ARM CS, etc.
• Good use case for: • Small / mid-market organizations
• Stand-alone or silo solutions not fully integrated with other CFO solutions
• Not good use case for: • Enterprise clients who have multiple solutions across products
• Customers who want more control on their environment and solutions
Deployment Use Case - Oracle
• Hybrid Solution (SaaS + Other)• Utilize Oracle Cloud for some solutions (i.e. PBCS, ARM CS).
Utilize IaaS or on-premises model for some other products (HFM, Essbase).
• Good use case for:• Clients who require the functionality of HFM
• Clients who have multiple Essbase cubes / applications
• Clients looking to address a specific need with a solution (i.e. Account reconciliations)
• Not good use case for:• Clients wanting a fully integrated EPM / CPM solution
• Clients wanting full control of all of their solutions and data.
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Deployment Use Case - Oracle
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• On-Premises / IaaS Solutions• Utilize Oracle Hyperion products either through an on-premises
deployment or an IaaS provider.
• Good use case for:• Clients who require the functionality of HFM
• Clients who want a complete integrated environment of all CFO solutions.
• Clients with large numbers of applications
• Not good use case for:• Clients that don’t want to manage Infrastructure or certain IT
functions (backup, performance, etc.)
• Small / Mid-Market organizations
• Clients with a small number of application needs
Infrastructure and Platform Topics
Virtualization - Introduction
• What is it and why are IT departments moving to it?• Virtualization means simulating computing resources on a physical
host server (computers, storage, networking, etc.)
• Significant benefits to IT• Faster server provisioning
• Consolidation of resources
• Spreading computing workload
• Easier hardware upgrades
• Disaster recovery and backup
• Nearly all of our customers employing some level of virtualization• Most often used for non-production environments
• Many production environments have virtual/physical mix
• Some have corporate mandates to go 100% virtual
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Virtualization – Key Points
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• Oracle Hyperion and OneStream EPM / CPM products work on virtualized servers. The key consideration is stability and performance.
• Stability challenges with virtualization stem from moving VM’s while EPM / CPM application processes are running.• Consolidation or large allocation calculations are very intensive
activities generating significant volumes of data into the database. Moving that virtual machine across the network during those processes can cause performance issues or errors.
• Performance challenges exist because:• VM’s add a layer of overhead to the base machine (7 – 20%)
• VM’s may not have performance-grade CPU’s and RAM needed to maximize performance
Leading Practices for Virtualization
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• To maximize performance and stability in CPM / EPM applications using virtualized servers, we recommend the following:• Dedicated physical host server for the EPM / CPM servers
• Avoid unscheduled vMotion or DRS events
• Give physical host performance-grade CPU’s and RAM sufficient for complex analytical processing
• Highly tune EPM / CPM application servers and RDBMS.• If the option exists, the biggest gain in physical servers would be in
the application and RDBMS tiers.
Delivering Performance
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• Infrastructure• Across OneStream and Oracle Hyperion products, processors
make a tremendous difference.• We have seen performance improvement of 30% strictly based on
using different processors. The better the processors, the faster EPM / CPM calculations will run.
• Virtualization / Physical• Virtualization adds some overhead (7 – 20%)
• Storage / Network• Networking and speed of storage devices can greatly affect
performance of intensive calculations.
• Solution Design & Tuning• Solution design and tuning can greatly affect performance.
• Varies by software product and vendor.
Backup and Recovery Strategies
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• Most EPM / CPM solutions for the CFO organization are considered very critical and require maximum up-time.
• 2 separate strategies should be developed:• Backup: strategy and processes for taking backups or snapshots
of the current CPM / EPM solutions and components, to be used to restore to the existing Production environment.
• Disaster Recovery: strategy and processes for backing up and restoring CPM / EPM solutions and components to a different data center.
Disaster Recovery Strategies
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Our EPM / CPM clients have largely developed one of two Disaster Recovery strategies:
• ‘Hot Standby’ Strategy• A separate live or available EPM / CPM environment exists in a
separate data center.
• Backups are shipped to this environment nightly.
• In a disaster, backups are restored into the live environment.
• Generally up and running within 4 hours or less
• ‘Cold Standby’ Strategy• Backups of EPM / CPM virtual machines are shipped to a separate
data center nightly.
• In a disaster, VM’s are turned on in the separate data center.• Both environments cannot be live and running at the same time.
• Generally up and running within 8 hours or less
Technical Testing
What are Technical Tests?
• They are tests that involve testing the infrastructure/platform/environment.
• What are we trying to do in these tests?• Deliver Performance and a Great User Experience
• Ensure users can access the solution(s)
• Deliver the solution to their access points (web browser, Excel, etc)
• Determine if the solution is running as fast as possible
• Ensure Stability• Determine if the environment can continue to deliver a great
experience as it reaches peak demand
• Ensure the system remains stable through all types of user interaction and requests.
• Be Prepared• Ensure we can recover if something goes wrong.
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Types of Technical Tests
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• Connectivity Testing – test to ensure connectivity, access and acceptable response times to the new server environments.
• Performance (Stress / Load) Testing – test to ensure the solution can deliver stability and great performance and experiences at peak demand.
• Recovery Testing – test to ensure we can recover from a backup (into existing environment) and to a new data center.
Connectivity Test
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• Test Objective:• Can users access the solution at their physical location using their access
tools (IE, Excel) and get quick and acceptable responsiveness?
• Test Scope• Perform and measure select application tasks.
• Minimum of 1 user per physical location and can be an IT user
• Risk Factors to Evaluate• The way users connect (Direct, VPN, Citrix)
• Distribution of users (US only vs Global)
• Similar systems being used or is this the first?
• When do we conduct?• Generally early in the implementation to facilitate remediation time
• Post Go-Live Testing• Generally not needed for existing locations, but should be incorporated
for new physical locations
Performance (Stress / Load) Test
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• Test Objective:• Can we deliver a great experience as we reach peak demand and can the
system hold up and be stable when activity is high?
• Test Scope• Perform and measure select application tasks.
• Usually system generated, not direct user involvement
• Risk Factors to Evaluate• Expected Concurrency & User base
• Size and complexity of applications
• When do we conduct?• Post Install – Initial test to validate environment (Sample App)
• End of Build – Second test to test real solution (Real App)
• Post Go-Live Testing• Generally not needed, though may be incorporated when major
application changes exist or for large deployments.
Recovery Test
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• Test objective:• Can we recover when something goes wrong?
• Test Scope• Perform Recovery steps and then test application and validate data to
ensure accuracy
• Admin team / IT perform test
• Risk Factors to Evaluate:• Number of products / applications
• Environment stability
• When do we conduct?• Prior to go-live: need real apps and full solutions to ensure process
• Post Go-Live Testing• Should be fully tested once a year to ensure backups and procedures can
be properly performed.
Thank You for Attending!
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Today’s Presenter:
Rob Cybulski
General Questions:
Greg Barrett
Joe Mizerk
Copy of the slides or Recording:
Email us for a copy of the slides or a link to the recording
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www.finit.com/webinars
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