Key considerations for choosing the perfect platform solution for your business.Harness the game-changing performance and management power of Oracle Exadata.A DXC Red Rock Whitepaper

The perpetual enterprise-grade database puzzle.For any organisation with ever-evolving enterprise-level database requirements, there are constant demands, costs and performance challenges to balance and manage.

Hardware

How many databases are you running across how many servers? Is this optimal? Is it sustainable? How will your database needs evolve? How will you meet those needs?

Operating costs

What is the cost of patching your current database estate? How much do you pay for database licence support? Could your database set-up be more cost-effective?

Optimisation

How do you maintain software currency? Are you constrained by your current hosting arrangements? What’s best: on-premise, cloud or adjacent?

Enter Exadata from Oracle

Whether performance is your priority, or you’re looking for a future-proof database solution that meets your organisation’s changing requirements more efficiently, Oracle’s pre-configured Exadata technology has been purpose-built for enterprise database management and optimisation.

What is an Exadata? The result of 10 years of development by Oracle, Exadata marks a step change in the operation and management of Oracle databases – a ‘database machine’ engineered to deliver dramatic improvements in database performance, cost effectiveness and availability.

Easier to manage, deploy and extract maximum value

Because Exadata has been designed from the ground up to consolidate and streamline the management of Oracle database environments, it simplifies everything.

A single database team can manage every facet of their database set-up with Exadata, with a single-vendor support experience and single-system patching, management and monitoring. Less effort. Fewer errors.

What’s more, with Exadata you can move faster. The system’s proven capabilities will be up and running in weeks, providing faster performance speeds for production testing at scale, so you can bring more applications to market faster than ever.

Engineered for performance

Compute, networking and storage engineered with Oracle Database to work seam-lessly, without a single point of failure in the system.

Compatible deployment options

Choose from on-premise and cloud deployment options.

Database intelligence

Unique software algorithms and database intelligence in storage, networking and compute deliver high performance and capacity at lower cost.

Pay-as-you-grow

Oracle licences with capacity-on-demand software licensing for pay-as-you-grow scalability.

Pre-configured and optimised

Your preconfigured, pre-tested and optimised system runs all types of databases: Online Transactional Processing, Data Warehouse, In-Memory, analytics.

Security at all levels

Employs multiple independent and mutually reinforcing security controls to help organisations create a secure operating environment.

Exadata X8: The new generationWith Exadata X8, Oracle has perfected its Exadata solution for enterprise-grade data-base setups, providing a range of cost-effective, scalable cloud and on-premise options and is now available in two new versions, the Exadata X8 and the Exadata X8M.

In doing so, Oracle has opened up Exadata’s game-changing performance benefits to more organisations, providing faster access to business-critical data that improves decision-making, while reducing operating costs and TCO.

Even better performance

Providing even better value, Oracle’s latest iteration of Exadata combines improved performance and optimal tuning – all without human input – making it the solution of choice over self-provisioned Oracle Database options.

Up to 60% faster

Pull data from a 560 GB database in under one second.

1.5M more IOPS

Up to 6.5M random 8k database reads and 5.7M random writes per second.

40% more storage

X8 EF servers with 50+ TB of raw flash capacity, with 160+ TB for HC/XT servers.

Extended low-use storage

Integrate petabytes of cost-effective storage with optional licences.

Up to 28.5 TB of memory

Order extra memory to be installed in the factory.

High-performance connectivity

Enjoy up to 400 gigabits of client connectivity over multiple 25 GbE links.

The Exadata X8M adopts two new cutting-edge technologies:

• Enables 100 Gb/sec RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) network fabric

• Persistent Memory Acceleration, utilising the latest silicon technology this adds a distinct storage tier of performance, capacity and price between DRAM and Flash.

These new technologies deliver the highest available performance

for your database workloads including:

• 16 Million OLTP Read IOPS

• <19 microsecond OLTP IO latency

• Ultra-fast log writes to accelerate transactions.

What are the Exadata deployment options? Oracle offers three deployment options for Exadata. It’s simply a case of choosing the right on-premise or cloud solution for your enterprise.

Option #1: On-premise Exadata

Your data centre

Your Exadata solution can be hosted in your own data centre, giving you full control and responsibility for your environment and data.

Hosted at Equinix

You can also deploy Exadata into an Equinix data centre and take advantage of the cloud-adjacent technology of the Equinix Cloud (ECX) Fabric. Access your current cloud environments with interconnectivity to all major cloud vendors (AWS, OCI, Azure, GCP). This offers a number of benefits, including:

• Transition to hybrid architecture more easily.

• Simplify and streamline operations and audits.

• Automate industry regulatory and sovereignty compliance.

• Enjoy low database-to-applications latency and high performance.

• Access power/air/space immediately (no decommissioning to make room).

• Connect to 400+ cloud and content service providers via ECX.

Option #2: Cloud at Customer

Exadata Cloud at Customer combines the performance and stability of the Exadata platform with the ability to run other Oracle Cloud services behind your firewall in a subscription-based cloud model.

Your data resides in your data centre (no sovereignty and regulatory issues), but you can enjoy all the advantages of Oracle’s ever-evolving cloud automation capabilities and Oracle Database innovations.

As a subscription customer, you get it all at no extra cost.

• Multi-Tenant (Pluggable DBs). Allows a multi-tenant container database to hold many pluggable databases for Database Virtualisation.

• In-Memory. Accelerates analytics and OLTP workloads by orders of magnitude.

• Hybrid Columnar Compression (HCC). Delivers orders of magnitude reduction in data storage usage.

• Advanced Compression. A comprehensive set of compression capabilities to improve performance while reducing storage costs.

• Advanced Security (TDE). Provides preventive controls to protect sensitive data at source.

• Active DataGuard. Enables read-only access to a physical standby database while replication is active.

• Real Application Testing. Controlled and reproducible testing of Oracle database workload and changes.

Option #3: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Exadata Cloud Service

With Exadata Cloud Service, you can access the full functionality of Oracle Database without a large capital investment – you can migrate existing databases to the cloud quickly, without changes.

Moreover, each Exadata Cloud Service instance is dedicated to you, providing performance and security for business-critical workloads and rapid elasticity to meet changing business needs.

Autonomous Database

This is Oracle’s latest innovation in the database space. Powered by Oracle Exadata, the Autonomous Database platform eliminates human labour to secure, monitor, backup and tune automatically. Patches and security updates are deployed with no downtime.

There are two options for database workloads:

• Autonomous Data Warehouse Cloud

• Autonomous Database Cloud for OLTP / Mixed Workloads

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is now available in Sydney and will be available in Melbourne in early 2020.

Which deployment option suits your database environment? Whatever Exadata deployment you choose, you’re still harnessing the same core features and benefits. The choice, then, comes down to which option makes the most commercial, technical and logistical sense for your organisation.

Commercial considerations

As with any infrastructure deployment, selecting the solution that is most commercially appropriate is important. It’s a decision that will affect the bottom line for years to come. You’ll need to consider:

• Business requirements. For your revenue generating systems.

• Business and reporting cycles. Your systems need to match your cycles.

• Long-term business strategy. What’s on the horizon in terms of growth, acquisitions etc?

• Data sovereignty and regulatory obligations. Protecting your brand and data is a commercial imperative.

Technical considerations

While technical considerations will differ from business to business, there are some key factors to consider:

• Strategy. What is your IT infrastructure strategy? What is your cloud strategy?

• Currency. What does it cost to maintain your software currency?

• Reporting. Does your current reporting platform meet business needs?

• Licensing. What does your current database licence support cost annually?

Logistical (or sizing) considerations

Traditionally, when sizing an on-premise solution, its best practice to examine the nor-mal and peak loads, then create a buffer to ensure your large infrastructure investment is going to provide enough capacity for the next 4-5 years. Perhaps even longer.

However, all workloads exhibit variation, ranging from ‘normal’ to ‘peak’. Then there are seasonal variations (annual, quarterly, weekly or daily variations). This is one of many areas where cloud flexibility and agility can make a huge difference.

On-Premises Cloud

• Size for the peak, plus safety buffer • Size for frequent loads• Use Bursting for infrequent loads

and safety margin.

Sizing: On-premise vs cloudOn premise workloads are generally sized up to 30% over peak. If you’re in the cloud, you can provision for normal workloads and scale up, as needed.

Safety Buffer

Peak

Average Load

+ Hourly Burst

Find and deploy the best solution, seamlessly. Talk to Red Rock’s Exadata experts.As a certified Oracle Partner, we’ve been deploying preconfigured Exadata systems since Exadata’s inception in 2008. This means we have a wealth of migration and implementation experience, so we can ensure a smooth, rapid transition.

Full lifecycle expertise: Any model, any deployment size

Our Exadata specialists have delivered Exadata solutions and support services across all deployment models, for organisations with a diverse range of Business and technical requirements.

From migration services to patching to business-as-usual support, we have the skills and capability to meet our industry-benchmark service standards, with our proprietary Service Management Approach providing surety and peace of mind.

8+ years Experience

60+ Onshore and Offshore

DBA’s

20+ Exadata Certified

Specialists

24/7 support models

Take the first step towards the best outcomes

To determine your optimum fit-for-purpose solution, contact our Exadata team and find out about our proven Oracle Database Platform Evaluation process.

We’ll bring together key stakeholders within your team to assess your business and IT priorities, pain points and costs, then help you decide on the best Exadata solution and delivery model for your unique requirements.

Oracle Database Platform Evaluation

What is it? Value

• Identify and access your current Oracle database infrastructure estate.

• Access your licensing position• Identify key business and

technology drivers, metrics and considerations for new platform deployment

• Provide options for your next platform upgrade

• Recommedations underpinned by best practices for cloud deployments

• Provides indicative pricing to assist with development of a business case.

Talk to DXC Red Rock about an Oracle Database Platform Evaluation

Australia and New Zealand’s largest Oracle consultancy

Award-winning Oracle Platinum Partner

More than 350 loyal Oracle customers across the region

650 Oracle consultants in 11 office locations across the country

Unrivalled Oracle Cloud expertise

Why DXC Red Rock?

DXC Red Rock is the largest independent provider of Oracle® consulting and in Australia and New Zealand. Red Rock provides dynamic technology leadership in delivering Oracle Cloud solutions, with a full continuum of services around Oracle’s integrated suite of applications, platform services, and engineered systems.

As part of DXC Technology, Red Rock offers speed and agility with thought leadership and global scale. This allows us to design and deliver innovative market-leading solutions that enable clients to transform their businesses and the broader market.

Oracle has globally recognised Red Rock’s expertise and skills by accrediting us as an Oracle Platinum Partner, Oracle Cloud Premier Partner and Cloud Managed Service Provider.

For more information, email us at

redrockenquiries@dxc.com

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