Completion Report
Project Summary:
Objective
The objective stated at the outset of the project was:
The objective of the project is to produce a strategy document detailing the options for migrating applications from the current infrastructure (Ardvreck and Chrichton). The outcomes of the document will be used to inform the relevant business areas about the need to migrate their applications to the new infrastructure. It is crucial that this is done in time for the forthcoming Annual Planning exercise for 14/15 projects, so that the migration activity can be incorporated into the programmes of work for 14/15.
Completion Notes:
- The project has met the original objective and has completed the strategy document for applications residing on SPARC/Solaris infrastructure (non University Website and EUCLID/SITS applications). - The audit of applications has enabled business areas to plan migration projects for future years. Note that migrations will take place over 2014/15 to 2016/17 in line with the new three year rolling planning process. The finalised document can be viewed at this link - Strategy Document v4
Deliverables
| Deliverable (strategy document covering the following items) | Delivered | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Current application infrastructure (residing on Ardvreck and Chrichton) | Y | The strategy document also listed applications residing on other servers such as Aberdour, Awe, Birkhill. |
| Types of technology running on the current infrastructure | Y | |
| Whether any technologies (e.g. Solaris) should be deprecated | Y | |
| Recommendations for using virtual infrastructure | Y | |
| Recommendations for new infrastructure technology (e.g. moving from Unix to Linux, x86 based) | Y | |
| Recommendations for bringing Windows and Unix application infrastructure into alignment | Y | |
| List of applications by business area that need to be migrated | Y | |
| Ensuring VM infrastructure is future proof, detailing maximum capacity | Y | |
| How the cost savings and performance improvements will be measured | Y |
Benefits
As stated in the Project Brief, the tangible benefits (e.g. performance improvements, cost savings) will be delivered during follow-on projects, however the project provided some intangible benefits such as:
- Providing a clear strategy for the applications migrations. - Clarifying the current position of the applications infrastructure. - Providing recommendations for aligning Unix and Windows application infrastructure. - Establishing a plan for moving to up-to-date technology.
Analysis of Resource Usage:
Staff Usage Estimate: 20 days
Staff Usage Actual: 32 days
Staff Usage Variance: 60%
Other Resource Estimate: 0 days
Other Resource Actual: 0 days
Other Resource Variance: 0%
Explanation for variance:
A budget of 20 days was set at the start of the project, and the first draft of the document was completed within the 20 days. Additional effort was needed to complete the document based on feedback from colleagues in Development Services and Production Management.
Additional effort was also needed during the audit of applications residing on the Solaris infrastructure. The audit involved staff across several teams in IS Apps to identify the business area owning the application, and to ensure that the applications were still in use and needing migrated.
Key Learning Points:
Outstanding issues:
There are no outstanding issues, however actions arising from the strategy document have been included in the Infrastructure Programme reports so that they can be reviewed monthly.