Data centers must become smarter to meet today’s business needs. They need to be more efficient, scalable, and flexible and at the same time keep operational costs in check. A smarter data center must seamlessly integrate IT resources, such as servers, storage, and networking, while also responding quickly to change.

Networking plays an essential role in enabling infrastructures for smarter data centers. In dynamic environments with virtualized IT resources, the network must do more than just carry traffic and support the provisioning of new IT services. It must also have the built-in flexibility and capability to adapt quickly while maintaining comprehensive security, visibility, and management.

IBM® Flex System™ build-to-order (BTO) and Juniper Networks QFabric are key building blocks for a smarter data center infrastructure. They are reliable, resilient, and energy efficient resources that seamlessly integrate to provide the capabilities and flexibility needed now and in the future.

This IBM Redpaper™ publication discusses how to build a smarter data center infrastructure with IBM Flex System BTO and Juniper Networks QFabric. It discusses key client use cases that address today’s data center challenges:

• Business continuity and disaster recovery
• Multitenancy
• Virtual machine mobility

This paper is intended for IT management, IT architects, network planners and integrators, and technical specialists.

Chapter 1. The value in creating a smarter data center infrastructure

Chapter 2. Understanding the key building blocks for a smarter data center

Chapter 3. Designing a smarter data center infrastructure

Chapter 4. Verifying key client use cases with IBM Flex System BTO and Juniper Networks QFabric