How long does it take to create a virtual Windows server? 30 minutes

How long does it take to get a server into productive use? Umm, maybe 15 – 20 workdays

It seems like you hear variations of this story every day. The overall answer is to automate the process to move to a private cloud. There are plenty of tools that can get you there but the overall journey is complex and difficult. The tools are ready but the amount of effort is avoided.

But I would like to point out that most enterprises have automated provisioning and deploying workloads already… the workstation provisioning process.

The workstation team has worked it’s way through manual installs, “ghosting”, automated deployment of the operating system, installing enterprise-wide apps, installing departmental applications, and installing user apps. The workstation provisioning process has a long history to mature and improve. This team has developed processes that adapt to new suppliers (HP, IBM, Dell, etc.), new operating systems, new user demands, etc. Yet the workstation team is not asked to join the server cloud journey.

Maybe it’s time they are added to the cloud team.