HP announces VMware software in the cloud

HP recently announced enhanced integration of new VMware software within HP’s Converged Infrastructure, delivering industry-first capabilities that will accelerate the path to an open, hybrid cloud environment for customers.

Specifically, HP is announcing:

• Improved performance, scalability and reliability through extensive VMware platform integration across all elements of HP Converged Infrastructure.
• Simplified maintenance and consistent security for dynamic environments with a unified security and management framework for VMware cloud infrastructure software across network, storage, servers and clients.
• Integrated turnkey solutions for virtualisation and cloud that enable customers to transform their VMware virtualisation investments into heterogeneous hybrid clouds.
• Single point of accountability with new HP services that provide comprehensive virtualisation and cloud solution support.

“Enterprises don’t want cloud deployments that require rip-and-replace efforts, but rather want them to evolve from where IT is today to where it is going,” said Manoj Bhoola, Enterprise Servers, Storage and Networking Country Manager, HP South Africa. “HP Converged Infrastructure delivers integration with VMware across servers, storage, networking and clients, while also providing turnkey solutions with a common architecture, management and security framework.”

VMware integration across the HP Converged Infrastructure

Virtualisation, an ingredient of many cloud deployments, requires optimised server, storage and network platforms to maximize performance, scalability and reliability. New HP product integrations with VMware’s new cloud infrastructure suite will deliver the following unique benefits:

• Reclaim up to 50 percent of capacity with the HP 3PAR Storage ASIC and zero-detect algorithm combined with new VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Array Integration  capabilities.
• Enhance resiliency across multiple sites at half the cost of traditional storage area networks with HP P4000 LeftHand Storage, which provides continuous availability of virtual machines in the event of failure. HP pioneered this functionality and continues to collaborate with VMware to enhance resiliency across multiple sites.
• Reduce costs by consolidating mission-critical and general purpose applications on the same server and storage hardware with the upgraded HP P9000 Application Performance Extender (APEX). This industry-first capability allows customers to assign specific service level targets to VMs and prioritise all storage system resources to meet those targets.
• Virtualise large, complex workloads with VMware vSphere 5 increased server memory capacity support of 2 terabytes on HP ProLiant DL980 G7 and HP ProLiant DL580 G7 servers as well as the HP ProLiant BL680c G7 blade server, the industry’s only x86 blade with 2 TB of memory.
• Improve system reliability and efficiency with integration between HP storage, VMware vSphere 5 and VMware vCentre Site Recovery Manager 5, which will provide high-performance disaster recovery and automated site failover.

“VMware and HP have benefitted from a 10-year relationship that spans the complete IT infrastructure stack, collaborating to deliver numerous integrated solutions that extend the value of VMware virtualisation deployments,” said Gary Green, vice president, Global Strategic Alliances, VMware. “HP’s commitment to support VMware’s new cloud infrastructure suite is another significant step forward in helping provide joint customers with a pragmatic path to cloud computing.”

Unified security and management

Ensuring quality of service, consistent security policies and network performance in a cloud environment as shared resources are reallocated to respond to opportunities can be challenging. HP simplifies the orchestration of resources with the VMware platform to automate the complexities of dynamic environments, delivering integrations that:

• Accelerate service delivery, simplify operations and boost network availability with the industry’s first single tool for integrated network management across virtual and physical environments. HP Intelligent Management Centre will leverage the Netflow integration in VMware vSphere 5 to deliver granular visibility and control over network traffic between VMs.
• Offer consistency, control and inspection of security policies for highly virtualised infrastructures with HP TippingPoint vController. A comprehensive intrusion prevention system for VMware vCentre Server and VMware vShield™ 5, HP TippingPoint vController ensures consistent security practices and automatic policy enforcement across virtual and physical environments as VMs are created, moved or changed.
• Improve quality of service with the upgraded server management tool, HP Insight Control for VMware vCentre Server 6.3, which offers a single-pane-of-glass management view across virtual and physical environments. This allows administrators to ensure performance, avoid costly downtime and improve flexibility when deploying, migrating or upgrading servers and storage in real time.
• Reduce risk when monitoring, managing and deploying storage and servers by integrating HP Storage with VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness, enabling administrators to update firmware directly from the VMware vCentre Server console.
• Reduce management costs and complexity of client virtualisation implementations with the plug-and-play HP t5565z Smart Client, which includes support for VMware View™ with PCoIP.
• Transform virtualisation investments into heterogeneous hybrid clouds

Clouds must offer heterogeneous support for any application, from any source. This open architecture allows organisations to leverage investments in hardware, virtualisation technologies and applications. Only HP offers solutions that enable clients to manage server, storage, networking and client hardware from multiple vendors via a unified management experience. As a result, clients can:

• Accelerate deployment of virtualised and cloud environments in as little as 30 days with the company’s open, preintegrated and optimised HP VirtualSystem and HP CloudSystem solutions, to be updated with the latest VMware cloud infrastructure suite integrations.
• Achieve a single point of accountability with HP Solution Support, which provides comprehensive accountability for Converged Systems, hardware, networks and software in virtualised and cloud environments.
• Speed time to market with HP Operations Orchestration, by automating repetitive tasks and processes across private or hybrid clouds. With more than 4,000 out-of-the-box templates and integrations, it helps customers rapidly provision applications, servers, storage and networking devices, including bridging private VMware vCloud® environments or bursting into public VMware vCloud providers.