Johannesburg, 16 Oct 2013
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS) today announced new private cloud services and portfolio enhancements that will help organisations transform their businesses and enable IT to get more from the private cloud.
HDS gives customers faster access to applications, better control over their data and cost-effective flexibility with its more virtualised, open and secure approach to private cloud. With HDS, companies effectively transform into efficient, agile services-defined IT organisations.
An effective path to the private cloud is a series of steps. The first is to consolidate resources into a smaller, more efficient data centre footprint. Second, leverage virtualisation technologies to create on-demand pools of compute and storage resources. Third, automate IT management and provisioning processes for simplified management and administration. Adding self-service capabilities completes what is needed to build a true private cloud. These steps form a new private cloud enablement methodology that builds a reliable, secure, flexible foundation for service-based delivery.
"Today, our customers need fast access to applications to drive revenue, security for their valuable intellectual property, and cost-effective services," said Shaun Barendsen, Country Manager, HDS South Africa. "HDS private cloud solutions and services deliver exactly that - the most virtualised and responsive, secure and trusted, open and cost-effective private cloud - via an open architecture that's flexible and lets our customers choose how they approach the cloud. Hitachi Data Systems private clouds do all of this without obligation or compromise.
"Cloud best fulfils its promises when customers' data centres are transformed and modernised to deliver what their stakeholders need via a service-centric model," said Barendsen. "IT can then provide services when and where users need them, based on committed service levels. Hitachi Data Systems understands that different IT professionals are at different stages of transformation in their data centres to support private clouds. Regardless of where an IT organisation is on the path to the private cloud, and on towards IT as a service, HDS private cloud solutions can help those organisations reach their goals."
New HDS private cloud offerings
New Hitachi Data Systems private cloud offerings include cloud transformation consulting and transition services that are part of a new cloud enablement methodology. The private cloud offerings also offer a cloud automation suite to Hitachi Unified Compute Platform (UCP), reference architectures with Cisco for UCP Select, and new data security capabilities on Hitachi Unified Storage (HUS VM and HUS). The offerings provide complete virtualisation of the environment, better data security, and a more open environment.
These three capabilities help organisations leverage and manage their resources for maximum return while enforcing the security mechanisms they need to keep their content safe.
The private cloud solutions use an open architecture that includes a storage, compute and network infrastructure layer, APIs, open interfaces and protocols needed to work with management and orchestration frameworks. They also offer portals and global services required to build, deploy, and manage private clouds. With all of these capabilities, organisations can bring best-of-breed technologies and frameworks into their cloud environment for access to the functionality they want, and to allow them to avoid vendor lock-in:
New transformation and cloud enablement services
* Hitachi Services Framework: Combines HDS best practices, IP, and processes globally to accelerate private cloud deployments throughout the full transformation life cycle, including consulting, transition, and management services to help customers get the most value from IT and private cloud investments.
* Cloud Enablement Methodology: Applies proven best practices and tools from the Hitachi Services Framework to holistically address technological and organisational cloud considerations. New cloud transformation consulting and transition services are included to help organisations focus on the strategic activities that bring more value to their business.
New portfolio enhancements
Infrastructure
* Hitachi Unified Storage (HUS) VM and Hitachi Unified Storage 150 controller-based encryption: Powerful and flexible data protection and private cloud security. These systems join Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform to complete the simplified, manageable and comprehensive Hitachi portfolio of encrypted storage.
* Hitachi UCP Select for VMware vSphere with Cisco UCS: Expansion of portfolio offers choice and flexibility with added support for HUS, HUS VM and Hitachi NAS Platform (HNAS). Tremendous scalability and performance at all levels. It is ideal for Hitachi TrueNorth partners.
Access methods and protocols
* Hitachi NAS Platform: Extends data migration to Amazon S3 compatible public clouds and to a cloud based on Hitachi Content Platform.
* Hitachi Content Platform Anywhere: Now with support for up to 20 000 users, folder sharing and available on Google Android. File sharing and Apple iOS are already available.
* Hitachi Data Ingestor (HDI): Now with roaming home directories to provide users with read/write access from any office and data at rest encryption (DARE) to provide end-to-end encryption for remote or branch office (ROBO) environments and cloud service providers.
Frameworks and portals
* Cloud Automation Suite: Self-service enablement for Hitachi UCP Pro and UCP Select for VMware vSphere. Easy self-service with service catalogue, automated provisioning, chargeback, subscription management and billing determination and definition of service levels and key performance indicators. The cloud automation suite provides service automation and complements UCP Director software, which automates infrastructure orchestration with an open architecture and uses a REST API to integrate third party management tools. Cloud service providers will be able to support multiple hypervisor environments from a single converged platform with shared automation capabilities.
Services and benefits to customers and partners
Modernising the data centre for the private cloud with Hitachi Data Systems can bring customers significant savings: up to 70% faster deployment than traditional approaches, up to 40% less opex per month, and security on all platforms, all with number one ranked Hitachi Data Systems support services.
HDS Managed Services provide private cloud as a service and drive the IT transformation of private cloud with a compute and storage pay-per-use consumption model that is driven by service levels and includes all hardware, software, and services. A partner network helps extend the value of these solutions with their skills in industries, applications, and data centre infrastructures. The solutions deliver incremental services opportunities, including consulting, integration, and solutions support. HDS customers and partners have endorsed Hitachi Data Systems private cloud solutions.
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