Fujitsu introduces PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN, a new turnkey integrated system for HCI

News facts:

• Ready-to-run appliance streamlines and accelerates the deployment of VMware hyper-converged infrastructures for data centres.
• Tight interaction between Fujitsu and VMware components simplifies life cycle management and reduces operational costs.
• As a scalable foundation for future-proof, virtual infrastructures, the new solution accelerates customers’ path to hybrid IT and cloud.

Fujitsu today announces a preconfigured data centre appliance to simplify the entire life cycle management for VMware-based hyper-converged IT infrastructures (HCI). Fujitsu PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN delivers enhanced features to streamline the deployment, operation, scalability and maintenance of VMware-based HCI. The appliance tightens the levels of interaction between VMware’s software and Fujitsu data centre hardware components.

As a foundational element of digital transformation, agile, resilient and cost-efficient, hyper-converged infrastructures are the next-generation data centre fabric powering today’s most dynamic digital services. A recent analyst survey[1] confirmed that 83% of top-performing IT departments plan to increase investment in HCI over the next two years. But, as organisations modernise and transform data centres, they face challenges around the design, procurement, integration, testing and maintenance of HCI environments. Fujitsu PRIMEFLEX Integrated Systems are specifically designed to help accelerate the adoption of HCI and hybrid IT environments, through mitigating risks and controlling associated costs.

The new Fujitsu PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN appliance is the latest addition to Fujitsu’s extensive line-up of HCI systems. Delivered to fit individual customer requirements, it delivers low-risk, fast set-up. The system is fully optimised, pre-tested and comes with embedded software licences. Compute and storage resources can grow in line with demand – scaling up to 64 server nodes – as the core foundation for future-proof virtual infrastructures.

Based on powerful Fujitsu PRIMERGY x86 servers, which consistently achieve outstanding VMware benchmark results, the solution enables high performance and availability for all HCI workloads. These include general purpose virtualisation, virtual desktop infrastructures, big data and analytics, remote and branch office, edge computing and even supporting mission-critical workloads like SAP HANA. By delivering a common platform for on-premises and off-premises deployments, PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN simplifies hybrid IT, enabling a consistent operational experience with the ability to quickly and easily move workloads across clouds without re-architecting applications. PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN provides a convenient stepping stone to on-premises cloud-like infrastructures with VMware Cloud Foundation, and an easy migration path to the cloud.

Simplified life cycle management from deployment to maintenance

To minimise administration and boost operational efficiency, PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN ships with Fujitsu Software Infrastructure Manager (ISM), tightly integrated with VMware’s vCenter management software. Automated management features allow the management of entire hardware and software stacks from a single user interface. This also enables system configurations to remain failsafe, consistent and compliant, and reduces administration costs. For added peace of mind, Fujitsu can provide 24/7 one-stop support for all software and hardware components, from its Global Delivery Center network.

Lee Caswell, Vice-President Marketing at VMware, comments: “VMware and Fujitsu are working closely together to accelerate the adoption of hyper-converged infrastructure in mission-critical environments at large scale. This new solution can speed up initial deployments and simplify life cycle management and support over time. We’re helping our mutual customers modernise their data centres with a consistent operational model across the hybrid cloud.”

Christian Leutner, Head of Product Sales Europe at Fujitsu, says: “The adoption of hyper-converged infrastructures is accelerating, with organisations looking for a unified approach to operating their hybrid IT environments. Our customers are looking for simplicity, time savings, reduced risk and increased efficiency as the key benefits of pre-integrated systems. We worked closely with VMware to deliver this new turnkey PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN solution. It’s a simple way to deploy and run a VMware HCI, and the result of a strong partnership that already serves hundreds of shared customers.”

To give organisations complete flexibility of choice when it comes to the deployment of their VMware-based HCI, Fujitsu will continue to offer vSAN ReadyNodes – a broad range of validated and VMware-certified server configurations, with preinstalled software enabling further customisation.

Pricing and availability

PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN integrated system is available to order from June 2020 via Fujitsu and channel partners. Pricing varies according to configuration.

[1]The Hybrid IT Platform Imperative: Building a solid systems foundation for digital transformation, a research report from Freeform Dynamics produced in association with Fujitsu. http://docs.ts.fujitsu.com/dl.aspx?id=52aed9e3-a571-4f8d-90ff-85cd6ed18aad

Online resources

• Read the Fujitsu blog: https://blog.global.fujitsu.com/
• Follow Fujitsu on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Fujitsu_Global
• Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/fujitsu
• Find Fujitsu on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FujitsuICT
• Fujitsu pictures and media server: http://mediaportal.ts.fujitsu.com/pages/portal.php
• For regular news updates, bookmark the Fujitsu newsroom: https://www.fujitsu.com/emeia/about/resources/news/newsroom.html