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    HP Outlines Software-Defined Storage Strategy

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    Software-Defined Storage: Driving a New Era of the Cloud

    As part of an effort to round out its software-defined data center (SDDC) strategy, Hewlett-Packard today announced that HP StoreVirtual Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) will be fully integrated with both the commercial and community editions of the HP Helion cloud computing framework that are based on OpenStack, as well as delivering tighter integration with VMware.

    As part of the HP Helion framework, the HP StoreVirtual VSA storage systems now provide support for an updated Cinder interface to support OpenStack orchestration as well as a full set of RESTful application programming interfaces (APIs) that make those HP storage resources programmable.

    In addition to refining its software-defined storage (SDS) strategy, HP is also cutting HP StoreOnce backup licensing fees by 86 percent for small and remote sites using a 4TB instance of HP StoreVirtual VSA, while also introducing a lower cost entry HP 3PAR StoreServ 7200 All-Flash Starter Kit that allows IT organizations to deploy Flash arrays starting at $35,000.

    Craig Nunes, vice president of marketing for HP Storage, says that in addition to making SDS technology more affordable, HP is trying to extend the reach of the SDDC into the realm of storage via support for OpenStack, VMware and Microsoft. As data centers continue to evolve in the age of virtualization, Nunes says it’s clear that all management of IT infrastructure will be increasingly centralized. Those efforts will not only allow IT organizations to manage IT infrastructure at scale; they should enable them to do so without having to throw a lot of additional IT labor at managing.

    While there will always be demand for storage architects, the daily administration of storage is clearly moving into the realm where the same administrator that handles servers and virtual machines can also manage storage resources. That should free up IT organizations to reallocate IT staff in a way that adds more value to the business.

    Of course, a new generation of IT infrastructure needs to be in place before any of that can happen. In the meantime, the amount of data that needs to be managed across the enterprise continues to mount. Probably sooner than later, that means something inside the data center is about to give one way or the other.

    Mike Vizard
    Mike Vizard
    Michael Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist, with nearly 30 years of experience writing and editing about enterprise IT issues. He is a contributor to publications including Programmableweb, IT Business Edge, CIOinsight and UBM Tech. He formerly was editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise, where he launched the company’s custom content division, and has also served as editor in chief for CRN and InfoWorld. He also has held editorial positions at PC Week, Computerworld and Digital Review.

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