Arrow ECS With SMB Cloud Solution Bundles for EMC VNXe, VMware and Brocade

Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, a business segment of Arrow Electronics Inc., launched cloud configurations in North America combining VMware virtualization software and management tools, EMC VNXe unified storage, servers and integrated Brocade networking technology.

"EMC resellers can rely on Arrow ECS for expertise and architectural guidance to create solutions that address their customers’ top data-center and IT infrastructure needs while simplifying the buying process," said Matt Rochford, director of North American EMC sales for Arrow ECS. "Validated, tested and documented for optimal performance by Arrow ECS, these cloud solution bundles are ideal for EMC resellers and their small- to mid-sized customers that are interested in taking their first steps on the road to the cloud and want the confidence of a proven solution."

Called the Arrow CloudTrack Migration Solutions, the solution bundles feature best-in-class products from the distributor’s broad portfolio.

The integrated solutions
address the following virtualization needs:

• Consolidation – Built using the VMware vSphere Essentials Plus software package and EMC’s VNXe unified storage systems, this solution is suitable for server and storage consolidation on non-business-critical applications or in test environments. With this solution, customers can begin development and training with virtualization. It can be upgraded easily to support high-availability and provide additional scale.
• Availability – Expanding on the aforementioned consolidation configuration, this solution provides support for vMotion and VMware HA. It incorporates a second server and network switch, as well as a redundant-storage processor in EMC VNXe storage systems.
• Scalability – Featuring the same fundamental architecture as the availability package, this solution is designed to consolidate more servers and provide additional network bandwidth capacity. Also, it uses performance disk drives to support added loads.
• Automation – Based on VMware vSphere Midsize Acceleration Kit, this solution supports consolidation demand and network bandwidth usage. VMware Fault Tolerance can be implemented with this solution for mission-critical applications.

Excluding the entry-level consolidation configuration, all CloudTrack solutions support multisite high-availability and fault tolerance activities for business continuity and data recovery.

As with all solutions available through Arrow ECS, sales and technical training, certification programs, hands-on solutions demonstrations and co-op promotional programs are available to assist EMC resellers with selling the CloudTrack solutions. In addition, the Arrow Fusion professional services team provides assessments, implementations and migrations for these configurations.

"Arrow ECS’ announcement of CloudTrack solution bundles demonstrates its ongoing commitment to making it easy for SMB customers to utilize world-class products like the VNXe that are simple, efficient and affordable, in validated configurations that provide proven productivity gains and IT cost benefits to their businesses," said Doug Wood, vice president, entry systems and software, EMC.

VNXe unified storage systems offers users automated, application-aware storage for their business-critical applications. The VNXe offers provisioning wizards that automatically apply storage best practices according to application requirements. The platforms feature the EMC Unisphere element-management system that enables users without existing shared storage solutions to provision, manage and protect their data. This, coupled with VMware virtualization technology, makes the VNXe an unified-storage platform for today’s small businesses.

Suited for virtualized environments, the CloudTrack Migration solutions also feature a range of Brocade networking solutions, including the Brocade FastIron FCX Series, the Brocade FastIron SW Series and FastIron GS Series switches. Brocade networking technologies are purpose-built to enable flexible architectures to help customers realize the benefits of virtualization and cloud computing.

"Brocade is pleased to be working with VMware, EMC and Arrow ECS to create integrated, cloud-optimized solutions to help enable organizations transition to a world where information and applications can reside anywhere," said Barbara Spicek, vice president of worldwide channels at Brocade. "The collaborative and consultative approach that Arrow ECS has adopted with their more than 13,000 value-added resellers will help accelerate real-world implementation of cloud solutions."