New EMC VMAX Platform for Service Providers

EMC Corporation introduced VMAX SP, a platform that is purpose-built to deliver enterprise storage to service providers using a simple-to-consume and simple-to-manage approach.

Rather than service providers purchasing individual storage, software and service components then spending time and effort integrating them, they can now buy VMAX SP which is pre-packaged based-on service-level options enabling them to deploy new cloud services in as little as four hours.

It delivers multi-tenanted, powerful, trusted and smart storage to improve operational efficiency and allow service providers to focus on their core business – creating new and differentiated services for customers.

VMAX SP Features

• Multi-Tenancy and Intelligence Engine: Securely and simply offer multi-tenanted storage services while leveraging the provisioning and management practices from EMC’s storage experience – all captured within a native Intelligence Engine.
• RESTful API’s for Automated Provisioning, Metering and Reporting: VMAX SP’s multi-tenant usage, metering and chargeback capabilities can be integrated with existing service provide infrastructure through a new standard set of Restful APIs. In addition, service providers can reduce management costs up-to 30% with new automated provisioning capabilities.
• Pre-Packaged Service Level Options: Easily deploy cloud services based on tiered storage offered in bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels with embedded cloning and efficiency functionality.
• Self-Service Portal: Service providers can access VMAX SP’s multi-tenant, usage, metering and chargeback capabilities through a self-service portal. In addition to reporting the self-service portal can be used to configure tiers of service.

Services and Support
VMAX SP is scheduled to be available on a limited basis starting the third quarter of 2012 for select Velocity Service Provider partners. General availability is expected in 2013.

EMC is also offering a two week kick start readiness assessment for VMAX SP to ensure service providers are ready to sell, fulfill and support services based on the new platform. It will also offer service providers planning, integration and operational enablement services as well as a series of VMAX SP reference architectures to accelerate deployment of their Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a Service (SaaS) offerings. VMAX SP comes standard with EMC’s Premium warranty, providing access to the customer support experience.

Mark Leonard, EVP, Infrastructure Services Unit at Colt, said: "This is exactly what our customers have been asking for – easily scalable, easily consumable, flexible storage from an enterprise brand they can trust. We have been working closely with EMC to define what we, as a service provider, need. The VMAX SP will allow us to develop solutions that are in line with the way that our customers consume managed IT services today. One of the most important benefits to Colt is the transparency that this service provides. This will provide insight into how our customers are using storage services, allowing us to shape Colt’s services more closely to our customers’ needs."

Mark Peters, from Enterprise Strategy Group, said: "The VMAX SP has clearly been designed from the perspective of its intended, service provider users. These organizations usually don’t voluntarily become storage experts, but often they have been compelled to do so – at a high cost in terms of money and management resources – in order to ensure that their environments are delivering the high availability, security and workload-appropriate, scalable storage that customers demand. The customized approach that EMC is taking with VMAX SP constitutes a significant improvement in the way such service providers will be able to buy, consume and manage storage in the future."

Brian Gallagher, president, Enterprise Storage Division at EMC, said: "VMAX SP accelerates the transformation to the Hybrid Cloud – delivering enterprise-class needs without compromise for service providers. We’re seeing enterprises increasingly turn to service providers to extend their own data centers in an effort to achieve new levels of consolidation, automation and efficiency. VMAX SP is a natural evolution and complement to our portfolio of enterprise storage. EMC will continue to innovate and deliver solutions to give our customers unmatched flexibility and choice for their storage needs."