HDS Rolls Out Private Cloud Services and Portfolio Enhancements

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, (wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.) announced private cloud services and portfolio enhancements that will help organizations transform their businesses and enable IT to get more from private cloud.

It gives customers faster access to applications, better control over their data and flexibility with its more virtualized, open and secure approach to private cloud. Companies transform into efficient, agile services-defined IT organizations.

A path to the private cloud is a series of steps.

• The first is to consolidate resources into a smaller, more efficient data center footprint.

• Second, leverage virtualization 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 private cloud. These steps form a private cloud enablement methodology that builds a 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 Miki Sandorfi, VP, solutions and cloud, HDS. “HDS private cloud solutions and services deliver exactly that – the most virtualized 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. HDS  private clouds do all of this without obligation or compromise.“

“Cloud best fulfills its promises when customers’ data centers are transformed and modernized to deliver what their stakeholders need via a service-centric model,” said Wayne Pauley, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “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 centers to support private clouds. Regardless of where an IT organization is on the path to the private cloud, and on towards IT as a service, HDS private cloud solutions can help those organizations reach their goals.“

New HDS Private Cloud Offerings
Private cloud offerings include cloud transformation consulting and transition services that are part of a 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 data security capabilities on Hitachi Unified Storage (HUS VM and HUS). The offerings provide complete virtualization of the environment, data security, and an open environment. These three capabilities help organizations 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, organizations can bring technologies and frameworks into their cloud environment for access to the functionality they want, and to allow them to avoid vendor lock-in.

Transformation And Cloud Enablement Services

• Hitachi Services Framework: Combines HDS practices, IP, and processes to accelerate private cloud deployments throughout the full transformation lifecycle, including consulting, transition, and management services to help customers get the most value from IT and private cloud investments.

• Cloud Enablement Methodology: Applies best practices and tools from the Hitachi Services Framework to holistically address technological and organizational cloud considerations. Cloud transformation consulting and transition services are included to help organizations focus on the strategic activities that bring more value to their business.

New Portfolio Enhancements

• Infrastructure

  • HUS VM and HUS 150 controller-based encryption: Flexible data protection and private cloud security. These systems join Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform to complete the portfolio of encrypted storage.

  • Hitachi UCP Select for vSphere with Cisco UCS: Expansion of portfolio offers choice and flexibility with added support for HUS, HUS VM and NAS Platform. Scalability and performance at all levels. It is 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: Support for up to 20,000 users, folder sharing and available on Android. File sharing and Apple iOS are available.

  • Hitachi Data Ingestor: Roaming home directories to provide users with R/W access from any office and data at rest encryption to provide end-to-end encryption for remote or branch office environments and cloud service providers.

• Frameworks and Portals

  • Cloud Automation Suite: Self-service enablement for Hitachi UCP Pro and UCP Select for vSphere. Self-service with service catalog, 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 3rd 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
Modernizing the data center for the private cloud with HDS can bring customers: up to 70% faster deployment than traditional approaches, up to 40% less opex per month, and security on all platforms. It provides 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 center infrastructures. The solutions deliver incremental services opportunities, including consulting, integration, and solutions support. Customers and partners have endorsed the private cloud solutions.