EMC Acquires TwinStrata

Highlights

• EMC VMAX³ redefines enterprise storage with an open enterprise data service platform.
• Reduces TCO by 50%, up to 3X the performance of previous generations.
• HYPERMAX OS – a converged storage hypervisor and OS to embed storage infrastructure services on the array.
• Dynamic Virtual Matrix enables customers to dynamically allocate processing power to meet service levels across mixed workloads.
• EMC acquires TwinStrata, Inc., with plans to enable seamless public cloud access as an embedded data service for VMAX³ customers.
• EMC ProtectPoint enables direct backup to Data Domain, up to 10X faster backups, eliminates need for traditional backup infrastructure.

EMC Corporation announced the VMAX³ family, which transforms VMAX from enterprise storage to an enterprise data service platform.

This changes what has – until now – been possible with enterprise storage by bringing new levels of cloud-like agility, efficiency and control within the data center.

Historically, IT delivered data services to internal clients while maintaining full control of the data center. IT was the trusted sole provider, but constrained by a lack of agility in rolling out new applications efficiently. The advent of public cloud services allowed business owners to bypass IT and quickly procure the applications they needed. This self-service approach delivered new levels of agility; however, it added risk by placing the company’s data was outside of IT’s trusted control.

To help IT organizations regain control, a new and more agile data center infrastructure is required. The VMAX³ enterprise data service platform enables customers to regain control of where best to run specific workloads, within the data center or in the public cloud. VMAX³ introduces this innovation to help customers manage their Storage-as-a-Service through predictable service levels at hybrid cloud scale.

Technology Highlights
The rearchitecture of VMAX³ is based upon the new HYPERMAX OS and Dynamic Virtual Matrix architecture. HYPERMAX OS is an open converged storage hypervisor and OS. It enables VMAX³ to embed storage infrastructure services like cloud access, data mobility and data protection directly on the array. This delivers new levels of data center efficiency and consolidation by reducing footprint and energy requirements.

In addition, HYPERMAX OS delivers the ability to perform real-time and non-disruptive data services. The Dynamic Virtual Matrix architecture enables customers to dynamically allocate processing power for improved performance and to ensure predictable service levels at scale.

VMAX³ combines the control and trust of the traditional data center with the flexibility, economics and scale of the cloud, delivering customers a more powerful, trusted and agile system.

More Powerful
The VMAX³ hybrid systems – including the 100K, 200K and 400K – are purpose-built to support the hybrid cloud by dynamically allocating up to 384 processing cores on-demand to meet the performance requirements of dynamic mixed workloads. It enables customers to hyper-consolidate enterprise applications. The new systems are designed so that customers can start small – from 100’s of VMs – and grow to tens of thousands of VMs, all while delivering predictable service levels.

VMAX³ offers up to 3X faster performance and 50% lower TCO as the previous generation VMAX, accelerating Oracle, SQL, SAP transactional processing, high bandwidth data analytics and file workloads.

More Trusted
The new flash-optimized VMAX³ delivers the agility and economics of the cloud, with the control and trust of the VMAX Family’s greater than 99.9999% (six nines) availability.

EMC ProtectPoint, a new data protection solution, enables direct backup from primary storage to protection storage. Providing up to 10x faster backup and instant access to protected data, this approach enables backing up the VMAX³ directly to a Data Domain system, eliminating the need for traditional backup infrastructure and reducing TCO by up to 65%.

New Agility
VMAX³ delivers single-click provisioning while also enabling customers to define service level objectives across consolidated mixed workloads using the new VMAX Advanced FAST Suite. With EMC ViPR integration, these capabilities are provided through a self-service model.

New embedded cloud access capabilities will be delivered through TwinStrata, which EMC acquired. TwinStrata’s advanced cloud tiering technology enables customers to move infrequently accessed data to the public cloud for lower TCO. TwinStrata supports many of the public cloud providers on the market, and will add support for other market leaders as well.

VMAX³ with HYPERMAX OS are expected to be available in 3Q14 with additional capabilities to follow. Embedded file and ProtectPoint will be available in 4Q14 for additional license fees. TwinStrata integration details will be announced at a later date. EMC Global Services consulting and implementation services are available for VMAX3 deployments.

Jesse Braasch, VP of infrastructure, Evolution1, said: “The VMAX platform has always been powerful and trusted. The VMAX³ enhancements announced give us the agility we need to provide services to our application owners while ensuring predictable performance levels. The simplicity of VMAX3 is a game changer as it gives us the ability to take control back into the data center and deliver cloud services our clients. I look forward to leveraging the new capabilities of the VMAX3.”

Mark Peters, ESG, said: “EMC says it wants to redefine the enterprise storage market with its new VMAX³, and to help the process it has created a self-descriptive and incisive term for its product: an ‘enterprise data service platform.’ While such style can certainly help, ultimately it is substance that matters: and in this regard the VMAX³ does not disappoint. It is a purpose-built platform that uses heavy doses of both raw horsepower and advanced, innovative functionality to deliver and manage predictable service levels at scale. It is designed to allow IT organizations to enjoy the attractive economics, workload-flexibility and self-service aspects of a cloud approach in combination with the sheer trust, availability and scalability of a traditional data center.”
 
Brian Gallagher, president, enterprise and midrange systems division, EMC, said: “The revolutionary transformation of VMAX³ – from enterprise storage to an open enterprise data service platform – delivers customers the ability to transform a traditional storage infrastructure to an agile data center infrastructure. Simply put, it’s hyper-consolidation for existing workloads, and their underlying infrastructure. As the first open enterprise data service platform, VMAX³ is the foundation for hybrid cloud as customers look to deliver Storage-as-a-Service with simple, policy-based service levels.”