HP today announced the new HP ConvergedSystem 250-HC StoreVirtual (CS 250), a hyper-converged infrastructure appliance (HCIA) based on HP's new ProLiant Apollo 2000 server and HP StoreVirtual software-defined storage (SDS) technology.
Built on up-to-date HP, Intel, and VMware technologies, the CS 250 combines a virtual server and storage infrastructure that HP says is configurable in minutes for nearly half the price of competitive systems. It is designed for virtual desktops and remote office productivity, as well as to provide a flexible path to hybrid cloud. [Disclosure: HP is a sponsor of BriefingsDirect.]
Designed to attract customers on a tight budget, the HP CS 250 includes a new three-node configuration that is up to 49 percent more cost effective than comparable configurations from Nutanix, SimpliVity and other competitors, says HP. Because HP's StoreVirtual runs in VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V and KVM virtual environments, the appliance may soon come to support all those hypervisors.
HP recently discontinued the EVO:RAIL version of its HCIA, which was based on the EVO:RAIL software from OEM partner VMware.
Increasingly, even small IT shops want to modernize and simplify how they support existing applications. They want virtualization benefits to extend to storage, backup and recovery, and be ready to implement and consume some cloud services. They want the benefits of software-defined data centers (SDDC), but they don’t want to invest huge amounts of time, money, and risk in a horizontal, pan-IT modernization approach.
That's why, according to IDC, businesses are looking for flexible infrastructure solutions that will allow them to quickly deploy and run new applications. This trend has resulted in a 116 percent year-over-year increase in hyper-converged systems sales and 60 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) anticipated through 2019.
The growth in the building blocks approach to IT infrastructure is building rapidly. IDC estimates that in 2015, $10.2 billion will be spent on converged systems, representing 11.4 percent of total IT infrastructure spending. This number will grow to $14.3 billion by 2018, representing 14.9 percent of total IT infrastructure spending, says IDC. Similarly, Technology Business Research, Inc. in Hampton, NH, estimates a $10.6 billion U.S. addressable market over the next 12 months, through mid-2016.
With HCIAs specifically, enterprises can begin making what amounts to mini-clouds based on their required workloads and use cases. IT can quickly deliver the benefits of modern IT architectures without biting off the whole cloud model. Virtual desktops is a great place to begin, especially as Windows 10 is emerging on the scene.
Indeed, VDI deployments that support as many as 250 desktops on a single appliance at a remote office or agency, for example, allow for ease in administration and deployment on a small footprint while keeping costs clear and predictable. And, if the enterprise wants to scale up and out to hybrid cloud, they can do so with ease and low risk.
Multi-site continuity
The inclusion of three 4TB StoreVirtual Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) licenses also allows the new HP CS 250 system to replicate data to any other HP StoreVirtual-based solution. This means that customers can leverage their existing infrastructure as a replication target at no additional cost, says HP. The CS 250 also allows customers to tailor the system with a choice of up to 96 processing cores, a mix of SSD and SAS disk drives, and up to 2TB of memory per 4-node appliance -- double that of previous generations.
The CS 250 arrives pre-configured for VMware's vSphere 5.5 or 6.0 and HP OneView InstantOn to enable customers to be production-ready with only 5 minutes of keyboard time and a total of 15 minutes deployment time, with daily management from VMware vCenter via the HP OneView for VMware vCenter plug-in, says HP.
HP sees the CS 250 as a oath to bigger things. For midsize and enterprise customers seeking an efficient and cost-effective cloud entry point, for example, the new HP Helion CloudSystem 9.0 built on the CS 250 provides a direct path to the hybrid cloud. This hyper-converged cloud solution leverages the clustered compute and storage resources of the CS 250 for on-premise workloads but adds self-service portal provisioning and public cloud bursting features for those moving beyond server virtualization.
HP announced that it is enhancing its Nitro partner program and opening it up to distributors worldwide, starting with Arrow Electronics in the US.
HP is also introducing new Software-Defined Storage Design and Integration services to help customers deploy highly scalable, elastic cloud storage services, the company announced today. The integration service provides customers with detailed configuration and implementation guidance tailored to their specific needs to accelerate time to value, said HP.
The 4-node CS 250-HC StoreVirtual is available on August 17, while 3-node configurations are available on September 28. A sample solution price inclusive of the 3-node CS250 with Foundation Carepack and VMware vSphere Enterprise starts at a list price of $121,483, said HP.
Dana
