Hewlett-Packard officials are offering virtualization software designed to make it easier for enterprises to secure and move data and virtual machines in cloud environments, both within a data center and between data centers.
The company on Aug. 14 is unveiling new solutions that increase the security of data in a cloud environment, keeping information from disparate departments isolated from each other, and that also simplify the movement of data between up to eight data centers. HP also is making it easier for businesses to create pools of storage resources in x86 servers running virtualization software from VMware and Microsoft.
The moves come at a time when enterprises are increasingly embracing virtualization and private cloud computing technologies, and as businesses are looking for greater disaster recovery, mobility and flexibility in these environments, according to Mike Banic, vice president for global marketing for HP Networking. Citing numbers from market research firm Gartner, by 2015, 75 percent of all x86 server workloads will be virtualized. By 2014, 80 percent of the traffic running through a data center s LAN will be between servers, and with the increasing demand for greater virtual machine mobility, the network will have to flatten.
Current legacy networking technology is not made to adapt to such trends as cloud computing and software-defined networks, he said. When HP officials talk to businesses about cloud computing and virtualization, “there are a lot of questions around data center-to-data center connectivity,” Banic told eWEEK. Such connectivity is increasingly important when talking about workload mobility and disaster recovery, he said. The problem now is that creating such connectivity is a complex, time-consuming task, with redesign and reconfiguration work that can take months to accomplish.
The vendor is looking to make this a much simpler process with its Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI) solution, an overlay technology that enables IT administrators to connection up to eight data centers that can be located around the world, Banic said. The EVI software can be installed in each data center, then connected with each other, creating an environment where businesses can easily move data and virtual machines from one site to another. HP has the technology working its six data centers, he said.
Installing and deploying the software requires the IT administrator to answer five questions about configurations and designs, Banic said. Once that is done, the solution is in place. “In one click, it’s ready to go,” he said.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: HP Offers Cloud, Virtualization Network Solutions for Enterprises
