Cloud is not a place. Cloud computing is a "model that allows on-demand, convenient, anytime, anywhere access over a network to a shared pool of configurable computing resources", according to the definition of the US standardisation body NIST. It does not matter where the components are located. The data can also be stored in one's own data centre.
The trend is towards cloud-ready services with on-prem hardware.
This meets a great desire of many companies: They want to work as if in the cloud, but cannot or do not want to abandon existing on-premises or hybrid environments. The relatively new edge-to-cloud concept overcomes this challenge by keeping data management centralised and secure in the cloud, while network, compute and storage remain in the company's own data centre. All data centres and other edge locations are managed via a central console that unites all components installed in the data centres.
As secure as a bank.
HPE calls this solution HPE GreenLake Cloud Platform. The entire hardware and software of a company can be managed via the console, which can be used from anywhere with any web browser. No more local management servers, no more updates, no more hardware upgrades. Instead, the complete management is available immediately. And: because the console is certified according to a standard that only banks achieve (SOC 2 Type 1 Attest), it is extremely secure.
From service to complete solution.
Two years ago, HPE launched the HPE GreenLake cloud platform, which the IT system house Bechtle Schweiz AG sets up and implements as an HPE Platinum Partner. This allows everything from the OS used on the servers to the backup to be administered, executed and configured. The systems are displayed in a dashboard, regardless of whether they are in the cloud or in the company's own data centre. From updating the OS to reinstalling the volumes, everything is possible. In April this year, HPE expanded its platform to include its own hardware base, whose modular system is being expanded even further: HPE GreenLake for Block Storage.
100 percent data availability.
The Next Generation Block Storage is based on a standardised hardware solution, the HPE Alletra Storage MP (Multiprotocol). It is modular and customisable: block, file and object workloads can be executed with exactly the same building blocks. These enable the construction of different architectures. The basis is a chassis with storage media, two controllers, RAM and CPU. Optionally, dedicated cluster switches can be added. The chassis can be used for node computing, capacity (JBOF - Just a Bunch of Flash), as an array or as storage.
The special feature is that instead of a write cache with controllers, the data is written directly into the backend via a write-through model - into the non-volatile part of the drives. Independent of controllers and power, the data is written to robust memory before a complete I/O is sent to the host. If the power fails, no error recovery is necessary. The data is 100 per cent available.
Flexible Erweiterungen ohne Downtime.
Diese Kombination – Plattform und Baustein-System – stellt eine neue Evolutionsstufe des HPE Blockprotokollspeichers dar. Und sie wird weiter ausgebaut. Bis Anfang 2024 wird das jetzige 16-Core-System zu einem 32-Core-System mit Erweiterungen für JBOFS. So kann HPE GreenLake for BlockStorage beliebig skaliert werden und jede Anforderung abdecken. Performance und Kapazität lassen sich ganz flexibel und ohne Downtime erweitern.
