HPE kicks off software-defined storage-as-a-service

Hewlett Packard Enterprise took a big step toward delivering on its “entire-portfolio-as-a-service” strategy this week by unveiling cloud-based storage and data service that will help manage storage needs in distributed IT enterpises.

HPE said in 2019 that by 2022 it wanted to remake itself into a more service-oriented company and announced plans to transition its entire portfolio to subscription based, pay-per-use, and as-a-service offerings. It has since made headway, for example, recently adding HPE GreenLake cloud services for HPC.

The company’s storage move begins to transform the nearly $5 billion HPE Storage business into a cloud-native, software-defined data-services core. It will help organizations reduce complexity and break down silos within their data and infrastructure across the hybrid cloud, said Tom Black, senior vice president and general manager of HPE Storage. “Storage complexity is the roadblock to innovation,” he said.

Simplifying that complexity will begin with a plan HPE calls its Data Service Platform that features new data-service technologies available through HPE GreenLake, the company’s on-premises, pay-per-use service.

At the center of the new offering is HPE’s Data Services Cloud Console, a cloud-based console that utilizes the HPE Aruba Edge Services Platform to support AI-based analytics, workflow automation, and security. 

The console is designed to abstract and control infrastructure and data workflows  from edge to cloud, Black said. “The Data Services Cloud Console strips away all the traditional management work across the lifecycle of storage—from deployment and provisioning to global management—all from the ease of a single cloud console. The idea is that storage deployment can be done in minutes, rather than days or in some cases weeks, with auto-discovery and configuration,” Black said.

The console features an API that will include application automation features and allow for integration with other HPE and third-party data services and software.

In addition, a Data Ops Manager will let customers provision and manage their data infrastructure from anywhere, using any device, Black said.

The final components are two new storage boxes—HPE Alletra 9000 and 6000 systems—that can be managed at large scale by the console. 

The NVMe Alletra 9000 is aimed at high-end mission-critical storage and the 6000 at business operations. Both can be automatically discovered and configured and managed remotely. The two are derived from existing HPE storage technology with the 9000 related to its Primera arrays and the 6000 to HPE’s Nimble system.

Black said this is the opening salvo for the storage-as-a-service portfolio and that support for other storage-management capabilities as well as existing storage systems such as Nimble and Primera will be brought into the Data Services Cloud Console in the future.

The Data Services Cloud Console, cloud data services, and HPE Alletra will be available for order this month.