VMware Boosts HP and VCE Partnerships to Grow Software Defined Data Centers and Hybrid Clouds

VMware began its 2014 VMworld conference last Sunday with a day dedicated to partners, placing HP and VCE in the spotlight with expanded partnerships. The partnerships aim to speed adoption of the software defined data center and hybrid clouds.

The announcements highlight refreshed strategies for integration with new VMware product offerings and empowering businesses with open, secure and agile software-defined technologies.

Hewlett Packard

VMware and HP announced an expansion of their partnership and new collaborative development initiatives focused on the software-defined data center and hybrid cloud. The two long time partners say that they hope efforts will drive customers to adopt technologies in these two areas. They want to provide customers with flexibility and choice through supporting open frameworks, as well as choice in the underlying data center infrastructure.

A joint federated networking solution was announced that the companies say will provide a centralized view, automation and visibility into physical and virtual data center networks. Specifically, the solution federates the HP Virtual Application Networks SDN Controller with the VMware NSX network virtualization platform.

HP ramped up its enterprise cloud efforts this year with a $1 billion investment in its Helion Cloud Services portfolio, which is underpinned by OpenStack. It also recently launched new open standards-based software defined networking solutions to empower cloud providers with network-as-a-service offerings. To help simplify and push adoption of OpenStack, HP said it will support VMware vSphere in a future edition of its Helion OpenStack commercial distribution and that it will support VMware NSX network virtualization.

“VMware believes the software-defined data center is inevitable, and is teaming with HP to drive innovation and simplify adoption of open, software-defined technologies in the enterprise,” said Raghu Raghuram, executive vice president, SDDC Division at VMware. “Customers will be able to combine HP Helion OpenStack with VMware’s enterprise-class infrastructure including VMware vSphere and VMware NSX to achieve production-grade OpenStack deployments. Our integrated network virtualization and SDN solution will help customers achieve a completely new operational model for networking that enables data center operators to achieve orders of magnitude better agility and improved economics.”

VCE

VMware also announced an expansion of its partnership with VCE, including new collaborative development initiatives for delivering integrated management solutions for the hybrid cloud.

The almost five year old VCE alliance with VMware, EMC and Cisco has evolved over the years, but has always focused on converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models. With the new expanded partnership VCE will integrate its Vblock Systems with VMware vCloud Automation Center and VMware vCenter Operations Suite, and provide technology onramps to VMware vCloud Air.

The companies say that the expanded partnership will join VCE blocks with VMware vRealize cloud management software into a single system, giving customers the option to order Vblock Systems pre-installed with VMware vCloud Automation and vCenter Operations Suite, and ready for vCloud Air. This gives customers a private cloud that is hybrid-ready, for migrating workloads to VMware vCloud Air out of the box.

"VCE and VMware are pioneers in delivering exceptional value to customers looking to get the most from their data center investments," said Todd Pavone, executive vice president, product strategy and development at VCE. "As the industry continues to shift toward hybrid cloud computing models, we have a significant opportunity to help customers bridge their Vblock-based private cloud environments to VMware vCloud Air with simplified, built-in VMware cloud management and onramps that enable seamless workload migration between clouds. We're excited to further expand our relationship with VMware, and we believe this new collaboration can unify the tremendous benefits of converged infrastructure and the public cloud, streamlining data center operations and disaster recovery for our mutual customers."