New Challenges Demand New Hybrid IT Solutions

Introducing the Dell EMC Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI

New challenges force us to find new solutions, but sometimes the challenges are so great they require an entirely different way of thinking about the solution.

Cloud was the digital transformation solution to all of IT’s challenges. That is, until it wasn’t. IT departments across organizations were forced to address cloud sprawl, uncontrolled costs, and governance to ensure efficient IT spend.

Then came the era of the hybrid cloud, representing the best of both worlds: the elasticity of public cloud and the security control of on-premises infrastructure. But that too brought a new set of challenges. This proliferation of deployment models required IT staff with the knowledge and skills to manage each of these unique architectures. It also required a unique set of tools to manage each of the cloud and on-premises environments.

Together, Dell Technologies and Microsoft are addressing these needs with the Dell EMC Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI. This system is designed to do one thing and do it really well – optimize the operational experience of Microsoft’s next generation of Azure Stack HCI.

Next Gen Azure Stack HCI

At their Inspire event earlier this year, Microsoft announced the evolution of its HCI solution which is now delivered as an Azure service, not through a traditional licensing model. Users will consume Azure Stack HCI like they would Azure cloud instances, but the infrastructure lives on-premises. It’s by nature a hybrid solution – one that lives in your data center or in a Remote Office/Branch Office (ROBO) environment. Because of its Azure integration, customers have access to the latest security, performance and feature enhancements from Microsoft on a regular basis.

Announcing the Dell EMC Integrated System for Azure Stack HCI

Today we are excited to announce that we are launching a new offer: Dell EMC Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI – an all-in-one, validated HCI system with intelligently integrated foundation from Dell Technologies.

When HCI systems hit the market about 10 years ago, traditional servers were the underlying infrastructure, however HCI software has unique performance requirements. To meet the demands of HCI software, Dell EMC took the experience and expertise engineering PowerEdge servers and tailored them to meet the needs of software-defined solutions. Optimized hardware platforms and unique software integrations have propelled Dell EMC HCI systems to #1 in the HCI market.

When it came to designing infrastructure platforms for Azure Stack HCI, we built on that knowledge and experience, yet in some ways had to go back to the drawing board. That’s because the unique hybrid nature of Azure Stack HCI challenged our engineering team to not only think about creating the best HCI platform, we needed to create the best hybrid HCI platform. That’s why every chassis, every drive, DIMM, processor and adapter selection was made specifically to optimize for Azure Stack HCI.

“An example of a successful long-term relationship is the collaboration that went into the Dell EMC Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI. This purpose-built system was designed specifically for the new Azure Stack HCI OS and is a testament to the engineering expertise of our two organizations,” according to Talal Alqinawi, Senior Director at Microsoft. “Together Dell Technologies and Microsoft are making hybrid cloud simple for customers from the core datacenter to Azure public cloud to the edge.”

Same tools, new tricks

While 93% of enterprises have a multi-cloud strategy, only a third of those are using multi-cloud management tools, leaving the other two-thirds to manage their cloud deployments through different portals, tools, etc.

With the Dell EMC Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI, IT teams can use their familiarity of Azure, Windows Server, and Hyper-V to run and operate Azure Stack HCI with tools such as Windows Admin Center, PowerShell and the Azure portal.

We know that technology doesn’t run itself so when we set out to purpose-build our integrated system for Azure Stack HCI, we thought as much about the management expertise as we did about the hardware. The outcome was a simplified deployment and full stack lifecycle management experience through the OpenManage Integration for Windows Admin Center which reduces manual tasks by 82%, greatly reducing the risk of data entry mistakes or installation option guess work.

Turning a Challenge into a Solution

When you’re ready to get started with the new Azure Stack HCI, Dell Technologies is here to support you with a team of experts. From start to finish and beyond, our proven enterprise-class deployment tools, global support, and consulting services aim to reduce the complexity that comes with design, deployment and management.

While the magic of cloud is mostly the notion that you only pay for what you use, Dell Technologies on Demand delivers on that same promise with flexible payment solutions for Azure Stack HCI. With the ability to pay as you use, but with the control and security of our infrastructure on-premises, Azure Stack HCI might actually be the best of both worlds for Microsoft environments.

Source: delltechnologies.com