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The power of converged infrastructure lies in its inherent flexibility. Solutions such as those provided by VersaStack™ from IBM and Cisco can be tailored to meet a broad range of IT requirements and business use cases. Also, the converged infrastructure components themselves can evolve, gaining functionality and growing faster, more efficient, and easier to manage and deploy. In the case of VersaStack Solutions, IBM innovation is a key advantage.

Perhaps no lineup of offerings from IBM has seen more innovation recently than VersaStack. There are now over 20 Cisco Validated Designs (CVD) for VersaStack, with more on the way. Each VersaStack Solution combines Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS)-integrated infrastructure with IBM Storage and IBM Software-Defined Storage to address a wide spectrum of business use cases, data center requirements and application workloads, from hybrid and private cloud, through virtual desktops and remote offices, to object storage and overall IT modernization.

VersaStack Solutions can leverage advantages offered by the entire IBM Storage portfolio. This means that the recently announced innovations and enhancements to almost every member of our all-flash storage are also improvements to VersaStack Solutions. These include great CAPEX/OPEX savings, investment protection for coming NVMe, and no-impact-to-application performance.

The innovations begin at the core. IBM FlashCore technology has transitioned to IBM enhanced 3D TLC flash, plus added hardware-accelerated inline data compression. In fact, IBM FlashSystem arrays built with FlashCore technology may, under some workloads, achieve higher performance than before. These remarkable advances can help lower storage costs and increase the efficiency of the many VersaStack Solutions that can be deployed with FlashSystem storage.

IBM FlashSystem arrays have added features and functionality that benefit VersaStack beyond the advances in FlashCore technology. IBM FlashSystem A9000 and IBM FlashSystem A9000R now provide enhanced IBM HyperScale capabilities, making it easier to integrate and leverage existing XIV systems. And IBM FlashSystem V9000 is offering many new scale-up and scale-out options. These enhancements allow VersaStack Solutions to provide flash performance combined with market-leading IBM software-defined storage functionality at scales from a few terabytes to tens of petabytes.

From the beginning, IBM Spectrum Virtualize has been a foundational element of many VersaStack Solutions. Its storage virtualization capabilities allow easier VersaStack deployments. These can incorporate existing storage systems (delivering enterprise-class data services and cost savings to more than 400 non-IBM storage arrays) to enable IT modernization, while extending the value of legacy infrastructure investments. IBM Spectrum Virtualize is adding a number of new features such as IBM Spectrum Virtualize for Public Cloud, which makes real-time disaster recovery and data replication and migration possible between on-premises storage and public cloud resources. There is also persistent storage support for Docker and Kubernetes container environments, expanded SKLM data security support, and an enhanced GUI among many other advances. All this innovation will now be available in VersaStack Solutions.

Perhaps no IBM Storage technology advances will provide more benefit to VersaStack users than the many cloud-related capabilities entering the IBM Spectrum Storage family. Along with the new IBM Spectrum Virtualize for Public Cloud, IBM Spectrum Access offers everything enterprise leaders need to deploy VersaStack private cloud solutions that deliver the economics and simplicity of the cloud with the accessibility, security and performance of on-premises implementations. Other IBM Spectrum Storage family members such as IBM Spectrum Protect, IBM Copy Data Management and IBM Spectrum Control have also recently added cloud-based options and functionality that are easily incorporated into VersaStack Solutions.

VersaStack flexibility and value are increasing in multiple dimensions at once, and now, the power of IBM’s Storage Utility Offering and Cisco’s Open Pay consumption model unite to deliver a simplified engagement across the entire stack:

• All capacity is available instantly, whenever business dictates.
• Pay on consumption with flex-up and flex-down monthly charges.
• Powerful capacity management with predictive analytics.
• No hidden charges or backdoor fees.
• Confidence of on premises with the dynamic advantages of the cloud.

Many new VersaStack Solutions are now available with additional CVDs arriving regularly. And every one of the VersaStack Solutions and their many configuration options can leverage the advances being announced across the entire IBM Storage portfolio.

VersaStack – the convergence of innovation from industry giants. Watch the solution in action.

The post VersaStack Solution: Convergence of innovation appeared first on IBM Systems Blog: In the Making.