HPE Virtualization Capability for HPE Private Cloud Makes HPE GreenLake the Future-Proof Hybrid Cloud Destination

At HPE Discover 2024 in Las Vegas, the headline announcement was related to Hybrid Cloud and HPE GreenLake.

More than 70% of enterprises are turning to hybrid cloud to drive business innovation and achieve greater operational efficiency and agility. Hybrid cloud allows customers to modernize their legacy IT environments while accelerating the adoption of AI and cloud-native technologies. However, to truly realize the promise of the hybrid cloud, companies recognize the need for a “hybrid by design” approach. This approach delivers a unified, platform-based cloud operating model while providing flexibility, control, and freedom from vendor lock-in.

HPE responded by expanding its hybrid cloud capabilities by introducing HPE virtualization capability for HPE Private Cloud technology, which will be available through HPE’s Private Cloud offerings. The combination of HPE’s full-stack hybrid cloud capabilities and its open, hybrid cloud ecosystem positions HPE GreenLake cloud as the future-proof hybrid cloud destination for enterprises.

Enterprise-Grade Virtualization Built on Open-Source KVM

HPE’s virtualization capability combines open-source kernel-based virtual machine (KVM)* with HPE’s cluster orchestration software to support the high performance and availability required for demanding enterprise workloads. Managed through a cloud-based control plane, HPE’s virtualization capability eliminates the need for on-premises management resources. Despite being cloud-based, it is designed to remain highly available even when disconnected from the cloud.

*While Jordan was visiting the GreenLake booth, he was informed the KVM is based on Ubuntu.

Fully Integrated with HPE Private Cloud

HPE’s virtualization capability is part of a fully integrated private cloud solution built on HPE’s leading compute, networking, and storage capabilities. Customers adopting HPE Private Cloud with HPE’s virtualization capability will benefit from a simple and intuitive management experience. This includes automated Day 0, Day 1+ operations, two-click VM provisioning with integrated data protection, and automated lifecycle management.

The solution also integrates natively with HPE Alletra Storage MP, providing high performance for data-intensive workloads and efficient data reduction. HPE Alletra Storage MP supports independent scaling to optimize individual workload requirements and extends data replication to the public cloud through its software-defined storage (SDS) capabilities. For more details, read our deep-dive coverage of the Alletra MP. Additionally, HPE advisory, professional, and managed services help customers protect against operational and technology risks while achieving faster time-to-value.

An Open and Future-Proof Hybrid Cloud Platform

HPE recognizes that IT modernization must extend beyond virtualization. HPE Private Cloud supports virtualized, cloud-native, and AI workloads, accommodating VMs, containers, and bare metal. Companies selecting HPE Private Cloud gain native integration with HPE hybrid cloud services such as data protection and cyber resiliency (Zerto, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company) and AI-powered IT operations management (OpsRamp, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company), along with leading third-party integrations. All services are delivered through a unified, platform-based cloud management model via the HPE GreenLake platform.

As the hybrid cloud leader, serving 34,000 customers with $15 billion in lifetime total contract value, HPE GreenLake cloud is committed to open standards and multi-vendor, multi-cloud support. HPE continues to partner with industry leaders in virtualization and container technology, supporting the best solutions for customer needs.

A Full Suite of Hybrid Cloud Capabilities

With the addition of HPE’s virtualization capability, HPE becomes the first vendor to offer a complete suite of enterprise-grade capabilities and services across the hybrid cloud technology stack. This includes modular private cloud infrastructure with AI-powered automation, network virtualization and segmentation (HPE Aruba Networking), data mobility with a unified experience across private and public cloud leveraging SDS (HPE Alletra Storage MP), a complete set of runtimes (virtual machines, containers, bare metal) and AI frameworks, multi-cloud, multi-vendor cloud services for IT operations management (OpsRamp), data protection and cyber resiliency (Zerto), as well as sustainability reporting (Sustainability Insights Center).

Up to 5x TCO Savings with a Three-Step “Hybrid by Design” Approach

Enterprises can achieve up to 5x total cost of ownership (TCO) savings when they adopt HPE Private Cloud and partner with HPE to modernize their virtualized IT estate. HPE has established a holistic, three-step approach:

Optimize: Leverage HPE Cloud Physics to right-size the customer’s virtualization footprint and benefit from the architectural advantages of HPE Private Cloud solutions to optimize TCO.
Modernize: Partner with HPE Services to accelerate the adoption of cloud-native and AI platforms, utilizing HPE capabilities such as Zerto data migration, HPE Containers, HPE’s virtualization capability, third-party solutions, and public cloud partners.
Simplify: Simplify the management of multiple environments across private and public clouds by using the unified operating experience of the HPE GreenLake cloud platform and HPE’s natively integrated hybrid cloud services that are multi-vendor and multi-cloud by design.

Licensing

We asked HPE for comment on their licensing scheme at the HPE Discover event in Las Vegas. They hinted that HPE Virtualization may not be based on core count. This could give HPE an edge, as Intel and AMD are continuing to launch CPUs with ever increasing core counts. Modern datacenters are focusing more than ever on the value of rack density and efficiency, so having more VMs per rack without core count limits could appeal to enterprises. This, along with the end-to-end management of Green Lake Hybrid, may make HPE Virtualization combined with GreenLake a viable alternative to VMWare.

Launch Timeline

HPE’s virtualization capability will debut in the second half of 2024. It will be previewed at HPE Discover 2024 and is expected to be released first as part of HPE Private Cloud Business Edition.

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