VMworld 2014 – The EVO-lution of Marvin, and Hyperconvergence for VMware

VMware has opened the doors on a new hyperconverged platform this morning in their HCIA (Hyperconverged Infrastructure Appliance) now unveiled as EVO:RAIL. Long known for their strength in data center virtualization with VMware vSphere, VMware has begun to step into the hardware world in a big way with this announcement.

2U of HTML Managed SDDC Goodness

The EVO:RAIL has been built with the plan of delivering scalable infrastructure with simplicity. Using the HTML5 interface, administrators are able to use the relatively plug-and-play hardware platform while leveraging the SDDC (Software Defined Data Center) features to provide scalable, extensible data center infrastructure.

Image Source: http://wahlnetwork.com/2014/08/25/evo-rail/
Image Source: http://wahlnetwork.com/2014/08/25/evo-rail/

Chris Wahl has done a phenomenal post here which talks about the entire platform end-to-end. Looking at the experience Chris had on the platform, we can see that the interface and overall user experience was clearly top of mind for the VMware EVO team. Simplicity in deployment, and simplicity in management will be strong deciders for folks who are looking to build their data centers. With the 4 node configuration in 2U of rack space, this is a neatly packaged offering that has great potential to bring existing and new customers on board with EVO.

What’s in the Box?

As noted at the VMware blog site this morning, the hardware inside the EVO:RAIL

Image source: http://blogs.vmware.com/tribalknowledge/2014/08/vmworld-2014-vmware-evorail-building-block-software-defined-data-center.html
Image source: http://blogs.vmware.com/tribalknowledge/2014/08/vmworld-2014-vmware-evorail-building-block-software-defined-data-center.html

Hardware is not something that has been in the stable of VMware offerings up to this point. That being said, they have been working in data center deployments inside their own vCloud Air (formerly vCloud Hybrid Service).

Why EVO:RAIL?

Simplicity, and trust. The very tenets of what is driving the vCloud Air platform for customers are now available inside your own data center. When the MARVIN speculation began recently, I had predicted that this hyperconverged offering was going to be the “vCHS in a box” for the data center. Customers enjoy the ability to work with incumbent vendors such as VMware and their hardware partners who power the EVO:RAIL including Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Inspur, NetOne and SuperMicro. The new hardware offering with the ability to contact one source for support could be the secret sauce to take a decent portion of the growing hyperconverged market share.

Hyperconverged is the New Black

Whether software convergence, or hardware convergence, this is not just a fad or a trend. We are seeing a fundamental shift in the way that businesses are consuming technology, and hyperconverged platforms are leading the charge towards a scalable, versatile, and predictable way to do just that. Looking at the work being done by Nutanix, SimpliVity, and now VMware, will definitely highlight that the changes that.

“We are experiencing changes in how businesses compete. Changes in how our industries perform. Change is either a barrier or an opportunity” – Robin Matlock, Chief Marketing Officer, VMware

It’s going to be an exciting year ahead as we watch how VMware does in this hotly growing market place.

marvin

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