VMware has unveiled HP and Hitachi Data Systems as the latest partners of Evo:Rail, its hyper-converged infrastructure.
The firms join a string of names including Dell, EMC and Fujitsu that now offer the virtualisation company’s Evo:Rail appliance, which combines its compute, storage and networking tools into one product that VMware claims is key to the software-defined data centre.
VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger said at Vmworld Europe: "[Evo] is a single integrated solution that is the fastest way to build and deploy the software-defined data centre.
"These systems, up and running, demonstrate this incredible ease of use, [low] capex and opex, and if nothing else the speed and efficiency of this environment."
While Evo:Rail is aimed at SMBs and mid-market enterprises, Gelsinger also announced Evo:Rack, the same technology but for enterprises looking to deploy applications on a data centre scale.
Built on VMware vSphere, VMware vCenter Log Insight and VMware Virtual SAN, Evo:Rail will be available from December and will support up to 250 virtual desktops per appliance, the company claimed.
VMware’s EMEA CTO, Joe Baguley, told CBR the technology would let SMBs deploy virtual environments in less than 15 minutes.
HP’s Evo:Rail product, the ConvergedSystem 200-HC, will come with pre-installed software, and users will just have to enter their IP addresses, credentials and vSphere licence details to launch it.
