Blog

VNX D@REs To Be Different

By   |  

Many industries such as healthcare, financial services and federal and state governments (to name just a few) are requiring more and more controls over sensitive information, like proprietary, employee and customer data. These new requirements are a result of the increase in unauthorized data access internally and from external threats. The net/net: it is becoming increasingly important to have multiple layers of protection including both software mechanisms, like access controls or authentication, and hardware protection mechanisms like Data-At-Rest-Encryption (D@RE). To address this, EMC is announcing that the new VNX Series (announced in September 2013) will support D@RE as a non-disruptive software upgrade, expected in the third quarter of 2014.

With the introduction of the new VNX with MCx, customers are now consolidating more and more virtual machines/workloads on a single VNX, thus making security a requirement now in the midrange. When we looked at how to best implement D@RE in the midrange, we leveraged the best practices and innovations of EMC’s VMAX enterprise storage array. D@RE was introduced on the VMAX over 4 years ago and has since been helping customers protect data written to disk, eliminating data access from unauthorized drive removal (lost or stolen drives).

DARE Value[2]

Like with VMAX, VNX D@RE uses Controller-Based Encryption, which provides the flexibility to support any drive types, speeds and capacities. VNX D@RE also allows the option of turning on encryption, non-disruptively, at any point in time (including after populating the array with data). Contrast this with the approach from most other mid-range array vendors that support data-at-rest encryption through Self-Encrypting Drives. This approach only supports a limited number of drive types, speeds and capacities. They are also limited by the fact that they don’t provide the choice of turning the encryption feature on… as it is always on. In some cases, D@RE can also eliminate the need for data erasure or data shredding services.

VNX D@RE encrypts the entire array and comes with an embedded encryption key manager. File and block data is encrypted and VNX data services like Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST), snaps, replication, deduplication, compression, etc. are supported with VNX D@RE.

DARE Summary[1]

When EMC launched the new VNX Series in September 2013, we anticipated adding D@RE support. As a result, new VNX arrays that have shipped are architected with D@RE encryption hardware—and ready to support D@RE software as an optional non-disruptive upgrade.

Want to learn more about what else we announced today around our midrange products? Read the full release here.

For more information on VNX and VNX D@RE you should check out:

Jeff Boudreau

About the Author: Jeff Boudreau

As chief AI officer at Dell Technologies, Jeff Boudreau leads the company’s AI and data strategy including accelerating AI-driven outcomes and scaling generative AI initiatives across the organization. Leaning on his versatility, deep engineering and infrastructure expertise, Jeff leads Dell’s Center for AI Innovation, a team which is responsible for enterprise-wide AI strategy, education, governance, and policies. This includes prioritizing and implementing domain-specific use cases, building, defining and standardizing architectures, integrating and embedding AI across Dell's product portfolio and core business operations – as well as cultivating strategic partnerships across the AI ecosystem. Tapping into the value inherent in data to drive progress is a passion of Jeff’s that has driven him during his more than 25 years at Dell Technologies. Prior to becoming chief AI officer in September 2023, Jeff spent four years serving as president of the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) at Dell. In this position he led a global team of over 23,000 innovators that accelerated data insights and helped Dell Technologies become the largest infrastructure provider in the world – across the data center, cloud and at the edge. He has held executive positions spanning engineering, operations, services, and business management with a passion for inspiring team members and driving real-world outcomes for customers. Jeff completed his undergraduate studies at Wentworth Institute of Technology and received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.