New EMC Software Enhancements Build the Bridge from 2nd Platform to 3rd Platform Computing

One of EMC’s top priorities for 2014 is to continue helping our customers solve today’s infrastructure problems while giving them a line across the chasm from the 2nd Platform computing to what’s become known as the 3rd Platform  computing – the IT destination designed for cloud, mobility, social networking and Big Data. As a direct result, today EMC is introducing an all-new version of the Storage Resource Management (SRM) Suite (version 3.0), as well as enhancements and updates to the ViPR Software-Defined Storage platform (version 1.1).

Given the complexity of today’s IT environments, this demands a long-term product strategy focused not just on one-off innovations, but also on regular product improvements to ensure we support the latest platforms, standards and architectures. And we’re doing this before customers need a lifeline; we’re at the beginning of the journey to the 3rd Platform.

While 3rd Platform business opportunities promise to transform the face of IT by bringing web-scale services to the masses, many customers find themselves with existing IT infrastructures that have historically been designed for 2nd Platform environments (think client/server). These customers lack the resources they feel are necessary to bridge the gap between the 2nd and 3rd Platforms.

Enter EMC. Together, SRM Suite 3.0 and ViPR 1.1 provide customers with the tools necessary to optimize and reduce the costs associated with their 2nd Platform environment and also provide a simple path to the future.

We have completely redesigned the SRM Suite, delivering new product capabilities that include:

  • Deep insight and visualization for managing multi-vendor storage environments through a simplified, common user interface
  • Seamless integration with ViPR so that customers have one management framework that transcends both their traditional and software-defined environments
  • Support for EMC Data Protection Advisor, enabling replication and analysis capabilities across the entire infrastructure to ensure that data can be protected and recovered across any application environments while maintaining compliance with data replication policies

A one-of-a-kind Software-Defined Storage solution, EMC ViPR is a lightweight, software-only product that transforms existing storage into a simple, extensible and open platform, drastically lowering the costs associated with existing environments and providing a path to the 3rd Platform.

As promised, with ViPR 1.1, EMC is enhancing the object capabilities of ViPR with a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) Data Service. Customers can now deploy HDFS across existing files from any ViPR supported platforms, turning existing storage infrastructure into a Big Data Repository and extending Hadoop analytics to all ViPR-managed data.

We have also incorporated support for the EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF), delivering remote replication in mission-critical environments under ViPR management.

Best of all—starting today, ViPR is free for download. Find it here.

Today’s one-two punch introducing SRM Suite 3.0 and ViPR 1.1 is just the start, as we help customers embark on their journey to the 3rd Platform.  EMC will be here to assist customers every step of the way as they mind the gap.

About the Author: Manuvir Das

Manuvir Das is the Senior Vice President & General Manager of Dell EMC’s Unstructured Storage Division, where he is responsible for the Isilon and ECS product lines as well as key aspects of Dell EMC’s cloud strategy. Manuvir has extensive experience leading R&D organizations, including key roles in the development of Microsoft Azure and Dell EMC ViPR Controller, ECS and Nautilus. With a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin and dozens of publications and patents in his name, Manuvir’s focus is applying world class computer science to build best-in-class, disruptive cloud products that push the boundaries of technology and delight customers.