VMware vCloud Hybrid Service

2013: VMware starts killer cloud

On May 21, 2013 VMware provided a new public cloud service under the name vCloud Hybrid Service, on the functionality it is similar to popular Amazon Web Services, but VMware positions the service more for corporate use.

Also similar cloud services and from other competing companies, including IBM, by HP and Microsoft are presented at the market, but the feature of the offer of VMware consists that it is well compatible to software of virtualization of VMware which allows to place applications and operating systems on a small amount of physical servers, saving computing resources. The virtual systems of VMware have high extent of penetration in the market, and now their users will need no considerable efforts for transfer of the systems to a cloud of VMware.

Other important difference of VMware service consists that corporate applications can be started in a cloud of vCloud Hybrid Service, without being exposed to long testing. It will allow to lower the hidden costs, the head of the direction of cloud services of VMware Bill Fathers said. It was announced that service will work based on four partner DPCs, but VMware does not reveal names of partners.

It was reported that vCloud Hybrid Service will earn as the beta in June, 2013, clients in the USA will be able to use service in the third quarter, and in Europe and Asia – in 2014. The service is provided in two options. Within the first users are offered to receive own dedicated servers on the basis of the annual contract which cost begins from $0.13 in 1 hour for 1 GB of the virtual computer with one processor. The second option assumes separation of the equipment between several clients: this rate will cost $0.045 for similar capacity.

Other announcement according to which within special partnership between VMware and SAP within a new cloud service SAP applications will become available to business on the basis of a monthly subscription, including the SAP HANA database became "bomb" for the market of the corporate software. Earlier monthly subscription to systems from a cloud was not available to clients even within own cloud service of SAP.

Advantages of service

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service provides to clients a set of the advantages connected with expansion of data centers in a cloud:

Support of any applications

The vCloud Hybrid Service supports thousands of applications and more than 90 operating systems certified for work with vSphere therefore usual performance levels and access to necessary software will be provided to clients when using a public cloud. They should not change or rewrite the available applications.

Seamless integration with the existing networks and network services

vCloud Hybrid Service uses technologies of virtual networks for integration with networks of the second and third levels of client DPCs means of vCloud Hybrid Service.

Reliability of business and critical level

vCloud Hybrid Service constructed on the basis of vSphere offers clients of function of automatic replication of data, the current monitoring and support of smooth operation of applications, crucial for business. It is provided thanks to the most effective combination of such advanced opportunities of vSphere as VMware vMotion, High Availability and vSphere Distributed Resources Scheduler.

The unified management

The vCloud Hybrid Service is based on the simplified approach to management: users have an opportunity to use the same tools and processes which they apply to management of own infrastructure today. Administrators of vSphere can browse, control and move virtual machines using vSphere Client and a free plug-in of vCloud Connector.

"Our new VMware vCloud Hybrid Service offers clients a public cloud which is completely combined with the existing virtual infrastructure of VMware — Bill Fathers, the senior vice president and the CEO of division of hybrid cloud services of VMware company noted. — We give to clients the chance to start new and existing applications from any point. This service creates the bridge between the worlds of private and public clouds, without requiring any compromises".

"The task of VMware company consists in considerably to simplify work of IT divisions and to help clients to transform their IT services — Gelsinger (Pat Gelsinger), the CEO of VMware emphasized the Stalemate. — Today, starting a hybrid cloud service of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service, we do a big step forward, integrating advantages of virtualization of VMware and technologies of software-defined data processing centers with the speed and convenience of public clouds which are necessary to our clients".

Opportunities for partners

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service is compatible to other VMware services founded on cloud computing and will be offered through partners of the company.

vCloud Hybrid Service can sell in the same way as licensed by software of VMware. Partners will be able to save available between them and clients of the scheme of payment. Besides, partners have an opportunity to add cloud services of vCloud Hybrid Service to the portfolio and to offer clients additional services.

Two types of service

At the VMworld 2013 conference the VMware company announced availability of a cloud of vCloud Hybrid Service (vCHS). The announcement of an event was heard on August 29, 2013.

vCloud Hybrid Service represents two types of service:

• vCloud Hybrid Service Dedicated Cloud is the cloud pool of resources which is completely isolated from other clients of service at the level of physical servers, with the isolated network at the L2 level and sold on the basis of an annual subscription with cost from $0:13 a.m. for one reference virtual machine per hour. The reference machine in this case is VM with 1 GB of RAM and 1 vCPU. All machines will be protected by technologies of fault tolerance of VMware and also placed in the selected virtual storages. At the same time it is possible to use one or several virtual data centers under tasks of the organization.

• vCloud Hybrid Service Virtual Private Cloud is the organization of virtual environment in the multi-tenant mode (multiple lease) where virtual machines of different clients will be isolated logically (i.e. VM of the different organizations can coexist on some hosts and storages), but a certain set of resources within one virtual data center will be provided to each client.

The stated possibilities of VMware of vCHS 1.0

• Direct Connect - network of own data center of the client can be connected to vCHS network through the selected private networks, at the same time the technologies based on VXLAN are supported.

• Disaster Recovery as a Service is a possibility of automatic replication of the virtual machines in a cloud of vCloud Hybrid Service with a possibility of the automated recovery of VM (already in vCHS) in case of accident or accident on the main platform.

Cloud Foundry Platform as a Service is support of a packet of Cloud Foundry for deployment in a cloud.

• VMware Horizon View Desktop-as-a-Service is a possibility of deployment of virtual PCs on the VMware View platform in a cloud of vCloud Hybrid Service.

• "Cloud" will be available to VMware vCloud Hybrid Service in September, 2013 from the data centers placed in Las Vegas, Sterling (Virginia) and Santa Clara (California). They will provide both types of service - both Dedicated Cloud, and Virtual Private Cloud.

• The existing virtual machines can be filled in on service on VPN or to send on disks to data centers where they will be spilled into storages (it is service at additional expense).

• The Horizon View Desktop-as-a-service service will be available in the beta mode only in the 4th quarter 2013.

• The Direct Connect function will be available at separate cost in October and will cost $75 for port in a month on connection 1 GB and 250 of $ for connection 10 GB.

• The Disaster Recovery as a service will begin work in the beta mode in the 4th quarter 2013.

• The full support of Cloud Foundry will be available in the 4th quarter 2013.

Start in Great Britain is planned

On October 15, 2013 the VMware company announced plans to begin providing VMware vCloud Hybrid Service in Great Britain. The first data processing center will open in the city of Slough.

Emergence of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service in Great Britain shows intention of VMware to expand own presence in international market of solutions of the IaaS model and to provide to the European users the shortest way to cloud resources.

The company management of VMware considers the fact of the beginning of work of service in the territory of the United Kingdom the first stage in strategy implementation of the company on providing cloud services in Europe, its start in Great Britain is also intended to solve a number of problems of confidentiality and data security in Great Britain and Europe.

2014

Start of service in Europe through DPC in Britain

On March 13, 2014 the VMware company announced start of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service in Europe, based on a data processing center in Slough, Great Britain.

Expansion of VMware service to Great Britain demonstrates intention of the company to give to the customers an opportunity of creation of hybrid infrastructure of IaaS around the world. The new data processing center in Great Britain will help the European clients of VMware to ensure compliance to requirements of privacy of data, safety and independence, using a public cloud from the world supplier.

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service works based on VMware vSphere, creating customers an environment in which applications, network systems, management tools, processes and tools that in local, remote environments are available. Management of procedures and automation of work of vCloud Hybrid Service from the console vSphere vCloud Automation Center vCloud Application Director, use of own tools created on the vCloud API platform is available.

The new data processing center in Great Britain provides the high performance of software-defined infrastructure and supports:

• The VM service with reservation — unlike other cloud providers of VMware signs the agreement on the level of service taking into account availability of virtual machines, confirming it with completely redundant server framework based on VMware vSphere vMotion. Such approach allows to reach the maximum capacity and availability of user applications, providing automatic migration in real time on other computing nodes, at an overload of the server or failure of the equipment.

• Storages of a corporate class – VMware uses disk storages with modules a flash memory, network components 10G and control facilities of an overload which allow to provide compliance to performance requirements from corporate customers with the minimum costs.

• Complete network virtualization — without additional costs clients of VMware can implement an extensive set of means of balancing of loading, firewalls and VPN on the basis of virtual networks, routers and switches, creating the copy of a configuration of the physical network.

New service Disaster Recovery

On April 25, 2014 VMware announced an exit of a new cloud service for disaster recovery - Disaster Recovery.

Purpose of service - recovery after accidents for the virtualized data processing centers of VMware. VMware vCloud Hybrid Service Disaster Recovery - is easy-to-customize, self-governed, costs much cheaper and is implemented more simply, than traditional means of disaster recovery. Service is available in five data processing centers of vCloud Hybrid Service - in the territory of the USA and Great Britain.

Disaster Recovery is created on VMware vSphere technologies.

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service Disaster Recovery regularly replicates virtual machines in a virtual data processing center of vCloud Hybrid Service, providing recovery points with an interval to 15 minutes.

The cost of new service - from $835 a month for terabyte of the stored data on a cloud server.

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service Disaster Recovery is service of replication and a hosting for the companies:

• with limited resources for disaster recovery
• not using such solutions,
• persons interested to replace the traditional systems of service providers or independently managed systems.

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service - Disaster Recovery provides simple and safe asynchronous replication of data and protection against failures for virtual environments of vSphere.

Service in the offer:

• Fallback resources of vCloud Hybrid Service;
• Automatic system of asynchronous replication, recovery from failures and failures;
• Parameters of frequency of creation of recovery points (RPO) – of 15 minutes till 24 o'clock;
• Initial data loading from the disk sent by the client (data transmission offline);
• Remote control and monitoring with full-scale support;
• Payment of $835 a month, including 1 Tb of capacity of storage, reserve computing powers and two seven-day tests of disaster recovery.

Functionality of Disaster Recovery in a cloud of vCloud Hybrid Service:

• Self-Service disaster recovery Protection - an opportunity to protect up to 500 virtual machines using vSphere Replication technology independently, directly from the vCenter Server console.
• Custom Recovery Point Objectives is a possibility of setup the politician of replication which give RPO of 15 minutes till 24 o'clock, depending on characteristics of a communication channel, volume of replicable data and other factors.
• Industry-Standard Recovery Time Objectives - the recovery time of service after failure (RTO) is guaranteed at the level of 4 hours (or less) that means complete inclusion of backup copies of all machines on the party of vCHS.
• Automated Failover Testing, Planned Migrations and Recovery is the built-in opportunities (preconfigured by workflows), allowing to hold testing of disaster recovery, live-recovery of productive VM in the vCHS environment and also to carry out the planned migrations to a cloud of VMware.
• Elastic Cloud Compute and Storage is a possibility of flexible change of the resources required under DR infrastructure what allows to construct, for example, quickly Wednesday under disaster recovery of infrastructure on the party of vCHS in the nearest future.
• Offline Data Seeding - a possibility of primary transfer of large volume of data through offline - the vCloud Connector Offline Data Transfer mechanism.
• Private Leased Line Networks is use of the selected networks of provider (Direct Connect) for disaster recovery.
• Flexible Failover Testing is a possibility of use of different prekonfigurenny scenarios of disaster recovery.

To use DR service in vCHS are necessary:

• VMware vSphere 5.1 or above
• VMware vCenter 5.1 or above
• VMware vSphere Replication 5.6 mechanism
• The subscription of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service is Disaster Recovery
• The unrolled virtual data-center (DR-VDC) in infrastructure of vCloud Hybrid Service
• Connection with vCHS cloud on the Internet, sufficient on speed

Start of the second DPC in Britain

On August 13, 2014 the VMware company announced expansion of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service in Great Britain due to emergence of a new data processing center in Chessington. The Chessingtonsky DPC will add the existing data processing centers in the USA, Japan and Great Britain.

Since launch of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service in Great Britain, more than 800 employees of the partner companies underwent accreditation on a product in EMEA region.

"Customers began to use our hybrid service on certain projects for simple, available and free movement of loadings between a private and public cloud, knowing that outdated and new applications can easily transfer there and back, – Gavin Jackson, the head and the vice president of division of cloud services of VMware in EMEA region says. – Now they saw what VMware vCloud Hybrid Service is capable of, and begin to consider this service for implementation of the strategic initiatives. It allows to make high-quality changes in business and to use services absolutely in a new way – on the basis of the protected infrastructure of VMware of which they can be sure. We aim at that business of our clients was successful together with VMware vCloud Hybrid Service".

As Kevin Turnbull, the head of IT department in Bluefin Solutions notes: "By means of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service we can easily move data and applications between a private and public cloud environment, using the same tools. We can also implement completely hybrid model of work with a cloud for crucial corporate loadings, using those technologies with which are already familiar and to which we trust. We see the value of VMware vCloud Hybrid for the years ahead. Today all our main systems work as hardware solutions in the organization, but sooner or later the equipment is subject to replacement, and we are going to transfer to a cloud everything, including critical business applications to create completely hybrid cloud environment together with VMware".

The partner network of VMware Partner Network is a crucial element of success of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service as partners can offer this service to the customers along with other products and solutions of VMware.

Nick Henry, the head of division of transformation and cloud services in Computacenter (Great Britain): "Having created VMware vCloud Hybrid Service, VMware offered unique service. The possibility of increase in flexibility of IT and cost efficiency are key features of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service. Service allows to implement free integration of a data processing center of the customer with a public cloud, opening opportunities for consecutive consumption of services from both sources of resources. We will help further our customers to transform their IT infrastructures".

Rebranding of VMware vCloud Hybrid Service is VMware vCloud Air

On September 5, 2014 the VMware company announced start of VMware vCloud AirTM Network - large network of the checked cloud services working at fundamentals of technologies of the developer. Along with start of network the company announced rebranding of VMware vCloud Hybrid service which will be called VMware vCloud Air.

More than 3.8 thousand service providers and partners of VMware from more than 100 countries of the world are a part of network.

VMware vCloud Air Network is created as a result of evolutionary development and expansion of the VMware Service Provider Program (VSPP) program. Change of the name reflects the aspiration of VMware to provide to customers different solutions in the form of services (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Desktop as a Service, Disaster Recover as a Service, etc.), using a hybrid cloud platform. Future solutions of the class as a service of VMware will contain in the name "Air" that will emphasize their compliance of this strategy.

As a part of VMware vCloud Air Network the new level of flexibility, a bigger set of options for global cloud services and the choice of local suppliers are offered: directly VMware vCloud Air or one of partners VMware in category vCloud Air Network Service Provider.

Among additional benefits there is VMware vCloud Air Network for customers:

• Set of certificates of conformity, infrastructure services and applications in managed environment with a possibility of self-service and also special solutions for the vertical markets;
• The data protection provided with local DPCs of VMware vCloud Air and VMware vCloud Air Network service providers;
• Free data movement from the physical systems in a cloud for customers of VMware.

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service will be available in Germany

On October 14, 2014 on VMworld 2014 Europe the VMware company announced plans of providing a dostu to a hybrid cloud platform of VMware vCloud Air (before VMware vCloud Hybrid Service) in Germany.

Supplementing computing powers of VMware in Great Britain and network of vCloud Air Network providers, the new DPC of VMware will provide services to customers in Central Europe, providing compliance to requirements of regulators and sovereignty of data on standards of Germany and the European Union.

Commercial availability of services is expected in the first quarter 2015.

Privacy, security and the sovereignty of the customers given the main problems in spite of the fact that the IT companies address public clouds in questions of business more and more. Placement of new vCloud Air in Germany will help the European customers of VMware to provide compliance to local security requirements, privacy and the sovereignty of data.