Symmetrix VMAX For Service Providers

As we start marching through the process of re-characterizing various EMC products for the unique requirements of service providers, we're starting to generate some interesting technical documentation.

Today's tidbit is titled "Implementing EMC Symmetrix VMAX in a Cloud Service Provider Environment".  It's somewhat technical, but not overly so.  Most of the material comes from a recent engagement where EMC configured a VMAX for Terremark's Enterprise Cloud.

Where Conventional Wisdom Might Lead You Astray

So many people think "commodity" when they think "cloud".  They imagine rack after rack of cheap and cheerful infrastructure, all magically orchestrated by open source middleware.  Storage?  Make it as cheap and as dumb as possible, please ...

Although those types of commodity environments are certainly out there, they tend to be the exception, rather than the rule.  I'm fond of saying that -- over time -- commodity clouds will end up being, well, commodities themselves.

No, I see that most of the interesting SP clouds being built today are for use by traditional enterprise IT organizations, who have typical enterprise IT workloads and the associated typical enterprise IT concerns.

And, doesn't it make sense that these people would largely have the same infrastructure and storage requirements -- regardless of whether it's sitting in a data center or at a service provider?

There's a case for really smart arrays in large data centers -- why wouldn't that be the case for SPs looking to offer services to the same sorts of clients?

That's just part of the rationale behind the uptake of so many EMC products into more and more service provider environments.  And you'd be surprised as to just how many of these enterprise arrays are landing in SP data centers ...

The Logic of VMAX for SP Storage

-- (note: this picture isn't from a data center, it's from the set of the new series Covert Affairs.  Set designers seem to like the look of the VMAX)

If you sit through the VMAX product pitch we give to service providers, it all nets out to a handful of key bullets:

-- very low cost-to-serve at scale (capex and opex)

-- uniquely differentiating performance and data protection features that clients value

-- ability to non-disruptively dial-up and dial-down services at will

-- the most advanced secure multi-tenancy capabilities in the storage industry today.

You're welcome to evaluate and validate these claims at your leisure, but there's more going on that ought to be said.

First, EMC (and Symmetrix) are perhaps the ultimate trusted brand in enterprise storage.  Just one less thing that an SP has to explain to a nervous tenant :-)

Second, most enterprise customers would like the benefit of a large-scale VMAX environment, they just don't have the scale (capacity and staff) to get to the sweet spot of cost scaling curve.  Service providers, on the other hand, typically *do* have the scale and thus can offer clients a piece of an attractive infrastructure that they couldn't afford otherwise.

Third, there's always room for an tenant or client upsell with a VMAX.  Not only more capacity, but more performance, more data protection, more control for the client ... the list goes on.  Each and every one of which provides the SP with differentiation and a new source of associated revenues.

Not to mention, EMC essentially wrote the book on mission-critical IT infrastructure support -- it's the same level of service that SPs have to deliver back to their tenants

Could conventional wisdom on storage for service providers be wrong?

Comments

[marc farley]

Chuck, I'd like to pick up on your section title here about being led astray. This was a very well written piece, and like Chad, you were careful not to misrepresent Terremark's Enterprise Cloud operations. Just the same, its certainly possible that customers using Enterprise Cloud who read this post might think they are using VMAX storage, but that might not necessarily be correct. A google search for "storagerap terremark video" would give them a different perspective.

[Chuck Hollis]

Hi Marc

I don't think the title isn't misleading. To the best of my knowledge, Terremark *is* using VMAX to power their Enterprise Cloud.

-- Chuck

[marc farley]

You need a knowledge refresh. Check on where and what VMAX is actually being used for - for instance, is it installed in North America and is it vCloudExpress or Enterprise Cloud? The white paper you published might not be inaccurate, but the way it is being discussed in this and on Chad's blog could lead people to the wrong conclusions.

[Chuck Hollis]

Hi Marc -- my understanding is that it's for Enterprise Cloud, and based in North America. I don't think we're leading anyone to any wrong conclusions here.

I did my checking -- now go do yours ...

-- Chuck

[marc farley]

I did already, before I questioned what you were saying. Apparently one of us doesn't know what's going on here.

[Texas Rose]

I am familiar with what Terremark has installed in terms of VMAX in North America. Unless you consider South America now part of North America there are no VMAX's in the Terremark Cloud.

[Texas Rose]

To understand more on what is installed at Terremark follow this link:

http://wikibon.org/wiki/v/Case_Study:_Greening_Terremark_Data_Centers