This blog on FlashStack CI was published in 2014. For the latest on our subscription plans, check out Pure Protect!
At Pure Storage we’re dedicated to a number of core principles, including delivering simplicity, efficiency and an excellent customer experience. While the Converged Infrastructure movement has dramatically simplified the deployment of computing, unfortunately most converged infrastructure solutions are based on slow, complex, bulky disk storage systems that just can’t keep up in a modern data center environment. Our customers often tell us they wish their entire data center infrastructure were as simple to buy, deploy, manage, and upgrade as a Pure Storage FlashArray.
Today Pure Storage is announcing FlashStack Converged Infrastructure (FlashStack CI), a 100% flash converged infrastructure solution specifically designed to reduce data center complexity, improve efficiency, and provide the excellent customer experience our customers have come to expect. FlashStack CI is pre-integrated, tested, and validated to accelerate time to value for data center infrastructure projects. FlashStack CI also delivers innovative partner-led single-call support provided by elite FlashStack CI Authorized Support Partners (ASPs). Together with our FlashStack CI ASPs and technology partners Cisco and VMware, Pure Storage provides not only the most innovative technical approach to converged infrastructure, but also a better model for CI support and services.
The FlashStack CI solutions incorporate enterprise-class all-flash FA-400 series storage from Pure Storage with server, network, and virtualization technology from Cisco and VMware. Integrated together in a high-available and redundant architecture, FlashStack CI provides the performance, simplicity, high-availability and reliability our customers have come to expect – but across the entire infrastructure stack including storage, network, server, and virtualization components.
Pure Storage has been identified as a leader in all-flash storage by analyst firm Gartner in their recent Magic Quadrant study for solid-state arrays. Cisco (blade server Magic Quadrant) and VMware (virtualization Magic Quadrant) have been identified as leaders, too. Together the components that make up FlashStack CI provide unparalleled capabilities for data center workloads.
The first two FlashStack CI solutions will address two common workloads for all-flash storage:
The FlashStack CI solution for VMware vSphere 5.5 allows IT departments to consolidate hundreds of business-critical virtualized workloads onto a single infrastructure unit. With FlashStack CI, thousands of VMs can be provisioned and brought online in minutes and, once online, these workloads benefit from the abundant, consistent, reliable performance of all-flash infrastructure. Testing and validation of FlashStack CI for VMware vSphere 5.5 has resulted in clear, simple sizing guidelines that make design, installation, and operation of the solution easier and more efficient.
The FlashStack CI solution for VMware Horizon View 6.0 is a high performance and highly available platform for the virtualization of thousands of desktops. Even the most demanding desktop environments run reliably on FlashStack CI. Scaling to 3000 or more knowledge worker desktops in 36 standard rack units, FlashStack CI is easy to size based on extensive documentation, real-world testing, and clear guidelines.
Even with simple design, architecture, and sizing guidelines a converged infrastructure solution can be daunting to purchase and deploy. FlashStack CI is delivered by experienced members of the Pure Storage partner community who help further simplify the user experience. These certified FlashStack Authorized Support Partners help make the definition, purchase, delivery, and deployment of FlashStack CI as simple as possible.
Inaugural FlashStack Authorized Support Partners include Datalink (North America), Proact (Europe) and Southern Cross (Australia). Additional FlashStack ASPs are in the process of being certified in the program as they demonstrate the high level of capabilities and expertise necessary to qualify, and will be announced shortly.
FlashStack Authorized Support Partners provide high quality, responsive, full-stack, single-number support as part of their solution offerings. The availability of experienced, knowledgeable multi-vendor support that can address the entire converged infrastructure solution is part of what makes FlashStack CI different from solutions from other vendors. Learn more about the FlashStack ASP partner program in our second blog today.
By combining a superior experience in ownership and support with rigorously tested, validated, and documented solution offerings based on 100% flash from Pure Storage, we believe FlashStack CI provides a superior platform for consolidated data center workloads. But the first FlashStack solutions, components, and partners are only the beginning. We look forward to expanding FlashStack CI to encompass more workloads, components from a range of vendors (including multiple hypervisors) and new reseller partners that help provide the same value in more environments, faster.
To learn more about FlashStack, head over to purestorage.com/flashstack where you can go deeper, including downloading the detailed FlashStack CI Reference Architectures.
FlashStack is powerful, reliable, and flexible converged infrastructure, for the flash era.
3. Gartner Magic Quadrant for Gartner Magic Quadrant for Solid-State Arrays, by Valdis Filks, Joseph Unsworth and Arun Chadrasekaran, August 28, 2014.
