While there is much discussion and products in the market regarding cloud computing and the ability to spin up a virtual machines quickly and efficiently, the fact remains that without planning for cloud based storage, the data will get lost. Simply put, without storage, there is no data. Storage systems have become an integral part of any cloud implementation, whether private, public or hybrid. The benefits of using a cloud provider are becoming well documented, especially as self serve portals allow users to spin up as many virtual machines as needed. IBM is a key contributor to making storage more integrated with cloud platforms. The whitepaper, “IBM Storage with OpenStack Brings Simplicity and Robustness to Cloud” details IBM’s contribution to making storage in the cloud easier to use.
Cloud platform software can be either proprietary or open source. A main reason that open standards are taking hold in terms of cloud platform software is to avoid vendor locking and the promise of top level performance. IBM is investing heavily in cloud computing and is a significant contributor to the OpenStack effort. OpenStack is a cloud software platform, which service providers use for public clouds and enterprises use for private clouds. Hundreds of companies and close to 1000 individuals are contributing to this effort. Briefly, OpenStack is a standardized cloud platform and provides improved management between private and public clouds. It offers a standardized way of leveraging the underlying infrastructure and more advanced functionality such as cloud to cloud interoperability.
IBM is a Platinum Member of the OpenStack Foundation which gives IBM some amount of governance. Perhaps more important is that IBM is one of the top contributors to this effort. IBM is committed to integrating its wide range of products into the OpenStack framework. As previously mentioned, the storage component of any cloud infrastructure is critical. IBM is aggressively contributing to OpenStack in the storage area, by adding storage functionality to the OpenStack source code and is making it storage offering interoperable with other OpenStack tasks. Common tasks can be performed whether they are done with the OpenStack self-provisioning interface or with the IBM storage management GUI.
Cloud computing is a new wave in IT, and open source cloud computing is a dramatic element of that wave. Vendors and users alike are expected to contribute to open source cloud in an effort to make them simple to use and implement. IBM is demonstrating itself to be a committed member of the developing OpenStack world, but also by making significant efforts in specific areas—with storage as a highlight—to ensure that all its system abilities are seamlessly integrated for OpenStack users. The breadth and range of those IBM storage capabilities are just as necessary and valuable in OpenStack environments—indeed perhaps more so, because of the invariably flexible nature of cloud operations— as they are in more traditional data centers.
Download the whitepaper, IBM Storage with OpenStack Brings Simplicity and Robustness to Cloud to learn more about how IBM is bring storage to the cloud.