HP builds up VirtualSystem to support Microsoft private clouds

In the wake of the general availability of Microsoft’s System Centre 2012, HP is supporting it in its extended VirtualSystem package for large-enterprise private clouds.

HP and Microsoft have joined forces in order to offer a larger-scale converged private cloud infrastructure, demonstrating HP VirtualSystem VS3 for Microsoft at its Management Summit in Las Vegas last week.

This largest of the pre-integrated server, storage, networking and management software HP VirtualSystem VS line can be preconfigured for both VMware ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisors. But HP was keen to talk up its alignment with Microsoft System Centre 2012, for its ability to speed up private cloud deployment and integrate core cloud capabilities.

In a blog posting about the launch, Brad Kirby, HP group manager of Microsoft product partnerships, wrote: “We’re confident that few companies will easily exhaust VS3 capacity.”

The HP VirtualSystem VS3 for Microsoft is built using the Microsoft Private Cloud FastTrack architecture to support up to 2,500 virtual Hyper-V machines when fully loaded.

The new platform is based on HP ProLiant Gen8 servers, HP 3PAR F400 storage, HP Virtual Connect FlexFabric and new IT management software, HP Insight Control for Microsoft System Centre, with integration to Microsoft's Systems Centre Operations Manager 2012 and Systems Centre Virtual Machine Manager.

For those that want total control over a private cloud out of the box and ready to run applications and software, customers can also upgrade the HP VirtualSystem VS3 to an HP CloudSystem environment.

HP said the VirtualSystem VS3 for Microsoft and its pricing would be available during the next quarter.