Power Loss at the Edge? Protect Your Data with New Integrated HCI Solution

[Michael_Bird]

No IT infrastructure can function without power.

Traditionally, I’ve seen customers invest heavily in redundant electrical infrastructure in a central data center to protect IT in the event of a power outage. Capital outlay in critical facility systems reduces risk, but this mitigation can be expensive. A good portion of the consulting work I used to do was around reducing a facility’s upfront investment while still providing some level of power reliability. I spent a lot of time analyzing the diminishing risk reduction vs. increasing up front capital investment, trying to help customers find that right balance.

Indeed, one of the greatest deterrents to deploying IT at the edge has always been the increased operational risk associated with being outside of the data center. The likelihood of a power disruption affecting IT infrastructure is higher there, and IT budgets are often far smaller. An edge or IoT deployment – in a branch office, at a public school, on top of a mountain, onboard a ship, or in any location outside of the core data center – does not have the same reliable, uninterrupted power source, and that can mean trouble. Sudden unexpected loss of power, or just a momentary disruption, can cause data corruption and even harm IT.

In hyperconverged environments the stakes are even higher. As you likely know, hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) combines compute, storage, and networking components in a single box, an ideal edge solution when you have power. But when you lose power, everything goes down. To substantially reduce risk, you need a hyperconverged platform with built-in data protection, and preferably one that provides software-orchestrated disaster recovery failover, so you don’t have to rely on human intervention or a redundant physical infrastructure. Better yet, you should consider deploying an intelligent solution that can anticipate problems and head them off before they happen.

Now for the good news! With the integration of APC by Schneider Electric PowerChute Network Shutdown and HPE SimpliVity hyperconverged infrastructure, you get both built-in, automated data protection features and artificial intelligence (AI) that work together to keep data highly available while preventing data loss.

Integrated HCI Solution Anticipates Power Outages

HPE and Schneider Electric (SE), technology partners for over a decade, have just released an integrated solution that checks all the boxes. While no one can promise that power will never be interrupted or lost, the new solution can keep you from getting blindsided by it, even at the edge. PowerChute is powerful software that protects data integrity and reduces system downtime when critical events – like extended power outages – occur. Now integrated with HPE SimpliVity, PowerChute can automatically prepare your system for unexpected power loss.

PowerChute works in conjunction with the hyperconverged platform and a network management card (NMC) in the uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Here’s how it works:

1. When power is interrupted, the NMC immediately notifies PowerChute.
2. The PowerChute software then connects to HPE SimpliVity, which initiates failover of the workloads before running shutdown commands.
3. That gives the hyperconverged platform time to gracefully shut down User VMs and Cluster services to avoid any data loss or corruption.
4. When power is restored, PowerChute powers on the hyperconverged cluster and VMs.

Pretty simple, right? We’ve made it even simpler.

Preconfigured, Compact Enclosure – Simple and Scalable

Businesses with edge infrastructure don’t have the time, space, or local resources to deal with complicated IT solutions at every site. You need all-in-one solutions that are simple to deploy, manage, and scale as your requirements change.

That’s why SE created the 6U Micro Data Center. The compact, preconfigured system includes PowerChute running on a UPS inside the enclosure. Now, integrated with up to three HPE SimpliVity hyperconverged nodes, this system can be deployed very quickly to keep you one step ahead of power outages in remote offices and space-constrained environments.

Global IT Monitoring and Management Optimizes Edge Operations

Many hyperconverged platforms are not resilient or agile enough to support multiple remote sites. HPE SimpliVity is. The edge-optimized HCI platform is simple, fast, and flexible and – significantly for this solution – it can deliver high availability in just two nodes. It also provides centralized, multi-site remote management for hundreds of sites, and simplified, automated DR orchestration for offsite disaster recovery. And it’s intelligent, too. HPE InfoSight artificial intelligence makes the HCI self-managing, self-optimizing, and self-healing, with predictive analytics that have saved customers millions of hours of lost productivity.

You can see why I am so excited about the capabilities of this new solution. For the first time, edge customers can manage application stacks and infrastructure from anywhere, and monitor them through HPE InfoSight and PowerChute to proactively and intelligently optimize the operation through events, including power loss and restart. This functionality is now standard for HPE and SE joint solutions, which also provide:

• Pre-engineered edge solutions that are easy to deploy and scale with the business
• Standard infrastructure and management in a single integrated solution, reducing complexity
• Automated shutdown and failover protection, removing the IT administrator from the process and leading to faster failover and less data and systems corruption
• Consolidated support contracts for proactive and preventative maintenance
• Services for remote monitoring or management of the infrastructure

Watch this video to see how HPE and SE can keep your data and apps always available from core to edge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUoPoMuX100&feature=youtu.be

Learn more at hpe.com/techpartner/schneiderelectric

Bernard Cobb

Alliance Business Manager for Schneider Electric/APC 

HPE Alliance & Ecosystems

Meet Bernard Cobb, Alliance Business Manager for Schneider Electric/APC on the HPE Alliance and Ecosystems team. Bernard works with technology partner Schneider Electric to develop joint products and solutions that fill market gaps in the combined portfolios. He also supports joint sales initiatives, providing coordination between the two companies for larger, more complex customer opportunities.