Scale Computing Releasing HC3 HyperCore 6.0

Scale Computing, Inc. announced that it has added built-in VM level remote replication and introduced a streamlined user interface to make its HC3 platform a better fit for SMBs and enterprise departments looking to overcome the barriers of implementing virtualization, and fast recovery from IT disasters.

As data requirements at organizations of every size continue to require more storage assets and additional compute power, virtualization becomes a attractive option. For IT staffs at smaller organizations, the introduction of a virtualization layer can add complexity and management issues beyond what they are often prepared to handle. Addressing DR is often out of reach due to increased cost and complexity of point solutions. HC3 products provide the server hardware, virtualization software and storage needed in a hyperconverged platform that can be managed from a single, unified interface to simplify data center management. Now that simplicity can extend to remote DR as well.

Scale Computing’s latest release features built-in remote DR to allow users to set up continuous replication on a VM by VM basis between two HC3 clusters with space-efficient snapshot technology replicating to a secondary site, tracking only the blocks unique to each manual or automatic snapshot and sending the changed blocks. Testing a DR infrastructure plan is as simple as cloning a snapshot on the target cluster and starting a VM with no disruption to ongoing replication. In case of disaster, users can simply ‘clone’ a snapshot on the target cluster for the manual failover of a VM that is immediately bootable or simply replicate changed data at a DR site back to the primary site for simple failback.

This capability is built in at no additional charge and is available as a non-disruptive ‘rolling upgrade’ for users of HC3 HyperCore version 5.

“DR is out of reach of many SMBs, but now HC3 opens the door and provides an easy and cost effective solution to a major unmet need,” said George Crump, president and founder, Storage Switzerland. “The new interface is also a big part of the HC3 6.0 release. Scale has created streamlined workflows for administrators, surrounded by a new intuitive design. This is critical for the SME, since the ‘server guy’ of these companies is also usually the ‘storage guy,’ the ‘network guy’ and the ‘desktop/laptop guy.’ Workflows allow an administrator to be guided through whatever virtualization task is needed and get back to doing other things, like troubleshooting the network or providing desktop support.“

In addition, the user interface deployed in Scale Computing’s version 6 upgrade features an intuitive design with almost no learning curve that allows administrators to employ a ‘set it and forget it’ mentality where they only need to periodically log in to make changes to the system. The intelligence of patented HyperCore software handles the lifting of VM failover and data redundancy. Pop-up notifications display in-process user actions, alerts and processes to present users with relevant information about active events on the system.

Built-in browser-based management console streamlines workflows for administrators with a 60% reduction in clicks during the VM creation workflow and quicker access to VM consoles directly from its Heads-Up Display (HUD). Users can combine VMs into logical groups via tagging and set multiple tags for easy filtering via spotlight search functionality that matches names and descriptions for quick access in larger environments. Snapshot, cloning and replication functionality are integrated into the card view of each VM for easy administration.

The company’s latest release expands on the feature set first introduced in HyperCore v5 to further overcome barriers of virtualization adoption at smaller companies or departmental organizations. HC3 virtualization platform is a complete ‘data center in a box’ with server, storage and virtualization integrated into a single appliance to deliver simplicity, availability and scalability at a fraction of the cost of similar solutions.

“Smaller companies and departments of larger organizations need solutions that provide them with enterprise capabilities that can easily be managed with an often limited and generalized IT staff,” said Jeff Ready, CEO, Scale Computing. “With HC3, we’ve removed the complexity associated with traditional virtualization deployments to provide a solution that is simple, available and scalable. The enhancements we’ve incorporated into our latest release further supports this objective with a new UI that is more responsive and added replication functionality that protects businesses from downtime and revenue loss.“

Scale Computing’s 6.0 release is available with all HC1000, HC2000 and HC4000 purchases or as an upgrade to existing installations.