Riverbed Previewed SteelFusion Azure-Ready Edge

Riverbed Technology, Inc. at the Microsoft Ignite Conference, previewed the SteelFusion Azure-Ready Edge, extending the flexibility and benefits of Azure cloud storage out to the edge of the network.

By supporting Hyper-V as the virtualization engine, the SteelFusion Azure-Ready Edge will give remote locations direct access to the Azure cloud for use as a primary storage tier, allowing data to be provisioned, protected and recovered directly from Azure. With this capability, SteelFusion will continue to deliver the same simplicity to complex and costly tasks associated with remote IT operations, and the ability to extend investments in a private data center, the Azure cloud, or a hybrid combination to all edge locations in the business, for better agility, data security, application performance and infrastructure flexibility.

Hybrid architectures are becoming the industry standard as organizations look to address the pain of surging Capex models by augmenting, and in some cases replacing, traditional data center architectures with cloud-based infrastructure. But while the cloud promised increased scale and efficiency, it has yet to deliver simplified IT operations at remote sites and branch offices. In fact, the rise of cloud and Internet services has created more complexity and cost associated with managing edge IT.

According to ESG, 91% of enterprise IT executives responsible for ROBO decision-making have indicated the cloud has increased IT management complexity. ^[1]

The SteelFusion Azure-Ready Edge addresses the complexity associated with managing hybrid applications and services in remote locations with a software-defined platform that centralizes remote data and operational processes in the cloud or hybrid cloud. It accelerates IT operations such as backup, recovery, and the enabling of new services, including SD-WAN with SteelConnect, firewalls, file, print, as well as line-of-business applications at remote locations.

“Over 1,200 enterprises have chosen SteelFusion as an edge IT platform, dramatically streamlining operations for remote business locations. We value our long-standing relationship with Microsoft, and with the SteelFusion Azure-Ready Edge, we will provide joint customers with even more options for managing edge IT,” said Paul O’Farrell, SVP and GM, SteelHead, SteelFusion and SteelConnect, Riverbed. “With this solution, organizations will be able to instantly realize the benefits of using Azure cloud storage wherever they do business.“

This announcement builds on the SteelFusion March 2016 release, which announced support for Azure through Microsoft StorSimple. SteelFusion is now further expanding upon its cloud momentum and strengthening its relationship with Microsoft with the Azure-Ready Edge.

“As we see more and more enterprises implementing a cloud-first strategy, Microsoft Azure has helped customers achieve the efficiency, scalability and cost savings benefits needed to keep pace in the digital age,” said Tad Brockway, partner director, program management, Microsoft Corp. “With Riverbed SteelFusion, we will be extending the same benefits of the Azure cloud to the edge of the network, which remains a critical component to the ongoing success of the business in today’s distributed IT landscape.“

Delivers solutions for cloud and digital world
The company is delivering solutions to help companies transition from legacy hardware to a new software-defined and cloud-centric approach to networking, and improve end user experience, allowing enterprises’ digital transformation initiatives to reach their potential. Its integrated platform delivers the agility, visibility, and performance businesses need to be successful in a cloud and digital world. By leveraging the company’s platform, organizations can deliver apps, data, and services from any public, private, or hybrid cloud across any network to any end-point.

SteelFusion enables a software-defined edge by bringing together virtualization, intelligent storage caching, and WAN optimization into a single hyper-converged infrastructure solution that meets the needs of the enterprise and branch employees for high-performing applications that work so they can do their jobs.

^[1] ESG, January 2017