HPE enables full software stack at the edge, announces increased storage offerings

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today announced a family of edge-to-cloud solutions enabled by HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems to help organisations simplify their hybrid IT environment.

By running the same enterprise applications at the edge, in data centers and in the cloud, the solutions allow organisations to more efficiently capitalise on the vast amounts of data created in remote and distributed locations like factories, oil rigs or energy grids.

According to Gartner, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed outside the traditional, centralised data center or cloud by 2022 as a result of digital business projects – up from less than 10% in 2018.

To fully exploit the data and enable real-time action, organisations need to run enterprise-class applications close to the point where the data is created -- at the edge.

HPE's new edge-to-cloud solutions operate unmodified enterprise software from partners Citrix, Microsoft, PTC, SAP and SparkCognition, both on HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems – rugged, compact systems delivering immediate insight from data at the edge – and on data center and cloud platforms.

This capability enables customers to harness the value of the data generated at the edge to increase operational efficiency, create new customer experiences and introduce new revenue streams.

At the same time, edge-to-cloud solutions enabled by HPE Edgeline simplify the management of the hybrid IT environment, as the same application and management software can be used from edge to cloud.

"The edge is increasingly becoming a centerpiece of the digital enterprise where things and people generate and act on massive amounts of data," says HPE IoT and Converged Edge Systems vice president and general manager Dr. Tom Bradicich.

"Our edge-to-cloud solutions help bring enterprise-class IT capabilities from the data center to the edge.

"This reduces software and IT administration costs, while accelerating insight and control across the organisation and supply chain.

HPE also announced the HPE Edgeline Extended Storage Adapter option kit, adding up to 48 terabytes of software-defined storage to HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems.

This enhancement enables storage-intensive use cases like artificial intelligence (AI), video analytics or databases at the edge, while leveraging industry-standard storage management tools such as Microsoft Storage Spaces, HPE StoreVirtual VSA, and VMware vSAN.

In close collaboration with its software partners, HPE provides tested and validated solution architectures for the implementation and operation of the following enterprise software stacks on HPE Edgeline EL1000 and EL4000 Converged Edge Systems, in combination with data center and cloud deployments: Microsoft SQL Server and Azure technologies, SAP HANA technologies, PTC ThingWorx, ​GE Digital's Predix platform,​ SparkCognition's SparkPredict and Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop.

By running these applications with enterprise-class performance, manageability, and security from edge to cloud, the new HPE solutions enable customers to:

• Drive business innovation with real-time processes at the edge - HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems are the industry's first platform to converge enterprise-class IT and operations technology (control systems, data acquisition, and industrial networks) into one system. The new edge-to-cloud solutions enable customers to leverage advanced analytics, AI and IoT capabilities in remote locations such as oil rigs, factories and wind farms to minimise equipment downtime, increase automation and create new business models.  
• Expedite action and controls across the enterprise and supply chain - Using the same application stacks at the edge, in data centers, and in the cloud, simplifies the sharing of critical data and insights from the edge across locations to enable data correlation, deep learning and process coordination. For example, selected predictive maintenance data from several oil rigs could be aggregated and analysed in a central location to enable intelligent maintenance scheduling across oil rigs.  
• Simplify hybrid IT - HPE's edge-to-cloud solutions reduce complexity and administration cost as the edge platforms can now be managed with the same HPE and partner management tools and processes as in the data center. Just like HPE's data center IT systems, HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems are equipped with HPE systems management, providing the tools to maximise uptime, performance, and security, from anywhere in the world.

CenterPoint Energy chief technology officer Dr. Steve Pratt says, "Our smart power grid, which can generate terabytes of data per hour at the edge, relies on intelligent edge technologies connected to central analytics and cloud platforms."

"We are enthused about the value of HPE's edge-to-cloud solutions, as we strive to significantly expand our analytics capabilities at the edge to reach our goal of creating smarter and more efficient energy delivery for our customers."

HPE's edge-to-cloud solutions are validated by HPE and its software partners to accelerate implementation and time to value.

Moreover, advisory and transformation services delivered by HPE Pointnext help define and execute blueprints and roadmaps for edge-to-cloud solutions focused on the customer's business goals and specific transformation needs.

HPE Pointnext also delivers operational services to help customers manage the day-to-day operational tasks in an edge-to-cloud environment, removing complexity and responding rapidly to business demands.

And with HPE GreenLake, HPE offers a unique suite of on-premises, pay-per-use infrastructure and solutions for workloads including big data, backup, database platform, SAP HANA, and edge computing.

The edge-to-cloud solutions enabled by HPE Edgeline Converged Edge Systems are available worldwide.

Solution pricing depends on size and complexity of the installation.

The HPE Edgeline Extended Storage Adapter option kit will be available in September 2018, with list prices starting at $299.