Lenovo and VMware partner with new resilient edge computing innovation
Lenovo partners with VMware to bring first-to-market edge data center solutions
Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group has announced it will be the first to market with VMware's software solution for the edge running on ThinkSystem SE350 edge servers.
The new solution will be delivered directly to customer edge sites with VMware software preloaded on a pair of ruggedised and security-enhanced ThinkSystem SE350s.
Lenovo has also announced the enhancement of Lenovo Open Cloud Automation management software to automate the planning and ongoing management of data center cloud deployments all the way to edge sites. This will enable organisations to use the same management software to plan their data center cloud and edge infrastructure solutions.
Lenovo says hybrid work is the next reality, accelerating the need for edge to cloud solutions. The company says it's working to build smarter infrastructure solutions, so customers can navigate this new hybrid workplace.
"As we head towards an endemic society, APAC companies must embrace hybrid business models," says Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group, Asia Pacific president, Sumir Bhatia.
"Digitally-ready workforces will increasingly rely on hybrid cloud models that offer improved applications and user experiences. Lenovo's new solution can be deployed both in the cloud and at the edge, saving up to half of the servers usually needed and taking full advantage of the built-in networking features of the ThinkSystem SE350.
"We're excited to partner with VMWare to bring the future of hybrid work to life and support businesses in their cloud strategy and journey," he adds.
The new software solution with VMWare for the edge will be running on Lenovos ThinkSystem SE350 and aims to simplify networking with built-in switching and wireless connectivity, eliminating the need for external network devices at the edge. VMware's customers will soon be able to use the same environment they employ in their data center, directly at their edge locations, by ordering this integrated and preloaded bundle.
"We're excited to collaborate with Lenovo as customers are taking their innovation from the data center to the public cloud to the edge," says VMware VP, edge computing, Muneyb Minhazuddin.
"This new solution is ideal for remote sites that need to process data closer to its creation and closer to users, including retail stores, manufacturing sites, and schools, to name a few. Because of the ruggedised nature of the ThinkSystem SE350, this solution will be able to sustain extreme temperatures and high levels of shock.
He says the encrypted hard disks, along with motion and tamper detection, will be in place to help keep the data and device safe.
Deployment of distant edge sites requires a management tool set that allows organisations to automate tasks without specialised on-site staff.
Lenovo has updated its Lenovo Open Cloud Automation software solution to include edge-supported features. The single interface automates the planning, deployment and ongoing lifecycle management of the physical and virtual infrastructure required to host cloud applications in the data center and at thousands of edge sites.
"Lenovo Open Cloud Automation solution has helped customers, such as T-Systems, maintain IT legacy and become future-ready," says T-Systems CTO, private cloud, Thomas Rumpf.
"T-Systems needed to save costs and modernise its infrastructure with an open, end-to-end automated platform that could host future workloads for customers on and off-premises while maintaining its legacy environments. Standard use cases are now 100% automated within the platform through LOC-A.
"However, we are still able to customise services via highly automated blueprints," he adds, "Which has led to cost efficiency in the range of 30% to 40% for our clients."
