HPE brings storage as-a-service to GreenLake offering
Vendor claims announcement will enable customers to buy storage and data services through a cloud operating model
HPE claims it has transformed its multi-billion dollar storage arm into a cloud-native business through bringing it into its GreenLake offering.
In what HPE describes as one of the biggest "breakthrough moments" for its enterprise storage business for years, the move will enable customers to purchase storage from HPE and its partners through a cloud operating model.
HPE has launched a new data services platform, available through HPE GreenLake, which will enable customers to purchase storage and software subscriptions.
Customers will now be able to access a suite of subscription-based cloud data services as well as HPE's cloud-native infrastructure portfolio called Alletra through a new Data Services Cloud Console, which uses the same technology that underpins Aruba Central.
The suite of cloud data services include HPE's Data Ops Manager, which it claims enables customers to manage their data infrastructure from anywhere and from any device.
The Data Services Cloud Console, cloud data services and HPE Alletra will be available to order globally direct from HPE or through channel partners from May 2021.
HPE says bringing its storage business to GreenLake is an "important milestone" in its ambitions to become an edge-to-cloud and platform as-a-service company.
HPE CEO Antonio Neri told investors in March that its GreenLake offering logged its highest ever Q1 sales figures - with its annualised revenue run rate growing 27 per cent year on year to $649m.
He added that HPE had won 70 new customers for GreenLake cloud services during the quarter.
HPE isn't the only vendor to bring as-a-service models to its storage portfolio. Just a few weeks ago, Pure Storage launched Pure as-a-service while vendor giant Dell is expected to reveal details on its own as-a-service offering called Project Apex during its global conference this week.
HPE's former head of global partner sales, Paul Hunter, last year claimed that 700 partners are actively selling GreenLake, which now account for close to 30 per cent of GreenLake revenues.
Answering a question from CRN about whether partners will account for a higher portion of GreenLake sales following the storage as-a-service announcement, Tom Black, GM for storage at HPE said that the announcement drastically expands the GreenLake opportunity.
"Many people associate GreenLake with our cloud and our business transformation or consumption as-a-service or managed service, whereas when you look at how we think about GreenLake in the market, it's really more of our overarching cloud brand, like what Azure is to Microsoft if you will.
"This augments the transformation the company started very successfully two years ago by taking on the most profitable and largest businesses in the company and moving it to a SaaS model.
"We're really focused on that cloud operational strength and that business model but also on giving customers flexibility and choose how they want to engage and participate with us as a strategic cloud vendor moving forward," he said.