Getting the Right Mix: Insights on HPE Greenlake’s Consumption-Based IT Services – Futurum Tech Podcast Interview Series

On this special edition of the Futurum Tech Podcast Interview Series host Daniel Newman welcomes Eric Vogel, Global Vice President of Customer Experience with HPE Greenlake. Daniel and Eric discussed data storage solutions, consumption-based business models as well as how HPE is helping in the fight against COVID-19.

HPE is Helping in the Fight Against COVID-19

Currently, HPE is working on giving back to the global community to help in the fight against COVID-19 in a few ways. First, the company has set up a global matching relief fund where they plan to match every dollar employees donate to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Second, they’ve set up a dollar for dollar matching campaign to support the Bay Area in California, one of the hardest hit regions in the country.

The company is also looking at what can be done from a high-performance computing standpoint. They have partnered with the White House on their high-performance computing consortium to provide capabilities with respect to high performance computing to really understand the science and mysteries of this COVID-19 virus.

On-Prem and Consumption Based Business Models

As businesses have had to shift operations in the last few weeks, it’s clear that those who have not transformed in some way will be left behind. One of the biggest transformation efforts in the last few years has been a shift to the cloud, but with that comes data gravity issues, security issues, compliance issues, connectivity issues and even the application interdependency issues.

Eric shared how HPE Greenlake has been working with customers to deliver on-prem storage solutions with the benefits of the public cloud without the drawbacks. Companies that use Greenlake have the flexibility to scale up or down and pay for what they’re using while also knowing that their data is securely stored and protected.

Understanding the Right Mix Advisor

There’s a lot to consider when moving to an on-prem consumption-based IT or business model. CIOs and IT decision makers have a lot to evaluate and it can be difficult to know where to begin. HPE has a logic-based program that helps companies evaluate their needs. Right Mix Advisor looks at 60 different variables and scores each based on the needs of the company. Some of these variables include looking at their application portfolio. Where does it run? What does it do? What do you need it to do? Do you value cost over performance?

Other variables include culture, team structure, and employee expertise. It would be a waste to move to a fully public cloud if there was no one on the team equipped to manage it. And of course, each company is different, so HPE really sets out to help companies answer these questions in order to propose the right software mix. These software solutions are also constantly evolving and changing as business needs are constantly evolving too. Right Mix Advisor continues to make adjustments as the company makes adjustments. It’s not a set it and forget it situation.

Partner-Centric Model

HPE also works to give customers lists of things to do to help with their transformation based on the goals and information fed to the Right Mix Advisor. They look at what can make the most impact for the client right now and then work with partners to deliver on their promises. They recognize that no one firm or company can do it all so HPE maintains a partner-centric approach. They work with other companies like Microsoft, AWS, SAP, and Google — to name a few — to deliver what the customers want and need.

Centralized Monitoring and Data Visualization

The future for storage solutions is hybrid. Public and private clouds with on-prem and off-prem options are everywhere for customers. But the issue with the hybrid model is that it’s not always easy to see where all the storage is, what’s being used, and how much is being spent. Plus, many companies also have to deal with compliance like PCI or HIPAA. HPE Greenlake works to eliminate this issue by creating a place for clients to see all their solutions at once.  

The ability to have easy data visualization can help streamline operations especially in an enterprise that likely has thousands of applications. As more technologies like edge computing and expanding storage solutions complicate the data picture, having one simple way to view this complex environment can help businesses operate more efficiently.

If you’re interested in learning more about HPE Greenlake and their offerings, be sure to check out their website. You can also listen to this podcast below. While you’re at it, be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.