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A New Kind of Hybrid Cloud, Built for Partner Simplicity

Kimberly King Kimberly King
VP, Global Partner Strategy and Programs, Hitachi Vantara

January 31, 2024


In light of tightening budgets, rising costs, and heightened demand for compliance and innovation, there’s no doubt that many companies are increasingly relying on hybrid cloud environments to modernize their current infrastructure and IT operations. But, according to a recent survey, nearly half of businesses are struggling due to the rapid integration of cloud technologies, the complexity of integration processes, a lack of skilled personnel, and the need for comprehensive cybersecurity measures.  As a result, more than 70% of corporate leaders are turning to consumption-based models, such as Infrastructure as-a-Service (IaaS), to help them overcome these challenges and leverage the full potential of hybrid cloud, and according to Gartner, Storage as-a-Service (STaaS) is expected to replace over 35% of enterprise storage capital expenditures by 2028, compared with 10% last year.

Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud

Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud, announced today, introduces an innovative and adaptable hybrid cloud delivery, automation and orchestration solution. It’s ideal for helping our partners directly tackle the complexity and challenge of the cloud by providing strong IT operational capabilities that can be scaled based on customer data management needs.

This joint Hitachi EverFlex offering, from the Giants of Data, is unique because it integrates heterogeneous infrastructure automation solutions and predictive analytics so that partners can offer a future-proof portfolio for advanced infrastructure management, cost efficiency, and operational effectiveness. It is designed to enhance partners’ competitiveness, improve operational experience, and extend to our partners the portfolio breadth and customer benefits of both Cisco and Hitachi. Through this offering, partners not only meet their customers’ need for managed consumption-based models for IaaS, but can do so easily, without burdening their own operation resources.

Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud furnishes partners with a validated managed infrastructure that they can brand as their own, thereby building greater relevance and reoccurring revenue streams. It allows partners to promote their branding and focus their resources on wrapping additional value-add services around their core offer, thereby expanding their opportunities. The preconfigured technology stack of this new solution offers a trusted pathway for customers, leveraging the robust Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform with 100% data availability and Cisco’s newly introduced UCS X Series servers. The integration into Cisco Intersight and Hitachi Infrastructure Orchestration enhances observability, alerting, and automation management. This not only facilitates seamless one-time transactions, but also supports the transition to a sustained, data-governed, and high-performance application strategy.

Deliver a proven, reliable solution powered by two trusted brands that provides an agile platform that meets your customers dynamic business requirements via:

  • Hybrid Cloud Acceleration: Seamlessly facilitate a hybrid cloud environment, enabling data storage and processing across diverse locations.
  • Efficiency through Automation: Automate routine tasks, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing human errors through IaaS.
  • Security and Compliance: Implement comprehensive security strategies and compliance measures, ensuring data encryption, access controls, and threat prevention.

The new Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud solution enables our partners to meaningfully increase re-occurring revenue with an outcome-based offering that provides significant TCO savings to customers (30+%). Unique benefits for partners include:

  • Flexibility to resell or white-label: Expand service offerings under your company brand with a market-proven, SLA backed, flexible managed IaaS service that augments or extends your capabilities as needed.
  • Establish or strengthen ongoing revenue streams: Empower your customers with a simplified self-service offering that enables them to consume hybrid cloud as-a-service with true application and data mobility.
  • Create unique differentiation: Elevate your position in the marketplace and reduce competitive threats with the ability to service customers across industries and regions.

Hitachi Vantara has a rich history of providing fully managed services on a pay-as-you-go basis, catering to the IT service requirements of the world’s largest organizations, both directly and indirectly. Today’s announcement of Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud underscores the opportunity for our partners to equip themselves to deliver tailored as-a-Service (aaS) hybrid cloud services to their customers. This can be achieved without the need for substantial capital investment or advanced expertise.

Trust the proven track record of Hitachi and Cisco to meet SLAs and instill confidence in customers and users. This collaboration mitigates risks while ensuring continuous security, resilience, performance, and data availability, while meeting your sustainability goals.