Storware Boosts APAC Presence with Version 2 Partnership

Storware has announced partnership with Version 2 Digital, one of the paramount IT distributors in APAC region. Cooperation between Storware and Version 2 is a sign of the right set of circumstances for scaling data protection direction to the diverse markets of the western Pacific Ocean.

With a local presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China, Version 2 has a portfolio of compatible and trusted solutions and distributes IT products, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Building strong relationships through a comprehensive network of channels, Version 2 deals with a variety of enterprise domains and government organizations.

 Partnership highlights:

• Market awareness and local presence through major regional business centers of finance, trade and technology parks enhances capabilities to distribute data protection and recovery strategy to new customers.
• Professional team with deep technical background increasingly helps APAC companies’ IT departments by delivering turnkey solutions among a large number of the world’s brands.
• Assistance in building partners engagement and product essential knowledge of data safety.

Storware sees the growing interest and tremendous involvement in building digital environment in APAC region. We are excited to enlist the support of Version 2, our strategic partner, in establishing new opportunities for Storware Backup and Recovery on this market. Their robust expertise and confidence in product advocacy ensure comprehensive custody to deal with end-user challenges. Collaboration with Version 2 strengthens position into delivering confidence of data security and accessibility at all times to a wide range of businesses – comments Jan Sobieszczanski, CEO of Storware.

Cooperation between Storware and Version 2 reinforces assured leadership in the Asian Pacific’s technology landscape, creating new opportunities to reseller partners and confidence in delivering advanced data protection and recovery solution.

Storware’s innovative data protection solutions align perfectly with our mission to provide our clients with the most advanced and reliable technology solutions available. We look forward to working with Storware to help businesses in the APAC region safeguard their data and ensure business continuity – comments Carlos Cheng, Managing Director of Version 2 Digital. This distribution partnership combines Storware’s industry-leading data protection technology with Version 2 Digital’s regional expertise and customer-centric approach, creating a powerful synergy that will drive the adoption of best-in-class data protection solutions in the APAC market.

Storware 宣布與超融合基礎設施的領導者 Verge.io 展開合作。此次策略性合作是為了回應市場對即買即用方案（Turnkey Solution）的需求，提供一個整合的數據中心操作環境，包含全面的備份與災難還原功能，並加強防範勒索軟件攻擊的保護能力。Verge.IO 作為 VMware 替代方案的先驅，提供了便捷的方式來利用現有硬件部署強大平台，增強數據的彈性與處理效率。VergeOS 軟件不僅靈活，且能夠在簡單的技術設置下啟動項目，同時保持高可用性與工作負載的擴展性。此次Storware 與 Verge.IO 的合作，將進一步強化數據的機密性，確保業務持續運營。這一合作將適用於各種環境中的工作負載基礎設施，如安全研究、高效能運算 (HPC)、超融合數據中心，以及多租戶私有雲等。

合作重點：

• 提供全球化解決方案，簡化數據中心的虛擬化過程
• 公司企業可以利用封裝的端點到端點軟件，靈活地構建或擴展 IT 環境，無需耗費大量時間和資金
• Storware 的備份與還原方案，透過簡單的整合控制台管理備份工作，而 VergeOS 提供了構建封裝虛擬數據中心的功能
• 硬件無關的基礎設施軟件，幫助企業應對快速變化的需求與業務增長
• 隨著環境的擴展，顯著降低總擁有成本 (TCO)

Storware 行政總裁 Jan Sobieszczanski 表示：「Storware 與 Verge.IO 的合作不僅僅是夥伴關係，更是創新與專業技術的結合，推動技術轉型的加速。我們相信，結合了 VergeOS 超融合基礎設施與 Storware 強大的備份與還原技術的解決方案，將能有效應對市場上的新挑戰。」

Storware 的備份與還原與 VergeOS 的整合，將為客戶提供強大的數據保護能力，抵禦網絡攻擊，並具備增量和差異備份、精細度還原選項以及自動化備份排程等功能。隨著市場對數據中心虛擬化需求的增長，Storware 與 Verge.IO 將提供即買即用解決方案，滿足這些需求。

「Storware 備份與還原與 VergeOS 的結合，讓客戶在轉向 VMware 替代方案時更加放心。這套解決方案不僅具備快速備份的能力，還能通過增量和差異備份、精細度還原以及自動備份排程，強化數據的保護。」VergeIO 行政總裁 Yan Ness 補充道。

關於 VergeIO

VergeIO 是虛擬化技術的未來，也是 VMware 替代方案的領導者。不同於傳統的超融合基礎設施(HCI)，VergeIO 的超融合基礎設施 (UCI) 將計算、儲存和網絡整合為一個集成的數據中心操作環境 VergeOS。其高效能不僅提高了工作負載密度，還能在使用現有硬件的同時提升數據的彈性。這不僅能顯著降低成本，還提高了可用性並簡化 IT 管理。

關於 Storware

Storware 是一家專注於備份軟件的企業，擁有超過十年的行業經驗。Storware 的備份與還原解決方案適用於各種數據環境，無論是虛擬機、容器、儲存提供商、Microsoft 365 還是運行在本地或雲端的應用程式，均能提供支援。其小巧的設計使其能夠無縫整合進現有的 IT 基礎設施或企業級備份方案中，提供極為便捷的備份保護。

In today’s fast-paced digital world, maintaining the integrity and availability of your data is crucial. For businesses using oVirt—a widely adopted open-source virtualization solution—having a robust backup and recovery strategy is not just an option; it’s a necessity. Storware Backup and Recovery offers a powerful, reliable solution for backing up and restoring oVirt environments, ensuring business continuity and data protection. This guide explores how Storware Backup and Recovery can enhance your oVirt infrastructure by providing advanced backup and recovery features.

What is oVirt?

oVirt is an open-source virtualization management platform designed to manage large-scale, distributed server and desktop virtualization environments. Built on top of KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), oVirt provides an enterprise-level solution for virtual machine (VM) management, complete with a web-based interface, robust APIs, and powerful features tailored for businesses of all sizes. However, like any virtualization environment, oVirt requires an effective backup and recovery plan to protect against data loss, system failures, and security threats.

Why Backup and Recovery are Essential for oVirt

→ Data Loss Prevention: Accidental deletions, hardware failures, or software glitches can lead to significant data loss. Backup and recovery ensure that your VMs and data are always recoverable.
→ Minimize Downtime: A well-structured backup and recovery plan minimizes downtime, keeping your critical applications running smoothly and without interruptions.
→ Protection Against Ransomware: Cybersecurity threats, including ransomware attacks, can compromise your data. Regular backups serve as a safety net, allowing you to restore your system to a pre-attack state.
→ Compliance and Audits: Many industries have strict data retention and recovery requirements. Backup solutions help meet these compliance standards by ensuring data integrity and availability.

Introducing Storware Backup and Recovery for oVirt

Storware Backup and Recovery is an enterprise-grade data protection solution designed to integrate seamlessly with oVirt environments. It offers comprehensive backup, recovery, and archiving capabilities, ensuring your virtual machines and associated data are protected, easily recoverable, and managed efficiently.

oVirt Support Matrix

Key Features of Storware Backup and Recovery

→ Agentless Backup: Storware provides agentless backup for oVirt, which simplifies the backup process by removing the need to install agents on each VM. This approach reduces overhead and simplifies management.
→ Incremental Backups: Storware uses incremental backup strategies to save only the data that has changed since the last backup, significantly reducing storage requirements and improving backup speeds.
→ Automated Backup Scheduling: Storware’s intuitive scheduling options allow you to automate your backup processes, reducing manual intervention and ensuring regular data protection.
→ Efficient Recovery: Fast and flexible recovery options enable you to restore entire VMs, individual files, or specific VM disks, providing a tailored recovery approach based on your needs.
→ Secure Data Encryption: Storware ensures that your backup data is protected with advanced encryption methods, securing it from unauthorized access both in transit and at rest.
→ Multi-Tier Storage: With Storware, backups can be stored across multiple storage tiers, including local storage, cloud storage, or even object storage systems, offering scalability and flexibility.
→ Centralized Management: Manage all your backup and recovery tasks from a single pane of glass, streamlining the administration of your data protection policies.

How Storware Backup and Recovery Enhances oVirt Environments

→ Simplified Backup Management: Storware’s centralized console allows administrators to manage backups across the entire oVirt environment, simplifying the complexity of backup management.
→ Scalability: As your oVirt environment grows, Storware scales with you, supporting hundreds of VMs without compromising performance or manageability.
→ Seamless Integration: Storware Backup and Recovery integrates seamlessly with oVirt’s architecture, making it a natural extension of your existing infrastructure.
→ Improved Performance: The use of incremental and differential backups optimizes performance, reducing backup windows and minimizing the impact on production workloads.
→ Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics: Storware provides detailed reports and analytics on backup performance, success rates, and storage utilization, allowing for proactive management and optimization.

Implementing Storware Backup and Recovery for oVirt: Step-by-Step

The easiest way is to use the Setup Wizard to make the process easier. However, the manual approach is not rocket science!

1. Installation and Configuration: Begin by installing the Storware Backup and Recovery software on a designated server. Configure the backup server to connect to your oVirt environment via API.

2. Define Backup Policies: Set up backup policies based on your business requirements. Define how often backups should occur, retention periods, and storage locations.

3. Automate Scheduling: Use Storware’s scheduling feature to automate the backup process, ensuring that backups are conducted regularly without manual intervention.

4. Test Recovery Procedures: Regularly test your recovery procedures to ensure that you can quickly restore VMs and data in the event of a failure.

5. Monitor and Optimize: Utilize Storware’s monitoring and reporting tools to keep an eye on backup performance. Optimize configurations based on insights to ensure the best possible performance.

Conclusion

Implementing a robust backup and recovery solution is essential for any organization using oVirt. Storware Backup and Recovery provides a powerful, efficient, and scalable way to protect your virtual environment, ensuring that data loss, downtime, and security threats are mitigated effectively. With features like agentless backups, encryption, and automated scheduling, Storware stands out as a preferred choice for enterprises seeking comprehensive data protection.

Most organizations have become frustrated since Broadcom acquired VMware in 2023, due to the astronomical price rise and other changes made by the technology giant. As a result, they have begun seeking alternative platforms, and OpenStack has become a leading choice.

However, the migration process isn’t a smooth sail. Users have faced numerous challenges during migration because of the differences in both platforms. This article discusses the reason for the transition from VMware to OpenStack, the real challenges users face, and their solutions.

Why Organizations are Migrating from VMware to OpenStack

Businesses migrate from VMware to OpenStack due to various reasons, including:

Cost

The primary reason organizations are migrating from VMware to OpenStack is the heavy price increase by Broadcom after they acquired VMware. Customers have complained about the dramatic hike in price, product bundling, and the shift to a subscription model.

Some product prices have seen as high as 10 times increase since the acquisition in 2023. This significant change has forced many organizations to seek alternatives to VMware, especially open-source platforms that eliminate licensing fees and other extra costs.

Scalability and Performance

OpenStack is scalable, making cloud hosting convenient for large-scale operations. It can handle the growing demand over time without sacrificing performance, ensuring high performance and productivity. Also, OpenStack scales horizontally across servers, making it an excellent choice for organizations managing data across various geographic locations.

Vendor Lock-in

OpenStack’s open-source system prevents vendor lock-in, which has several disadvantages. Rather than being restricted by proprietary products, OpenStack supports a wide range of hardware and software environments, broadening the available options and reducing dependency on a single vendor.

Flexibility

Thanks to its modular design, OpenStack may be readily tailored to fit the particular requirements of a company. Its architecture allows every element to be deployed and scaled independently. Thus, organizations have greater options. It offers flexibility to fit many contexts and use cases by supporting integration with a broad spectrum of third-party tools and technologies.

Technological Advancements

Its open-source nature ensures the continuous evolution and update of the platform. OpenStack has a large and active community that contributes regularly to its development through constant improvements. This ensures that the platform keeps up with the latest technology trends, innovations, and advancements for better functionality and security.

Problems Users Face When Migrating from VMware to OpenStack

Migrating from the proprietary solution, VMware, to open-source, OpenStack doesn’t come without challenges. There are several common issues users have encountered when migrating to OpenStack. They include:

• Finding a Migration Path

One major problem users encounter is finding a smooth migration path. The complex reconfiguration and mapping process makes it difficult to move from VMware to OpenStack. Also, organizations consider the risk of interruption caused by a cold migration. As a result, they want warm or hot migration that prevents downtime, ensuring uninterrupted operation.

Solution

The best way to navigate this migration challenge is using automated migration solutions. The appropriate tool to use will depend on your dynamic situation and expectations. You can also consult with an expert, for advice or their services.

• Hardware Load Balancing

Hardware load balancing has to do with distributing workloads across multiple servers and resources to optimize operation and prevent overload. When transitioning from VMware to OpenStack, organizations may find it difficult to balance workload. VMware provides automated load balancing features like DRS but workload balancing on OpenStack is more complex.

Solution

OpenStack has a feature called Watcher, a live migration strategy. However, they are yet to determine if it’s suitable for migrating several VMware at the same time. Hence, you can only transfer one VMware at a time. Also, using the phased migration strategy can help to balance workload and resources, preventing overloading.

• Compatibility Issues

Compatibility is a big issue when migrating from VMware to OpenStack. VMware has proprietary products, including its file formats like VMDK. Hence, users have to find a way to go around the compatibility issue, which could be challenging and time-consuming.

Solution

Leverage migration tools that enable compatibility between VMware and OpenStack. These tools can help in converting VM formats, mapping network configurations, and integrating storage solutions to ensure smoother transitions. Also, create a test environment to check compatibility before installment and make the required adjustments.

• Skill Gap

Another main challenge is the skill gap. With most workers having VMware-specific skills, the learning curve is usually steep. The integrated nature of the VMware environment makes it easy for users with limited technical expertise to use. However, OpenStack relies on external services such as Nova and Neutron and understanding OpenStack will require a more sophisticated skill set.

Solution

Organizations must invest in training programs to equip IT staff with the necessary knowledge of OpenStack architecture. They can also set up a test environment to provide hands-on training ahead of the full-scale migration.

• Performance Issues

Performance issues can also arise during migration because of the differences in both platforms, including hypervisor, storage, compute, and networking. These differences will mean that VMware is optimized to suit its hardware and configurations. However, the process differs for OpenStack which also needs to be specifically optimized to its own configurations to achieve the same performance requirements.

Solution

Organizations must plan ahead by sizing their resources and estimating their performance requirements. Pilot testing can help to identify performance gaps and fix them in time.

Migration Planning

Migration Planning is a crucial step organizations and users must take to ensure the smooth migration from VMware to OpenStack.

Migration planning involves strategizing and creating a detailed road map that outlines each migration phase. Before developing a plan, you must access your current VMware infrastructure, define your objectives, and also predict challenges and possible solutions. Designing a well defined plan will reduce problems during migration and also ensure the OpenStack environment meets the organization’s needs effectively.

Backup and Recovery

If a company uses Storware Backup and Recovery, changing the data protection software is not necessary. Storware supports both solutions, and the planned migration module may successfully enable the recovery of VMware environments in the OpenStack infrastructure.

Conclusion

VMware is a proprietary solution, while OpenStack is an open source. Hence, migrating from VMware to OpenStack poses several challenges like compatibility, performance issues, finding a migration path, hardware load balancing, and the skill gap. Follow the solutions provided, create a strategic and well-defined migration plan, and also seek advice from the active OpenStack community.