Virtustream adds Enterprise Risk Management and OpenStack support

Virtustream has announced the next generation release of its cloud management platform (CMP) software, xStream 3.0, further removing the barriers to cloud adoption for enterprises by reducing the cost of cloud migration and management, while increasing security and compliance. With this new release, Virtustream becomes one of the first enterprise-class cloud providers to extend high SLA support for OpenStack, the open source software for building private and public clouds. Customers can now provision, run and manage VMware and OpenStack workloads within the same xStream user interface. xStream 3.0 also brings Enterprise Risk Management capabilities to the cloud, providing advanced features such as chip level geo-fencing, continuous compliance and vulnerability monitoring, all powered by a big data engine to efficiently scale for high volume, Enterprise workloads.

Virtustream xStream CMP software is purpose-built for enterprise, government and service provider customers wishing to migrate and run mission-critical, production applications in cloud environments. xStream CMP is available as software to add to existing enterprise/government IT to build a private cloud or as software for service providers/system integrators to enhance existing data centers/virtualisation/clouds to offer advanced enterprise cloud services. xStream CMP software is built using industry-leading expertise from Virtustream’s own Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud, which has been running thousands of production applications in the cloud for hundreds of enterprise and government customers worldwide. By delivering a common cloud management solution that can be run both in private cloud environments and by leading cloud service providers, Virtustream removes barriers that have limited enterprise cloud deployments in the past, including: incompatibility, complex application migration, a lack of cloud security/compliance and limited performance SLAs.

“Hybrid cloud environments are the future of enterprise computing, but moving to the cloud is a complex transition,” said Van Williams, CIO and Chief of Product Engineering, Virtustream. “The xStream CMP software allows enterprises to manage and run any mix of legacy applications and new open source applications within a single cloud environment with ease and efficiency.”

Key Benefits and Features of xStream 3.0
Virtustream xStream offers the most comprehensive, flexible and secure cloud management platform available in the market. The company’s underlying Micro-VMTM (µVM) technology makes it possible for IT expenses to be efficiently reduced while also improving overall performance of mission-critical applications. As a result, customers are able to move any production and mission-critical enterprise applications to the cloud without re-engineering and optimally combine on-site and cloud-based operations.

Key new benefits and features of xStream 3.0 include:
· Enterprise Risk Management: Enterprise customers will now be able to ensure that their entire infrastructure, systems and IT business processes are secure and continuously compliant (both in the cloud and in their own IT environment). Through deep integration with a wide spectrum of threat monitoring systems and broad support for all major compliance policies, the xStream ERM product suite enables the Enterprise to efficiently monitor and prioritise remediation of security or policy vulnerability through its built-in workflow and alerting. Additionally, all of the data is fed into a Big Data correlation engine providing unprecedented levels of analysis and reporting.
· Enhanced data protection policies: xStream is the industry's first CMP software that allows resources to be tagged and monitored for geo-location, ensuring that operational changes don't move computing resources or associated data into a non-compliant environment in another data centre, city, region or country. With the addition of new replication policies and services, xStream 3.0 simplifies the management of data protection by giving customers insight into the entire data network -- locally, regionally and globally.
· Support for OpenStack: In addition to its support for VMware Virtualisation, Virtustream will now offer support for OpenStack. With the addition of a new continuous compliance assurance service via ERM integration, customers can now maintain the highest level of data security while provisioning and running workloads on top of OpenStack.
· Introduction of the xStream Application Management Framework a.k.a. “xStream AppDirector”: With this release, Virtustream introduces the xStream Application Management Framework which allows streamlined integration in the cloud for packaged and custom applications. This framework introduces unprecedented levels of orchestration and control at the application level directly from the xStream Cloud Management Portal, simplifying complex application management in the cloud while lowering overall TCO.
· Predictive analytics: Now customers with limited technical experience or knowledge are able to dynamically optimise their cloud environments. xStream’s new analytics functionality allows enterprises to consolidate workloads onto fewer machines, which delivers savings on power, cooling and other infrastructure costs.
· Flexible billing options: Virtustream is one of the only enterprise-class cloud software and services providers to enable IT organisations to consume or deliver cloud computing resources on demand while only paying for the consumption of resources used. With this release, Virtustream is introducing a new feature that provides custom tagging for customer and service providers to allow even more flexible billing options.