Software Defined Storage

Virtual storage typically refers to pooling physical storage into one or more logical drives. To the requester the pool often appears as single storage device. Usually an application manages the devices. This virtualization software intercepts requests for storage and uses a map to find or save the data to the appropriate physical device. 

Software-defined storage (SDS) is a more comprehensive service driven approach to storage virtualization. SDS solutions separate the storage control plane from the data plane providing the flexibility to scale storage across on-prem and the cloud (hybrid cloud) without impacting the management layer. Providing APIs for automation and application testing applications to request and release resources, allows SDS solutions to provide lower TCO and faster time to implementation for application and dev teams. SDS provides a complimentary addition to traditional storage in today’s enterprises while offering the scalability and flexibility required by today’s modern applications.

Software-defined storage (SDS) architecture separates storage management software (control plane) from the underlying hardware (storage plane), creating a flexible and scalable storage environment. Key components include:

1. Abstraction Layer: Decouples storage services from physical hardware.
2. Control Plane: Centralizes management of storage operations (Hitachi Vantara Ops Center).
3. Data Plane: Handles data read/write operations and implements storage protocols (
4. Hitachi Vantara VSP One Block File and Object).
5. Storage Virtualization: Creates a unified pool of storage resources (Hybrid Cloud).
6. APIs: Enable interoperability between systems and software.
7. Policy-Based Management: Automates storage allocation and optimization.
8. Data Services: Provides features like data protection and replication.

The VSP One platform allows you to take advantage of an SDS architecture. Powered by the Hitachi Storage Operating System (SVOS) and managed through the Ops Center management control plane, VSP One delivers unparalleled performance, sustainability, and data management intelligence for modern enterprises.

Software-defined storage (SDS) differs from traditional storage in several key aspects:

• Cost-efficiency: SDS can leverage commodity or certified hardware, making it more cost-effective than traditional storage solutions.
• Scalability: SDS easily scales by adding commodity or certified hardware, while traditional storage often requires "rip and replace" upgrades.
• Management: SDS offers centralized management across all resources, compared to device-specific interfaces in traditional storage.
• Cloud integration: SDS seamlessly integrates across hybrid cloud environments, whereas traditional storage can have limited cloud capabilities.
• Automation: SDS provides advanced automation for provisioning and optimization, using APIs or applications like Ansible while traditional storage has limited automation capabilities.
• Performance: Both can deliver high performance, but SDS offers more flexibility in optimizing resources for specific workloads whether on-prem or in the cloud.
• Protection: Traditional storage relies on specialized hardware with RAID for data protection, while software-defined storage (SDS) uses standard x86 systems and employs software mirroring and erasure coding (patented Hitachi Polyphase Erasure Coding HPEC) for enhanced data protection.

Virtual Storage Platform One Software-Defined Storage (VSP One SDS) is Hitachi Vantara's flexible, scalable storage solution for modern data management across hybrid cloud environments.

The platform offers exceptional scalability, allowing organizations to expand storage resources seamlessly from terabytes to petabytes without complex infrastructure redesigns. Its centralized management through Hitachi Ops Center simplifies storage administration, reducing operational complexity and enabling IT teams to manage diverse storage environments from a single interface.

 It includes two key products:

1. VSP One SDS Block: Provides software-defined block storage for on-premises deployments, supporting traditional and modern workloads.
2. VSP One SDS Cloud: Delivers cloud-native storage capabilities in AWS and GCP.

VSP One SDS features a single data plane running across all environments, centralized management through Hitachi Ops Center. It supports various use cases, including:

• Application development and testing
• Cloud migration
• Distributed applications

VSP One SDS empowers organizations to optimize their hybrid cloud infrastructure while ensuring high performance, security, and flexibility across on-premises and cloud environments It delivers EBS savings through Thin Provisioning and compression, while enhancing resiliency with technologies such as iSCSI Reserves T10 Diff and Hitachi Polyphase Erasure Coding. These features enable efficient data protection, reduce storage overhead, and eliminate bottlenecks, ensuring seamless scalability and reliability in hybrid cloud deployments.

Hitachi Vantara ensures data security and uptime with their Software-Defined Storage (SDS) solutions through a comprehensive approach:

• Data Protection: VSP One SDS Cloud offers asynchronous replication across multiple availability zones, ensuring consistent backups and protection against local failures
• High Availability: Multi-Availability Zone support enables seamless failover to healthy zones, maintaining continuous operations even during disruptions
• Encryption: Data At Rest Encryption (DARE) is provided across the hybrid cloud for secure data management
• 100% Data Availability Guarantee: Comprehensive guarantees are offered across block, file, and object storage
• Continuous Monitoring: The system constantly monitors for potential threats and vulnerabilities; Hitachi Remote Ops
• Hitachi Polyphase Erasure Coding (HPEC): This proprietary technology ensures robust data access, protection, and migration

Hitachi Vantara's Software-Defined Storage (SDS) offers several AI and automation features:

• AI-powered analytics for storage performance optimization
• Automated management of tasks like replication and data migration using Ops Center Automatoropens in a new tab, Ops Center Protector and Ansible
• Proactive issue detection to minimize downtime
• Centralized management with AI-assisted insights using Hitachi Ops Center
• Cloud integration for hybrid environments
• Dynamic scalability and load balancing with AI driven algorithms

These features enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and maintain high performance across hybrid cloud storage environments. For more details, explore our VSP One SDS Buyer's Guideopens in a new tab and VSP One SDS product page.

No, you can self-certify your current x86 servers and networking equipment, eliminating the need for new, specialized hardware purchases. Self-certification offers flexibility, cost savings, and faster deployment by allowing you to use and certify your existing infrastructure for SDS. You can also self-certify new server models as they become available, ensuring your SDS solution remains future-proof.