Open Cloud Architecture Enables Diverse Deployment Models

Over the past few years, our industry has experienced an unprecedented surge in tech innovation and is poised to continue on this path for the foreseeable future. The number of cloud workloads is increasing exponentially and in fact, cloud-based workloads increased 30% over the past 24 months, which has significantly challenged the status quo of IT ability to manage workloads and the data across multiple cloud deployments.

In addition, dramatic digital transformation is occurring at the edge of IT. Back in 2018, less than 10% of enterprise-generated data was created and processed at the edge. By 2026, this data is projected to grow to 75%. In response to these trends and challenges, Lenovo has invested in R&D, skills and software to develop an open cloud architecture guided by providing customer choice.

Customizing Deployment Models from the Edge to the Cloud

Each custom cloud deployment is dictated by a unique combination of workloads, regulations, sensitivity of data and proximity. As part of an open cloud architecture, customers are offered a choice for multiple hybrid, public, private and edge solutions, a choice we enable through cloud management software, infrastructure building blocks, edge solutions and data management.

Additionally, unlike public cloud, software-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service providers, Lenovo empowers choice of deployments of cloud types, applications, and consumption models. Lenovo ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile and ThinkEdge infrastructures provide the foundation for any type of deployment models, from the Edge to the clouds.

• ThinkSystem servers have an open architecture design, so they easily integrate into any IT infrastructure, no matter what software or cloud providers are being used. We prioritize reliability, performance, ease of management and security, so we ensure ThinkSystem will safeguard your data while you’re meeting your application and performance requirements.
• ThinkAgile solutions are purpose-built for hybrid multi-cloud with pre-integrated cloud software, making it easier for our customers to deploy and manage their cloud solutions for big data analytics, artificial intelligence, virtual desktop integration, DevOps and more.

Building on our commitment to deliver optimized infrastructure solutions using a globally supported open cloud architecture, these solutions include deeply optimized design guides for enterprise workloads, such as SAP, virtual desktop integration, Microsoft SQL and AI. As a result, customers have realized workflow performance, scalability and security, as well as faster insights from data.

Of course, in this evolving era of IT architecture and workloads, we recognize that valuable data must be accessible in not only the cloud, but in the core and the edge where it is being utilized the most.

The Key to Data Accessibility in the New Era of IT

An open cloud architecture requires all data to be connected, so it can be absorbed, consumed, and acted upon. This in turn requires a new approach to collecting, managing, sharing and distilling insight from the data that empowers organizations of every scale. There are myriad ways in which IT will be needed at various locations that are not a data center facility. Given the wide-ranging conditions found in environments where valuable data is being created, solutions that have a smaller footprint, are power efficient and are rugged enough to co-exist in edge locations like construction sites, manufacturing floors, coffee shops and remote offices are even more valuable.

This is where Lenovo’s ThinkEdge portfolio comes into play. This portfolio is purposefully engineered and built to support unique devices and cloud solutions. Designed to accelerate business critical insight, enhance performance, increase scalability, and heightened security, all while being quiet, compact and ruggedized for connecting to the cloud in any environment.

Additionally, to ensure customers have access to storage solutions for multiple workload deployments. Lenovo’s ThinkSystem DM storage enables enterprise class, high performance, high availability and scalability with both private and multi hybrid cloud capabilities built in to handle any workload and anywhere. ThinkSystem DM can scale across clouds and deliver hybrid cloud capabilities, including data management and backup and recovery.

When businesses require storage support for multiple workloads run onsite, the Lenovo ThinkSystem DE storage offers a high-performance, cost-effective storage for a variety of on-prem workloads – This provides another layer of choice in our open cloud architecture. Lenovo partners and integrates with industry leading cloud management software providers like Microsoft, NetApp, Nutanix, Red Hat, and VMware.

Automation, Remote Deployment, As-a-Service, Asset Recovery – Supported

To further empower seamless deployment of various models from the edge to the cloud, Lenovo’s open cloud architecture aims to provide seamless, agile, customizable and sustainable solutions that, when combined, can suit multiple types of workloads and applications.

• Lenovo XClarity family of software automates, manages and simplifies key IT tasks while also managing and deploying the IT infrastructure.
• Lenovo Open Cloud Automation’s recent enhancements enable zero touch provisioning of Lenovo edge servers, and remote deployment of edge cloud software. So bare metal servers can be shipped directly to your site and deployed quickly.
• Lenovo TruScale as a Service provides a complete integrated offering and a simple customizable approach with options for full consulting, deployment, infrastructure management and support. Combined with Lenovo’s Open Cloud Solutions, TruScale provides customers full control while delivering SLAs and cloud economics end to end.
• Lenovo Asset Recovery Services offer a single source solution for secure, documented disposal of IT assets and data. These services can be customized to address the unique needs of your organization worldwide as you build open clouds and look for green initiatives to dispose of legacy infrastructure.

Cloud Agility Built with the Right Ingredients

Lenovo’s open cloud architecture has all the elements to enable agile and efficient cloud solutions to run your applications where you need them. Though there is no single cloud model that fits all customers or applications, we are committed to helping enterprises achieve business-driven outcomes by providing a choice for cloud types, applications, and consumption models.

Every business has unique requirements and goals. And there are many paths and many options to consider along the journey. Consider your cloud strategy as you would any business-critical investment and choose to pursue an open cloud strategy to address your diverse IT requirements.