StorMagic has refined its hyperconverged infrastructure offering to bring more features and tools for edge and SMB customers looking to migrate some workloads.
Available in the next 90 days, StorMagic SvHCI 2.0 includes a VM Import tool for quick migration from VMware. The new version also brings fleet management and monitoring, as well as VM snapshots. The latest additions build off SvHCI's original release in June.
"The fact that StorMagic could execute quickly to not only [bring] a product to market back in June, but also [enhance] it in a matter of months, is a good sign that they're building on investment," said Mitch Ashley, an analyst at The Futurum Group.
The fact that StorMagic could execute quickly to not only [bring] a product to market back in June, but also [enhance] it in a matter of months, is a good sign that they're building on investment.
Mitch AshleyAnalyst, The Futurum Group
StorMagic didn't start from scratch with SvHCI. It built off its existing SvSAN product and utilized a kernel-based virtual machine for hypervisor and container management, Ashley said. StorMagic's software manages and runs its hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), and the company is focusing capabilities on addressing needs like the edge and giving those customers a way to import VMs.
Minimizing migration migraines
VM Import is a guided tool that enables customers to take their existing VMware VMs and export them to StorMagic, according to Bruce Kornfeld, chief marketing and product officer at StorMagic. This tool will remove some of the manual steps that are currently present.
SvHCI's new features are aimed at SMB and edge customers who might be looking for an alternative following Broadcom's changes to the VMware catalog, perpetual licenses and support, according to Kornfield.
"There's a huge installed base of customers that have just been using [VMware]," he said. "They're used to it. They know how to install it and manage it, but they can't afford to continue."
Customers are looking at migration tools as they look for VMware alternatives, according to Jerome Wendt, president and lead analyst at Data Center Intelligence Group.
"As companies are looking to migrate off of a VMware, they need some way to get their VMs off of VMware and onto their hypervisor," Wendt said.
SvHCI is all software and can use existing HCI hardware at edge locations, which provides an advantage to customers in terms of flexibility, according to Wendt. VergeIO provides a similar product that uses existing hardware and allows for the import of VMs.
Building out, looking forward
The latest version of SvHCI includes snapshots for VMs, which allow rollbacks for software updates or data protection when needed. The new version also brings StorMagic's Edge Control Monitoring and Management from SvSAN to SvHCI to enable remote management of thousands of edge sites.
"StorMagic is incrementally adding the kind of management you need from the virtualization solution, not only for a single instance, but they have to be able to do that at scale," Ashley said.
He added that the vendor is also adding features customers would expect for VMware-like products. Ashley said he expects the company to continue to add integration with enterprise management features or with other systems as it moves forward.
Wendt said that while snapshots are more of a table stakes feature, SvHCI has matured in six months and has been able to add more features and enhancements customers are seeking. Going forward, StorMagic will likely add more features but probably not to the degree of VMware vSphere.
"When you start looking at enterprise environments, VMware is still heads and shoulders above a lot of the competitors," he said.
Still, not all features are needed for SMBs and edge locations, Wendt said. As SvHCI continues building out its software, customers who are waiting to switch due to a lack of features will become less hesitant, he said.
Adam Armstrong is a TechTarget Editorial news writer covering file and block storage hardware and private clouds. He previously worked at StorageReview.
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