5 things to look for in a vendor before purchasing Microsoft Azure Stack Hub

Businesses are continually looking for new and innovative solutions to create their ideal datacenter. With constant competition in the marketplace, organizations need to keep up with the latest technology if they’re going to be successful. When looking closely at different vendors for new technology, businesses need to be critical and look for the right provider to meet their needs.

One of the latest, popular technologies is Microsoft Azure Stack Hub. Since taking the market by storm, competing vendors offer a variety of Microsoft Azure Stack Hub capabilities, features, and services. Before organizations jump into deciding the right vendor for their Microsoft Azure Stack Hub, they need to consider five key pieces of information:

1. Configuration flexibility

Flexibility is important because organizations want their solution to fit seamlessly into their existing IT environment. People looking to purchase a Microsoft Azure Stack Hub solution should make sure their vendor can match their current IT requirements and grow with their business needs. Businesses wanting a fully customizable solution should look for:

• The exact size to meet application requirements
• The processor type that’s right for their workloads
• A choice of memory
• Scalable storage capacity
• Support for third-party networking switches, power supplies, and rack options

2. Security of the solution

When choosing the right solution for their business, organizations want to ensure the solution they pick will secure their data and protect their organization from security threats. The hardware underneath must supply the right security for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub. Businesses should consider vendors who can:

• Identify the threat and fix the problem
• Encrypt firmware directly in their hardware
• Detect security breaches before they happen

3. Flexible pricing

If organizations deploy a Microsoft Azure Stack Hub solution using a consumption-based model, they can reduce costs by leveraging cloud-style economics for the hardware and the cloud services. This approach gives them:

• Rapid scalability
• Variable costs aligned to metered usage
• No upfront expense
• Enterprise-grade support

4. Level of expertise and try before you buy

When choosing a vendor, look for vendors that can provide the expertise needed to develop a comprehensive hybrid cloud strategy. Also look for a team able to deliver professional services that will meet the organizations’ use case, design, and implementation needs.

Select a vendor that can provide an innovation center. These centers get businesses up to speed on the Azure Stack Hub solution prior to purchase, giving them the information needed to make the right decisions. At an innovation center, businesses can:

• Access the latest Azure Stack Hub software and hardware
• Implement a proof-of-concept
• Test cases for their hybrid cloud

5. Partnerships with other independent software vendors

Microsoft Azure Stack Hub can be partnered with validated independent software vendors to bring additional benefits to hybrid cloud to customers in four key areas:

• Data protection
• High availability
• Monitoring/optimization
• Security

How HPE’s Offering for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub Stacks Up  

Released in 2017, HPE ProLiant for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub gives customers a truly consistent hybrid cloud solution. This solution increases agility, enhances innovation, and controls costs with a seamless mixture of private and public cloud. And HPE ProLiant for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub is the only solution available that meets the five key capabilities listed above.

• It is the most customizable solution available, providing the greatest number of configuration options.
• HPE is the only infrastructure provider that gives customers true, consumption-based IT for their Microsoft Azure Stack Hub solution, making pay-as-you-consume pricing with HPE GreenLake an attractive option.
• Over 4,000 HPE experts are trained on Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud, ready to help businesses deploy with confidence.
• The HPE-Microsoft Azure Stack Hub Innovation Centers, run jointly by HPE and Microsoft, let customers try before they buy, while working with hybrid cloud and Microsoft Azure experts.
• HPE is working with validated ISVs to bring customers the capabilities in four key areas: data protection, high availability, monitoring/optimization, and security for their Microsoft Azure Stack Hub.

‎Co-engineered by HPE and Microsoft and based on a 30-year partnership, this joint solution provides the five key capabilities customers want in their Microsoft Azure Stack Hub solution.

To learn more, visit the HPE ProLiant for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub website or listen to the newest webinar, 5 Reasons Why HPE ProLiant for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub Won’t Steer You Wrong!

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About Mat Mathews

^{Mat Mathews is the Vice President and General Manager for  Microsoft Azure Stack at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Mat has spent 20 years in the networking industry observing, experimenting, and ultimately honing his technology vision. Prior to his current role at HPE, Mat was co-founder and VP Product Management at Plexxi. He began his career as a software engineer and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. To read more articles from Mat, visit the HPE Shifting to Software-Defined blogsite.}