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Server virtualisation may seem complex, but it can actually be the antidote to complexity – especially when it comes to business continuity and disaster recovery. By overcoming traditional barriers to effective disaster recovery, virtualisation systems such as VMware can simplify the business of keeping your business running when the lights go out, equipment fails or Mother Nature tosses a tantrum.

Business continuity plans are meant to ease and speed the process of recovering after a disaster or, ideally, prevent downtime when disaster hits. But for something that’s supposed to make life easier, the traditional approach to business continuity (that is, without using virtualisation) can actually introduce new problems:

• Slow time to recover data. Certain data backup and recovery methods, such as tape, are critical to backup processes. Butrelying on tape exclusively can lengthen data blackouts and delay regaining access to critical data, making it impossible to meet defined recovery service level agreements.
• High equipment costs. In some traditional backup schemes, you might need to install compatible server hardware and operating systems at both primary and secondary sites, which limits your ability to get the best deal, independent of platform.
• Time-consuming manual failover. Your setup might require manual failovers to secondary equipment, which can be complex and labour intensive. Automated failover can help reduce the time needed to resume operations in an emergency.
• Rigorous testing and validation. Different applications often specify varying recovery processes. With the manual approach, you must regularly test and validate every recovery process to make certain each meets recovery time objectives.

Today, virtualisation technologies such as VMware’s Virtual Infrastructure software used with HP servers, storage and a continuum of storage business continuity solutions provide alternatives to those traditional offerings.

In a virtualised environment, the logical functions of computing, storage and network elements are separated from their physical functions. Rather than dedicating one physical server to one application, multiple virtual servers may run on a single physical server. Network storage, likewise, can appear as a single pool that virtual servers can access according to their needs, rather than dedicating particular disks to particular applications.

As a result, virtualised environments are more fluid and able to meet the changing needs and priorities of a business, including those that occur during a disaster. HP VMware environments can overcome some of the most pressing problems associated with traditional continuity.

HP and VMware work hand-in-hand to offer a continuum of cost-effective business continuity solutions, ranging from low-cost backup and virtual machine replication, to advanced, highly-available multisite solutions. HP's ProLiant BladeSystem servers and StorageWorks solutions are certified to run optimally with VMware software. This combination can solve some of the most pressing problems of traditional business continuity plans. HP-VMware environments can:

• Eliminate the need for identical equipment at both sites. Because virtualisation abstracts the hardware from the operating systems and applications, you no longer need to install an exact duplicate of your hardware at a failover site. Whether you use HP ProLiant rack servers with an HP StorageWorks Modular Smart Array (MSA) or an HP BladeSystem with an HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA), the virtualisation software doesn’t care. It will view the underlying platforms as the same, giving you the flexibility to choose the hardware that makes the most sense in each location.
• Automate failovers. An HP-VMware environment can automate failovers so applications are restored faster, making your users more productive.
• Speed data recovery. With HP’s StorageWorks arrays and integrated disaster recovery solutions, data is replicated across sites. So, when a problem causes a virtual server to fail over to secondary machines, your users can continue working with up-to-the-minute data, not data from last night’s backup.

Whatever your company needs, HP offers software and services built around a business continuity plan to make recovery of your virtualised environment fast, automatic, simple and effective. For example, you can create, manage and configure remote replication on the entire EVA and XP product family through the simple, graphical user interface of HP StorageWorks Continuous Access Software, an array-based application. In addition, HP Services takes a consultative, practical approach to architecting, building and deploying virtualisation solutions that achieve your business objectives.

Together, HP and VMware have figured out a way to ease business continuity planning so you can focus on the work that needs to be done, not worry about what might lurk around the corner.

» Learn more about HP StorageWorks and VMware