New Delhi, February 11, 2021.

Microsoft India has announced the general availability of Azure Stack HCI, a new hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) solution, that combines the flexibility, scalability, a

Part of the Azure Stack portfolio, it provides organizations seamless access to Microsoft Azure for hybrid cloud scenarios across datacenters, remote offices, cloud and edge locations Compatible with both Windows and Linux virtual machines, Azure Stack HCI solutions will be available from 20 partners offering Microsoft-validated hardware systems to ensure optimal performance and reliability. 

As organizations rebuild their businesses, an effective multi-cloud, multi-edge hybrid approach will be vital. It provides them the much-required agility, efficiency and resilience, while staying compliant.  For most large enterprises or highly regulated industries, a hybrid approach makes the most sense, keeping in mind latency, regulations, data sovereignty, or complexity in moving large volumes of legacy data to cloud. Moreover, it helps organizations to scale existing infrastructure, maximizing value from on-premise investments, seamlessly maintain business continuity, secure resources, and unlock new business scenarios.

Azure Stack HCI aims to empower businesses by enabling them to build and run cloud-native applications with seamless access to cloud services on-premises with existing tool, processes, and skill sets. It combines infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) services in a software stack that spans on-premises datacenters and Microsoft’s Azure cloud, providing the latest and up to date security, performance, and feature updates. With Azure Stack HCI, organizations can:

·         Modernize and secure datacenters: Update foundation infrastructure; gain better efficiency and lower costs; and simplify governance and operations.

·         Affordably modernize branch offices: Azure HCI Stack provides cost-efficient IT infrastructure resources including to remote locations, improves storage availability & resilience, and streamlines distributed workloads.

·         Experience industry-best performance for high-end workload: The solution supports multiple database transactions with very low latency.

·         Use Virtual Desktops infrastructure with edge computing: Brings desktops on-prem for low latency and data sovereignty enabling remote work in a secure and compliant manner.

It can be scaled according to workload of enterprises and provides access to familiar tools from Microsoft as well as popular third-party tools. A Microsoft pay-as-you-go subscription model promises to deliver flexibility and lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

According to Rajiv Sodhi, COO, Microsoft India, “The role of hybrid cloud has transformed from being integrator of datacenters with the public cloud to enabler of day-to-day business functions. Consistent hybrid tools and experiences have never been more important and Azure Stack HCI brings together the familiarity and flexibility of on-premises virtualization with powerful new hybrid capabilities. With our cloud-native approach, we aim to help customers realize higher value HCI through quick deployment and integration that leverages familiar management and tools with flexible Azure subscription pricing. This will enable organizations to be adaptive, agile, efficient, and responsive across locations, optimizing operations and IT cost efficiency in an increasingly remote work environment today.”

“Modern Indian enterprises consider the cloud to be an essential investment that lies at the heart of their digital transformation efforts, creating the scale and cost efficiencies they need. Enterprises are increasingly turning to hybrid cloud models to modernize their infrastructure for flexibility in workload placement without compromising on performance and security. Azure Stack HCI simplifies how IT can access Azure services based on what makes sense for their business, whether that is on premises or in the cloud. Intel Select Solutions combine Intel-based hardware with Microsoft Azure Stack HCI to form the basis for simplified, low-cost, hyper converged infrastructure by enabling scalable storage, compute and memory.” - Prakash Mallya, VP and MD – Sales, Marketing and Communications Group, Intel India.

Microsoft is collaborating with Intel on taking Azure Stack HCI to the market. Intel supports Azure Stack HCI through a broad set of technologies foundational to scaling, processing, and moving workloads. Intel Select Solutions for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI combine innovative software with cutting-edge hardware to deliver an intelligent cloud for all.  At the heart of these advancements is the collective partner ecosystem of the two companies, collaborating on innovation that brings the benefits of Azure Stack HCI on Intel architecture to customers faster.

Adopting hybrid cloud is a journey and it is important to have a strategy that considers different workloads, skillsets, and tools. Microsoft is the only leading cloud vendor that delivers a comprehensive set of hybrid cloud solutions, so customers can use the right tool for the job without compromise. Azure has been designed to be hybrid from the beginning and the latest innovations from the portfolio include Azure Stack, Azure Arc, and Azure IoT capabilities. Microsoft offers cloud services locally from three data centers in India, which are part of a global network of over 60 Azure regions.