Microsoft teams up with Huawei on hybrid all-flash Azure stack

Microsoft Azure on a computer screen
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Microsoft and Huawei are joining forces to offer customers an all-flash Azure Stack service to speed up adoption of hybrid cloud services.

The partnership means businesses can easily make use of Microsoft's Azure cloud service using on-premise architecture to ensure they meet client demands and can also adhere to any data security concerns. This is especially useful for highly regulated industries, where locally stored data is vital.

The stack comprises Huawei's FusionServer 2288H V5, ES3000 V5 NVMe SSD, CloudEngine 6865 switch and the company's eSight management software for keeping on top of the implementation. This addition means businesses can effectively monitor data usage and manage how their switches operate, intelligently diagnosing CPU, memory and PCIe card faults. Any problems that arise can be more quickly rectified, leading to less downtime.

"Microsoft is a technology-innovative, customer-focused company like Huawei and a very important partner for Huawei," said Kenneth Zhang, general manager at Huawei IT Server Solutions. "This joint launch of the all-flash Azure Stack solution is another testimony of our strong partnership."

For a power boost, customers can also choose to tag on up to 24 Huawei ES3000 V5 NVMe SSDs to the set-up, offering much higher I/O performance and greater read/write bandwidth for data-intensive applications. It also boasts lower latency levels, making it perform much more effectively for applications that demand a speedy data transfer rate.

"We are very excited to partner with Huawei on the high performance Azure Stack integrated system, and we believe this leading hybrid-cloud solution will empower our mutual customers to win the opportunities of digital transformation." Adam Owee, general manager of OEM at Microsoft's Greater China Region.

"As a global leading cloud service provider, Microsoft brought our advanced cloud technologies and operational experience into Azure Stack, so that our customers can now use the latest AI, IoT and Edge technologies for innovation, in their own data center. From China to the world, Microsoft is dedicated to cooperate with more partners like Huawei, to thrive the development of the cloud ecosystem."

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.