HPE releases machine learning platform for the data centre
Fri 24 Nov 2017
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced the release of InfoSight, a predictive analysis platform for data centres.
The recommendation engine, designed to ‘simplify and reduce the guesswork in managing infrastructure’, is, according to HPE, the first in the industry to use artificial intelligence.
The platform will use advanced machine learning to bring software-defined intelligence to data centre maintenance, with the hope that it will be able to predict and prevent infrastructure difficulties before they happen.
According to the company, this is part of a move towards data centres that will ultimately be autonomous. Alongside the announcement of InfoSight, HPE announced the first release of the product for 3PAR, its solid-state, all-flash array, a signal of its intention to use machine learning across its storage and server portfolio.
By analysing millions of sensors per second across its connected global installed base, HPE hopes InfoSight will be able to reduce disruptions and delays to business applications. The firm states that by using predictive analysis, time spent on troubleshooting can be reduced by as much as 85%.
The key issue for businesses, it claims, is the complexity of modern infrastructure, which causes an ‘app-data gap’ – a problem in today’s business environment which has very little time for delays. Thanks to its predictive analysis abilities, InfoSight gives ‘greater than 99.9999% guaranteed availability.’
HPE storage SVP, Bill Philbin, emphasised the potentially revolutionary nature of predictive analysis. “HPE InfoSight marks the first time a major storage vendor has been able to predict issues and proactively resolve them before a customer is even aware of the problem.
“As applications increasingly drive today’s businesses, we need to help customers move toward a self-managing IT model. HPE InfoSight enables IT to spend more time on projects that add value to the business rather than on troubleshooting issues.”
The platform works on the basis of data collected from more than 10,000 HPE Nimble Storage customers, and utilises ‘almost a decade of data science expertise,’ with the eventual intention of creating autonomous data centres.
HPE shares have recently taken a hit following the high-profile and unexpected resignation of Meg Whitman as CEO. Whitman had recently denied rumours that she would be moving to Uber to take up the reins there, and given HPE’s current restructuring process, her resignation has caused nervousness amongst analysts. Current HPE president Antonio Neri will take over in February.
