Unisys Debuts Converged Infrastructure Solution Integrating Forward! Platform with NetApp Storage Systems

DALLAS, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced Forward! with NetApp storage systems, a solution that enables clients to realize the flexibility and cost benefits of virtualizing mission-critical applications while substantially reducing the risk. Unisys developed the solution in collaboration with NetApp.

The new solution integrates the Forward! by Unisys^™ platform – designed to run mission-critical Linux and Windows workloads in an advanced Intel-based fabric architecture using Unisys secure partitioning (s-Par) software – with NetApp FAS and E-Series storage systems. This solution creates a converged infrastructure in which computing, storage, networking and application resources are integrated and managed as a unified system – boosting performance, increasing reliability and security, and lowering infrastructure costs.

Industry analysts estimate that the market for converged infrastructure solutions is growing at compound rates in excess of 20 percent per year, and could reach more than $14 billion by 2017.¹

Converged infrastructure solutions often rely on standard virtualization technologies for their application environment, and many organizations have hesitated to virtualize mission-critical applications, such as those from SAP, due to concerns about security and consistency of performance. In fact, IT industry watchers estimate that up to 30 percent of server-based applications – largely complex, transaction-intensive, mission-critical workloads – have not yet been virtualized due to those concerns.

Forward! with NetApp storage systems combines the flexibility and cost benefits of virtualization with the predictable performance and storage capabilities typically delivered by dedicated servers. The solution provides an ideal platform for addressing a range of modern mission critical applications – including cloud computing, big data analytics and ERP modernization – in highly regulated markets such as financial services, public sector and healthcare where compliance with strict performance standards is a key requirement.

Forward! with NetApp storage systems is a validated reference architecture, built and tested by Unisys and NetApp to rigorous performance standards. Unisys and NetApp are working together to provide unified installation and support for the solution, significantly reducing integration, installation and management time and costs for clients. Unisys will act as a single point of contact for Unisys and NetApp customers' service requests.

Unisys believes that Forward! with NetApp storage systems is the first converged-infrastructure solution to combine use of dedicated resources to boost the performance and security of virtualized applications with end-to-end integration and support services.

"This new joint solution will fill the gap in a rapidly expanding market," said Ed Coleman, Unisys chairman and CEO. "Forward! with NetApp storage systems provides clients with a powerful alternative wherever they need predictable, economical performance, security and scalability for their mission-critical workloads. We are excited to collaborate with NetApp to bring this unique solution to market."

"By integrating Unisys' fabric computing and secure partitioning technologies with our storage systems, we have created a solution that provides an advantage in cost, power, scalability and availability for mission critical workloads," said Mike Giesler, vice president of sales, Global Partners at NetApp.

Secure Partitioning and Scalable Fabric Architecture Are Keys to Superior Performance
In a recent third-party test, the Forward! platform with NetApp storage systems outperformed a virtualized environment using an industry-standard hypervisor, delivering up to 38 percent better throughput and up to 122 percent faster multiple-workload performance. The full report is available at http://outreach.unisys.com/ESG.FullLabReport.

Unisys s-Par software is instrumental to the combination of performance and cost efficiency that Forward! with NetApp storage systems delivers. The s-Par software creates a partition with dedicated resources – processing, memory, input/output, and storage – for each mission-critical application workload, eliminating the resource contention that often accompanies virtualization and enabling faster, more predictable performance.

Unisys' Forward! fabric architecture uses software for processes traditionally performed by hardware, avoiding the data-transfer bottlenecks that can slow down performance in a conventional networked system and speeding communication between the NetApp storage resources and partition-based application workloads. The high-availability, fault tolerance and secure multi-tenant capabilities of the NetApp storage solutions complement the capabilities of the Forward! platform, amplifying application performance and enhancing the availability and data security the solution delivers.

In addition, the fabric architecture and clustering capabilities of the solution enable organizations to meet expanding application requirements by scaling up – that is, adding Forward! computing and NetApp storage resources in a single node – or scaling out by adding more nodes and associated storage.

Forward! with NetApp storage systems is available now.

Unisys is showcasing the Forward! platform at its Universe 2014 global client and partner event being held in Dallas this week.

Note to Editors
¹ Based on Unisys' analysis of "^"Worldwide Integrated Systems Support and Deploy Services 2014-2017 Forecast," IDC, June 2014.

About Unisys
Unisys is a global information technology company that solves complex IT challenges at the intersection of modern and mission critical. We work with many of the world's largest companies and government organizations to secure and keep their mission-critical operations running at peak performance; streamline and transform their data centers; enhance support to their end users and constituents; and modernize their enterprise applications. We do this while protecting and building on their legacy IT investments. Our offerings include outsourcing and managed services, systems integration and consulting services, high-end server technology, cybersecurity and cloud management software, and maintenance and support services. Unisys has more than 23,000 employees serving clients around the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

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Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. NetApp is a registered trademark of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

SOURCE Unisys Corporation