HPE Containerizes IT Operations Management Software

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced a major update of its IT Operations Management (ITOM) software applications, with new container-based versions. HPE’s ITOM portfolio includes Hybrid Cloud Management, Data Center Automation, Operations Bridge and IT Service Management Automation.

HPE has already embraced containers in a number of other areas in its portfolio, including shipping Docker with all of its servers. HPE had also been making use of containers as part of its Helion Stackato Cloud Foundry offering, which was sold to SUSE in November 2016.

Rahul Tripathi, VP, Product Management, IT Operations Management at HPE Software, explained there isn’t much overlap between ITOM and Cloud Foundry.

He explained that the two are orthogonal in the sense that Cloud Foundry is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering for deploying any application on containers. On the other hand, HPE has embedded Kubernetes orchestration and Docker containers in its ITOM suites to manage suite lifecycle.

“Both are complementary in the sense that the ITOM suite manages aspects of containers that Cloud Foundry does not,” Tripathi told ServerWatch. “For example, OS provisioning and compliance for containers, in-depth container monitoring from application to infrastructure level, and discovery and inventory of containers for operational management” are some of the ares the ITOM suite addresses compared to Cloud Foundry.

HPE’s Integration with Docker DataCenter

HPE also has an integration with the Docker DataCenter product. Tripathi explained that for HPE’s internal suite deployment with embedded Kubernetes, there is no need for Docker DataCenter.

“However, our Hybrid Cloud Management suite integrates with Docker DataCenter similar to other provider management tools like vCenter, Systems Management Center etc. for virtualization,” Tripathi said. “This is used to deploy mixed mode applications running in containers as well as traditional environments.”

While HPE now has container versions of ITOM, organizations can still manage non-container workloads across servers and cloud as well.

“ITOM suites can manage, monitor and deploy applications in mixed container and non-container environments,” Tripathi said. “In fact, this is a key value that our customers get to manage the introduction of containers in their IT environments.”

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at ServerWatch and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.