Microsoft has spent much of its time lately pushing the intelligent edge. Microsoft sees the edge as the future of computing. The intelligent edge is a continually expanding set of connected systems and devices that gather and analyze data – close to your users, the data, or both. Microsoft’s Azure Stack Hub allows you to extend Azure services and capabilities on-premises and at the edge. But not all scenarios allow for typical hardware to be deployed to support Azure Stack Hub. Enter HPE’s new Edgeline EL8000 Converged Edge System, which changes that. Working together, Avanade and HPE are certifying the Edgeline EL8000 for Azure Stack Hub to provide a low-cost, ruggedized hyper-converged platform that can now be deployed at the edge, ranging everywhere from branch offices where space is a premium to hostile locations that require a ruggedized, modular form factor. Coupled with Avanade’s unrivaled ability to provide an end-to-end managed service for Azure Stack, Edgeline and the HPE-Avanade partnership takes Azure one step further and expands the possibilities for Azure Stack solutions. Expect Azure Stack Hub certification by the end of 2019.

One of the most common use cases for Azure Stack Hub is running it at the edge, in remote locations or where connectivity is intermittent. In many cases, data needs to be processed locally to support business operations or real-time AI and IoT processing. Those locations may not have full-service data centers. Think of a remote retail location or manufacturing floor, or maybe even harsh locations where extreme temperature swings exist. By certifying the Edgeline EL8000 to run Azure Stack Hub, Avanade and HPE now make that new edge solution much more viable for clients.

The Edgeline EL8000 comes in a compact 5U form factor that is only 17 inches deep by 9 inches wide. Four separate computer nodes can be installed in the EL8000 chassis. In this condensed ruggedized form factor, the HPE Edgeline EL8000 can operate in the extremist of temperatures, ranging from 32°F to 131°F, allowing for more flexible deployments than ever.

As the leading digital innovator in the Microsoft ecosystem and global leader in edge to cloud strategy and implementation, Avanade’s goal is to help our clients focus on using Azure to support their business needs – public or on-premises. As the most experienced Microsoft Azure cloud services partner, with more Microsoft-certified professionals on Azure than any other Microsoft partner, Avanade is the right choice to deploy and manage Azure Stack Hub solutions.

Avanade can be the one provider for your entire Azure Stack (Edge, HCI, and Hub) solution. We entered the Azure Stack market to deliver a true end-to-end service for our clients. Working together with HPE, we can jointly empower our clients with solutions and services that deliver superior valued outcomes targeting Azure experiences that are both in on-premises data centers or in the Cloud. Additionally, Avanade can provide workload flexibility by leveraging the Accenture Hybrid Cloud, powered by HPE, providing cloud adjacency and offered in a full consumption model backed by HPE GreenLake and Avanade/Accenture Managed Services.

Making the decision to implement Azure Stack Hub is not a small task. Avanade and HPE have partnered to lower that barrier for enterprises by providing flexibility from both a cost and edge use case scenario perspective. Flexible and ruggedized hardware combined with Avanade’s industry leading end-to-end services for Azure Stack aims to simplify the hybrid cloud journey.

Learn more about achieving business results with Azure Stack and hybrid cloud solutions.