HPE GreenLake: How It Works, Services, and How to Get Started

What Is HPE GreenLake? 

HPE GreenLake is a hybrid cloud solution that allows organizations to run computing services with a public cloud experience within their on-premise data centers. When you use HPE GreenLake, HPE delivers dedicated hardware to your organization, which provides scalable, on-demand IT infrastructure that can scale according to business needs, with pricing based on actual usage.

The actual hardware used in an HPE GreenLake deployment might include HPE SimpliVity (shown below), HPE Synergy, Nimble storage, and ProLiant DL servers.

HPE GreenLake provides the agility and economy of the public cloud, with the security and performance of on-premise IT. This means you have the flexibility to deploy applications and data where they make the most sense for your business—on premises or in the public cloud—with full control over security and performance.

In this article:

• How HPE GreenLake Works
• Key HPE GreenLake Cloud Services
  • HPE GreenLake for Private Cloud
  • HPE GreenLake for Block Storage
  • HPE GreenLake for File Storage
  • HPE GreenLake for Storage Fabric Management
  • HPE GreenLake for Backup & Recovery
  • HPE GreenLake for Disaster Recovery
• Getting Started with the HPE GreenLake Platform
  • Create an HPE Account and Login
  • Setting Up a Workspace
  • Using the HPE GreenLake UI

How HPE GreenLake Works 

HPE GreenLake works by delivering IT resources as a service, directly to your business premises or secure colocations. You start by selecting the technology you need from a variety of HPE solutions, including compute, storage, networking, software, and even specialized solutions like big data analytics or machine learning.

Next, HPE and its partners design and implement a solution that fits your specific needs. The hardware is installed in your location, but HPE maintains ownership and responsibility for maintaining and updating the equipment. This means you get the benefits of owning cutting-edge infrastructure, without the headache of managing it.

HPE GreenLake includes a pay-per-use model, which means you only pay for what you use. The hardware deployed to your organization already takes into account the expected scalability you’ll require during the project lifecycle.

Related content: Read our guide to hybrid cloud architecture

Key HPE GreenLake Cloud Services 

HPE GreenLake offers several cloud services that can help businesses achieve their IT objectives.

HPE GreenLake for Private Cloud

HPE GreenLake for Private Cloud offers the benefits of a public cloud – agility, scalability, and pay-per-use economics – with the security and control of having your own private cloud infrastructure. This service can be ideal for businesses that need to meet stringent regulatory requirements, or that handle sensitive data that must remain on-premise.

This service offers a fully managed private cloud solution, delivered on-premise or in your secure colocations. It includes the hardware, software, and expertise necessary to run the private cloud, all for a predictable, monthly fee.

HPE GreenLake for Block Storage

HPE GreenLake for Block Storage delivers enterprise-class block storage as a service, on-premise or in your secure colocations. This service is ideal for businesses that need high-performance, highly available storage for their mission-critical applications.

The service offers the high performance and availability of HPE’s industry-leading storage solutions, delivered as a service. This means you can scale your storage capacity up or down as needed, without heavy upfront investments.

HPE GreenLake for File Storage

HPE GreenLake for File Storage offers file storage as a service, delivered on-premise or in your secure colocations. It is suitable for businesses that have large volumes of unstructured data, such as documents, images, and multimedia files, that need to be stored and accessed efficiently.

With HPE GreenLake for File Storage, you get the scalability, performance, and efficiency of HPE’s cutting edge file storage solutions, without the need to invest in and manage your own storage infrastructure.

HPE GreenLake for Storage Fabric Management

HPE GreenLake for Storage Fabric Management helps organizations store and manage vast amounts of data. It provides an intelligent, software-defined approach to storage management, with a unified, AI-driven data management framework that simplifies and streamlines operations. 

This service enables you to scale data on-demand, pay-per-use, and eliminates the need for overprovisioning storage, thus optimizing cost. Moreover, it provides actionable insights and predictive analytics to improve decision-making and performance.

HPE GreenLake for Backup & Recovery

Data loss can be catastrophic for businesses, making effective backup and recovery crucial. HPE GreenLake for Backup & Recovery addresses this need.

This service offers a flexible, consumption-based backup solution that scales according to business requirements. It leverages advanced technologies to automate and streamline backup processes, thus minimizing human error and enhancing operational efficiency. It also ensures high data availability, rapid recovery, and robust security.

HPE GreenLake for Disaster Recovery

Disasters are unpredictable, and their impact on businesses can be devastating. HPE GreenLake for Disaster Recovery is a resilient, robust service designed to mitigate these risks.

This solution offers an on-demand, pay-per-use disaster recovery service that ensures business continuity even in the face of adversities. It provides both physical and virtual recovery options, coupled with fast, automated recovery processes. It also provides periodic testing and reporting to ensure your disaster recovery plan is always up-to-date and effective.

Getting Started with the HPE GreenLake Platform 

Here are the general steps you can take to get started with HPE GreenLake. These steps assume you have already entered a service contract with HPE.

Create an HPE Account and Login

To create an HPE account, go to https://common.cloud.hpe.com and click Sign Up at the bottom of the page. In the Create an HPE Account page, enter your email, password, name, details of your organization, your preferred language, time zone, and contact details, and click Create Account.

Note that a verification email will be sent, which you can use to verify and activate your account. You can then sign into the GreenLake platform at the link above, using the credentials you provided.

Setting Up a Workspace

In HPE GreenLake, you create a workspace for your organization, which allows you manage the services you consume via the GreenLake platform. 

To create a workspace, after logging in to your HPE account, click Create Workspace. Enter a workspace name, country, address, and contact details, and accept the legal terms. Click the Create Workspace button, and you will be taken to the main homepage with your company workspace name and cards showing featured services and quick actions you can take.

Using the HPE GreenLake UI

The HPE GreenLake user interface offers a centralized control system for managing services and devices.

1. The header navigation menu contains links to key areas such as Home, Services, and Devices.
2. The Getting Started section contains cards that direct users to the service catalog for discovering and accessing services, inviting users, and managing their roles and permissions. 
3. The Quick Links section offers direct access to various management pages such as Device Inventory, Service Subscriptions, User Management, and Locations. 
4. The Recent Services area shows newly launched services or a prompt to visit the service catalog for new users. 
5. The learn section offers educational resources like the HPE GreenLake Developer Portal and updates on new features. 
6. The Featured Services section highlights services like Private Cloud, Compute, Storage, and Networking, and shows the number of services available in each category. 

Mega Scale Storage for HPE GreenLake with Cloudian

Cloudian® HyperStore® is a massive-capacity object storage device that is fully compatible with and available through HPE GreenLake. HPE GreenLake offers Cloudian as their S3-compatible object storage solution engineered to deliver private cloud storage services wherever you need them—from edge to cloud. Designed to power the modern data center, it combines the public cloud’s scalability and availability with the flexibility and security of the private cloud. HPE GreenLake for Cloudian lets you build a flexible, hybrid cloud storage infrastructure. Start with a solution that meets your needs today, confident that you can easily adapt to changing requirements in the future.

With Cloudian object storage you can plug in and start using with no complex deployment. It also offers advanced data protection features, supporting use cases like compliance, healthcare data storage, disaster recovery, ransomware protection and data lifecycle management.

Learn more about Cloudian® HyperStore®.