Stories with Tag Hybrid Cloud

• IBM completes acquisition of HashiCorp

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  Posted: 2025-02-27 22:28:49

  Verbose tl;dr

  IBM has finalized its acquisition of HashiCorp, aiming to create a comprehensive, end-to-end hybrid cloud platform. This combination brings together IBM's existing hybrid cloud portfolio with HashiCorp's infrastructure automation tools, including Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Nomad. The goal is to provide clients with a streamlined experience for building, deploying, and managing applications across any environment, from on-premises data centers to multiple public clouds. This acquisition is intended to solidify IBM's position in the hybrid cloud market and accelerate the adoption of its hybrid cloud platform.

  On February 27, 2025, International Business Machines (IBM) formally announced the successful completion of its acquisition of HashiCorp, a prominent player in the cloud infrastructure automation software sector. This strategic move solidifies IBM's commitment to delivering a comprehensive and robust end-to-end hybrid cloud platform, encompassing a wide spectrum of services from infrastructure provisioning and management to application deployment and security.

  The integration of HashiCorp's widely adopted tools, including Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Packer, into IBM's existing cloud portfolio is expected to empower clients with a streamlined and unified experience for managing their hybrid cloud environments. Specifically, Terraform's infrastructure-as-code capabilities will be leveraged to automate the provisioning and management of resources across both on-premises data centers and various cloud providers, fostering greater agility and efficiency. Vault's robust secrets management functionalities will be instrumental in enhancing security posture by centralizing and safeguarding sensitive data, while Consul's service networking capabilities will contribute to improved application connectivity and resilience across the hybrid cloud landscape. Furthermore, Packer's automated image building capabilities will facilitate the consistent and reliable deployment of applications across diverse environments.

  This acquisition represents a significant step forward in IBM's hybrid cloud strategy, enabling them to offer a more holistic and integrated platform that addresses the evolving needs of businesses navigating the complexities of multi-cloud deployments. By incorporating HashiCorp's advanced automation and security tools, IBM aims to simplify hybrid cloud management, accelerate application modernization initiatives, and bolster overall operational efficiency for its clients. The combined strengths of both companies are poised to create a powerful synergy, offering a more complete and competitive solution within the rapidly evolving hybrid cloud market. This expanded portfolio is designed to empower organizations to seamlessly manage and orchestrate their IT infrastructure across diverse environments, fostering innovation and driving digital transformation.

  • IBM
  • HashiCorp
  • acquisition
  • merger
  • Cloud Computing
  • Hybrid Cloud
  • Enterprise Software
  • Infrastructure as Code
  • Terraform
  • Vault
  • Consul
  • Nomad
  • Platform Engineering
  • Technology News
  • Business News
  • IT Industry

  Summary of Comments ( 306 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43199256

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN commenters are largely skeptical of IBM's ability to successfully integrate HashiCorp, citing IBM's history of failed acquisitions and expressing concern that HashiCorp's open-source ethos will be eroded. Several predict a talent exodus from HashiCorp, and some anticipate a shift towards competing products like Pulumi, Ansible, and Terraform alternatives. Others question the strategic rationale behind the acquisition, suggesting IBM overpaid and may struggle to monetize HashiCorp's offerings. The potential for increased vendor lock-in and higher prices are also raised as concerns. A few commenters express a cautious hope that IBM might surprise them, but overall sentiment is negative.

  The Hacker News post titled "IBM completes acquisition of HashiCorp" generated a significant number of comments discussing the implications of the acquisition. Many commenters express deep skepticism and concern about the future of HashiCorp's products and open-source commitment under IBM's ownership.

  A recurring theme is the perceived cultural mismatch between IBM and HashiCorp, with several commenters citing IBM's history of acquiring and subsequently mismanaging or neglecting acquired companies and technologies. Some express worry that HashiCorp's agile and developer-focused culture will be stifled by IBM's corporate bureaucracy. The fear of rising costs, reduced innovation, and a shift away from open-source principles are frequently mentioned.

  Several commenters draw parallels to IBM's previous acquisitions, such as Red Hat, and speculate whether HashiCorp will suffer a similar fate, with products becoming more enterprise-focused and less accessible to smaller businesses and individual developers. Concerns about potential feature stagnation, slower release cycles, and integration with IBM's existing ecosystem are also raised.

  Some commenters express a sense of betrayal and disappointment, feeling that HashiCorp has abandoned its original mission and community. The possibility of developers migrating to alternative open-source tools is discussed, with some suggesting that this acquisition might create an opportunity for competitors to emerge.

  While the majority of comments express negative sentiment, a few offer more neutral or even cautiously optimistic perspectives. Some suggest that IBM's resources could benefit HashiCorp by accelerating development and expanding its reach. However, even these comments are often tempered with reservations about IBM's track record with acquisitions.

  A few commenters question the long-term strategic rationale behind the acquisition from both IBM and HashiCorp's perspectives. Some speculate about the potential financial pressures that might have led HashiCorp to agree to the acquisition.

  Overall, the comments on Hacker News reflect a predominantly negative reaction to the acquisition, driven by concerns about the cultural clash between the two companies, the potential impact on HashiCorp's products and open-source commitment, and IBM's history with acquired companies.

• Euro-cloud provider Anexia moves 12,000 VMs off VMware to homebrew KVM platform

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  Posted: 2025-01-13 12:19:15

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  Austrian cloud provider Anexia has migrated 12,000 virtual machines from VMware to its own internally developed KVM-based platform, saving millions of euros annually in licensing costs. Driven by the desire for greater control, flexibility, and cost savings, Anexia spent three years developing its own orchestration, storage, and networking solutions to underpin the new platform. While acknowledging the complexity and effort involved, the company claims the migration has resulted in improved performance and stability, along with the substantial financial benefits.

  Austrian cloud provider Anexia, in a significant undertaking spanning two years, has migrated 12,000 virtual machines (VMs) from VMware vSphere, a widely-used commercial virtualization platform, to its own internally developed platform based on Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), an open-source virtualization technology integrated within the Linux kernel. This migration, affecting a substantial portion of Anexia's infrastructure, represents a strategic move away from proprietary software and towards a more open and potentially cost-effective solution.

  The driving forces behind this transition were primarily financial. Anexia's CEO, Alexander Windbichler, cited escalating licensing costs associated with VMware as the primary motivator. Maintaining and upgrading VMware's software suite had become a substantial financial burden, impacting Anexia's operational expenses. By switching to KVM, Anexia anticipates significant savings in licensing fees, offering them more control over their budget and potentially allowing for more competitive pricing for their cloud services.

  The migration process itself was a complex and phased operation. Anexia developed its own custom tooling and automation scripts to facilitate the transfer of the 12,000 VMs, which involved not just the VMs themselves but also the associated data and configurations. This custom approach was necessary due to the lack of existing tools capable of handling such a large-scale migration between these two specific platforms. The entire endeavor was planned meticulously, executed incrementally, and closely monitored to minimize disruption to Anexia's existing clientele.

  While Anexia acknowledges that there were initial challenges in replicating specific features of the VMware ecosystem, they emphasize that their KVM-based platform now offers comparable functionality and performance. Furthermore, they highlight the increased flexibility and control afforded by using open-source technology, enabling them to tailor the platform precisely to their specific requirements and integrate it more seamlessly with their other systems. This increased control also extends to security aspects, as Anexia now has complete visibility and control over the entire virtualization stack. The company considers the successful completion of this migration a significant achievement, demonstrating their technical expertise and commitment to providing a robust and cost-effective cloud infrastructure.

  • Cloud Computing
  • Virtualization
  • KVM
  • VMware
  • Anexia
  • Migration
  • Data Center
  • infrastructure
  • Open Source
  • Proprietary Software
  • Cost Savings
  • Europe
  • Homebrew
  • Custom Platform
  • Server Management
  • Virtual Machines
  • Data Centers
  • Cost Reduction
  • Cloud Infrastructure
  • Private Cloud
  • Hybrid Cloud
  • Server Virtualization
  • Virtual Machines (VMs)

  Summary of Comments ( 21 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42682671

  Verbose tl;dr

  Hacker News commenters generally praised Anexia's move away from VMware, citing cost savings and increased flexibility as primary motivators. Some expressed skepticism about the "homebrew" aspect of the new KVM platform, questioning its long-term maintainability and the potential for unforeseen issues. Others pointed out the complexities and potential downsides of such a large migration, including the risk of downtime and the significant engineering effort required. A few commenters shared their own experiences with similar migrations, offering both warnings and encouragement. The discussion also touched on the broader trend of moving away from proprietary virtualization solutions towards open-source alternatives like KVM. Several users questioned the wisdom of relying on a single vendor for such a critical part of their infrastructure, regardless of whether it's VMware or a custom solution.

  The Hacker News comments section for the article "Euro-cloud provider Anexia moves 12,000 VMs off VMware to homebrew KVM platform" contains a variety of perspectives on the motivations and implications of Anexia's migration.

  Several commenters focus on the cost savings as the primary driver. They point out that VMware's licensing fees can be substantial, and moving to an open-source solution like KVM can significantly reduce these expenses. Some express skepticism about the claimed 70% cost reduction, suggesting that the figure might not account for all associated costs like increased engineering effort. However, others argue that even with these additional costs, the long-term savings are likely substantial.

  Another key discussion revolves around the complexity and risks of such a large-scale migration. Commenters acknowledge the significant technical undertaking involved in moving 12,000 VMs, and some question whether Anexia's "homebrew" approach is wise, suggesting potential issues with maintainability and support compared to using an established KVM distribution. Concerns are raised about the potential for downtime and data loss during the migration process. Conversely, others praise Anexia for their ambition and technical expertise, viewing the move as a bold and innovative decision.

  A few comments highlight the potential benefits beyond cost savings. Some suggest that migrating to KVM gives Anexia more control and flexibility over their infrastructure, allowing them to tailor it to their specific needs and avoid vendor lock-in. This increased control is seen as particularly valuable for a cloud provider.

  The topic of feature parity also emerges. Commenters discuss the potential challenges of replicating all of VMware's features on a KVM platform, especially advanced features used in enterprise environments. However, some argue that KVM has matured significantly and offers comparable functionality for many use cases.

  Finally, some commenters express interest in the technical details of Anexia's migration process, asking about the specific tools and strategies used. They also inquire about the performance and stability of Anexia's KVM platform after the migration. While the original article doesn't provide these specifics, the discussion reflects a desire for more information about the practical aspects of such a complex undertaking. The lack of technical details provided by Anexia is also noted, with some speculation about why they chose not to disclose more.