Dell Compellent abstracts storage attributes from physical hardware much the same way VMware virtualizes server infrastructures, making it an ideal storage platform for vSphere environments. By creating a virtual pool of storage shared by all virtual machines (VMs) and intelligently managing data at the block level, Dell Compellent amplifies the benefits of server vitalization. Specifically, Dell Compellent Fluid Data storage reduces the overall capacity needed to support ES VMs, speeds storage provisioning, simplifies es storage management, streamlines data protection and recovery and facilitates the testing and rollout of application patches and upgrades.

To provide a risk-free environment for application and OS testing, Dell Compellent utilizes the same Instant Replay (snapshot) architecture that drives its continuous data protection software. However, in addition to safeguarding live production data, the technology can be used to create exact clone copies of existing production VMs, complete with all installed applications. Administrators can then leverage the clones to test patches and upgrades using real datasets prior to rollout. Read this white paper to learn more.