WebSphere CloudBurst Appliance

IBM is empowering clients to deploy and manage their SOA foundation in cloud computing environments to realize the economic and technological advantages. IBM WebSphere Cloudburst Appliance is a new hardware appliance that provides access to software virtual images and patterns that can be used as is or easily customized, and then securely deployed managed and maintained in a private cloud. WebSphere CloudBurst works seamlessly with IBM WebSphere Application Server Hypervisor Edition, a new version of IBM WebSphere Application Server software optimized to run in virtualized hardware server environment such as VMware. Together, they enable organizations to easily, quickly, and repeatedly create application environments that can be published and managed in a private cloud.

WebSphere CloudBurst is targeted for private or on-premise cloud computing environments. It can also be used by service providers providing hosted public clouds and software-as-a-service environments to simplify and standardize repeated deployments.

The first hardware appliance of its kind, WebSphere CloudBurst stores and secures WebSphere Application Server Hypervisor Edition images and patterns to be published into a cloud, which helps clients to more easily and quickly develop, test and deploy business applications, ending the use of manual, complex or time-intensive processes associated with creating application environments. Once finished, resources are automatically returned to the shared resource pool and logged for internal charge-back purposes. WebSphere CloudBurst also manages individual user and group access, giving IT managers the right kind of access controls with optimal efficiency rates.

It incorporates more than 10 years of management best practices for cost-effective, rapid, and repeatable application deployment and fully integrates with development and service management tools from IBM Rational and Tivoli brands for a seamless end-to-end process.

• Lower hardware, power, and cooling costs by utilizing shared virtualized infrastructure and driving higher hardware utilization rates in a private cloud

• Streamlines resources and time dedicated to WebSphere environment configuration and administration

• Pre-loaded with WebSphere Application Server Hypervisor Edition virtual images and common solution topologies for quick-start

• Provides a self-service virtual system management console that sets up and tears down WebSphere environments based on user-input times

• Simplifies environment setup with the click of a button, with running systems available within minutes

• Frees developers to remain focused on application enhancements

• Supports virtual image customization to include binaries for monitors and corporate governance agents

• Drag & drop tooling for assembling virtual images, scripts, and topologies into customized patterns

• Publish only best practice, accepted solution topologies for end user deployment

• Enhance repeatability and lower the potential for costly errors by customizing environments once, then capturing those exact configurations to be redeployed with the click of a button.

• "Lock" images, patterns, and even specific parameters (eg, memory size = 1024) to ensure identical, repeated deployments

• Simplified maintenance and management: apply updates to images and patterns once and republish for broader user access

• Intelligent placement algorithms optimize resource utilization based on cloud activity.

• Tracks and reports usage statistics based on user and groups utilizing virtual images and patterns. Management reports can be used for internal chargeback purposes.

• REST APIs allow for standards-based integration into existing data center management software, including Tivoli

• Appliance serves as an encrypted vault where images, patterns, and permissions are stored.

• Appliance has a self-disabling switch which is triggered if the appliance cover is removed.

• WebSphere CloudBurst provides granular access controls, allowing administrators to restrict visibility, pattern creation privileges, and deployment rights to individuals and groups.

• WebSphere CloudBurst integrates with existing LDAP directories to tie into existing access control lists.

• Passwords for virtual systems deployed are set at the time of deployment, guaranteeing root access only to credentialed parties.