Blogs

Author: Jeff Cheng, Technical Product Manager

Today at Microsoft Ignite, a new chapter begins for hybrid cloud. Azure Local now supports external SAN storage—giving enterprises the freedom to keep proven SAN practices while adopting Azure’s cloud operating model. Hitachi Vantara and Microsoft have been preparing for this moment together, validating the experience in preview and designing adoption paths that make modernization practical, not painful. And the SAN at the center? Hitachi VSP One Block.

The News in One Minute

• Microsoft: Azure Local adds support for external SAN, building on advanced Windows Server storage stacks.
• Hitachi: VSP One delivers mission critical data availability, efficiency, and AI-driven storage operation—now under an Azure-consistent model.
• Together: Joint preview work validates the architecture customers asked for. Limited Public Preview opens today.

Why This Matters (and Why Now)

Hybrid cloud adoption is accelerating, but many organizations face a dilemma: How do you embrace Azure governance and automation without abandoning SAN investments that underpin mission-critical workloads?

Until now, Azure Local was synonymous with hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) and Storage Spaces Direct (S2D). That’s changing.

With external SAN support, Azure Local offers choice without compromise:

• Keep SAN economics and operational discipline while gaining Azure Arc integration, policy-based governance, and lifecycle automation.
• Modernize on-prem without disruption as Microsoft’s migration pathways into Azure Local are expanding, making transitions smoother for virtualized estates.
• Align with sovereign and disconnected patterns in Azure’s roadmap—critical for regulated industries and edge deployments.

How VSP One + Azure Local Work Together

This isn’t about replacing S2D—it’s about expanding choice. VSP One Block brings guaranteed availability and advanced data services into Azure’s operational model. And with options from mid-range to high-end—including newly announced VSP One High End Block—customers can scale confidently for any workload profile. Azure Local now supports two patterns:

1. HCI with S2D for local tiers.
2. Mixed architectures where SAN and S2D coexist, providing multiple storage tiers.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Attach VSP One over Fibre Channel. (support for iSCSI and NVMe will follow)
• Present SAN LUNs as NTFS Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs).
• Operate VMs through the Azure portal and Azure Arc, targeting SAN-backed CSV paths just like S2D-backed CSVs.

Joint validation tested:

• End-to-end VM lifecycle on SAN CSVs.
• Cluster update with VM running undisrupted.
• Node failure handling and FC path recovery.
• Patch/update workflows.

Backup and DR options—agent-based and array-based—are under evaluation to meet diverse RPO/RTO requirements.
Result: A seamless experience that feels Azure-native while preserving SAN reliability.

VSP One Difference

Why choose VSP One Block for Azure Local SAN attach? Because enterprise workloads demand more than connectivity—they demand confidence.

• 100% data availability guarantee for uninterrupted operations.
• Advanced data reduction and eco-efficiency features like Dynamic Carbon Reduction.
• Virtual Storage Platform 360 (VSP 360), our unified data management suite, delivering predictive analytics and automated remediation.
• SAN services you already standardize on—replication, thin provisioning, performance isolation—now surfaced under an Azure-consistent operation.

Limited Public Preview: Your Invitation

Starting today, we’re opening a Limited Public Preview for customers who want to validate Azure Local + VSP One SAN attach in real-world environments. This program is co-led by Hitachi Vantara with Microsoft alignment and focuses on:

• Fibre Channel attach and SAN configuration patterns.
• VM lifecycle operations through Azure Arc.
• Patch and resiliency scenarios, including path-fail handling.
• Backup and DR options tailored to enterprise needs.

Ideal candidates include regulated or sovereign sites, SAN-first estates, and teams looking for a unified platform that runs virtual machines and containers.

Looking Ahead

Microsoft’s Ignite announcements signal a clear trajectory: Azure Local is evolving to meet enterprise choices, not force trade-offs. Hitachi Vantara is proud to partner in that journey, bringing the proven reliability of VSP One into the Azure ecosystem.

For customers, this means:

• Freedom of choice: S2D, SAN, or both.
• Operational consistency: Azure governance everywhere.
• Enterprise assurance: VSP One’s performance, availability, and AIOps under a cloud-aligned model.

Modernization doesn’t have to mean compromise. With Azure Local and VSP One Block, it means confidence.