Top Sunlight Alternatives

More than 15,000 companies around the globe rely on OpenVPN's Access Server for a self-hosted VPN solution that securely connects their remote workforce to the company's private network via the internet. This ensures that employees working remotely or in hybrid setups can easily and securely access essential business resources without overwhelming you with extensive setup and maintenance tasks. OpenVPN Access Server provides a comprehensive SSL self-hosted VPN software solution, combining robust OpenVPN server functionalities with enterprise management features, a user-friendly OpenVPN Connect interface, and client software packages that are compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile operating systems like Android and iOS. Furthermore, OpenVPN Access Server allows for a variety of configurations, enabling secure and precise remote access to internal networks and private cloud resources, all while offering meticulous access control measures for enhanced security. Additionally, its flexibility and scalability make it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes looking to maintain high security while managing remote access effectively.

StorMagic SvSAN offers a straightforward hyperconverged storage solution that effectively eliminates downtime. With its architecture featuring two nodes per cluster, it is trusted by countless organizations to keep their mission-critical applications and data accessible around the clock, every day of the year. Designed with small to medium businesses and edge computing environments in mind, SvSAN is an efficient solution suitable for a variety of settings, including retail locations, manufacturing facilities, and offshore oil rigs. As a user-friendly, 'set and forget' system, it guarantees high availability as a virtual SAN (VSAN), utilizing a witness VM that can be located locally, in the cloud, or accessed as a service, supporting up to 1,000 two-node SvSAN clusters. IT professionals benefit from the ability to deploy and manage up to 1,000 sites as effortlessly as managing a single one, thanks to automation tools and scripts. SvSAN ensures 100% uptime through synchronous mirroring, effectively eliminating any single points of failure even in environments with unreliable network connections, all while permitting non-disruptive upgrades for both hardware and software. Additionally, organizations can enjoy flexibility and control as SvSAN allows for the configuration of various x86 server models and storage types, even enabling a mix within the same cluster, while supporting hypervisors such as vSphere, Hyper-V, or KVM. With its robust features and adaptability, SvSAN is an ideal solution for businesses aiming to enhance their operational resilience.

CruzOC serves as a versatile network management and IT operations platform that accommodates multiple vendors while being scalable for diverse needs. This user-friendly tool offers powerful features for netops, including automated management capabilities that encompass performance and configuration management, as well as lifecycle management for thousands of vendors. With CruzOC, administrators can streamline data center operations and manage critical resources more effectively. The platform enhances the quality of both network and services, accelerates deployment processes, and reduces operational costs. Ultimately, it delivers a centralized solution for comprehensive and automated problem resolution through a single interface. Additionally, CruzOC includes monitoring and analytics for network health, traffic, logs, and changes, along with automation for compliance and security measures, orchestration, and provisioning tasks. Its automated deployment features, such as auto-deploy, zero-touch provisioning (ZTP), and remote deployment, ensure that installations are seamless. The solution is flexible, offering deployment options both on-premises and in the cloud, catering to various organizational preferences and requirements.

Huawei's FusionCube hyper-converged infrastructure integrates computing, storage, networking, virtualization, and management into a cohesive solution that promises outstanding performance, low latency, and rapid deployment. The system's embedded distributed storage engines enable a significant merging of computing and storage functions. These proprietary engines are designed to remove performance constraints, allowing users to adjust capacity with ease. FusionCube supports a variety of leading industry databases and virtualization platforms, making it versatile across different applications. Moreover, the Huawei FusionCube 1000 HyperVisor&Data serves as a data storage framework based on a converged architecture. It comes pre-packaged with a distributed storage engine, virtualization software, and cloud management tools, which facilitate on-demand resource allocation and simple linear scalability. This all-encompassing strategy guarantees that organizations can efficiently adapt their resources as their requirements change, ultimately optimizing their operational capabilities. With its robust architecture, FusionCube positions itself as a future-ready solution for evolving IT landscapes.

StarWind HCA is provided as a fully pre-configured solution, customized to address your unique requirements by skilled StarWind Engineers. The company ensures a smooth transition to its platform without any extra costs, with no hidden fees or licensing complications, as it employs a clear and standardized licensing model. This unique offering sets StarWind apart, as other HCI providers do not provide similar free options. Additionally, each StarWind HCA license includes access to the StarWind Command Center, a robust web interface designed for management and monitoring, enabling users to manage their hardware (networking and storage) alongside their software resources (workloads, virtual machines, and backups) all from a single, easy-to-use HTML5 dashboard. StarWind prioritizes quality by sourcing only top-grade components from trusted hardware manufacturers, thereby eliminating the need for a conventional and cluttered data center environment. Everything necessary is incorporated into this streamlined HCI platform, which simplifies operations and enhances efficiency. As a result, users can concentrate on their primary responsibilities without the burden of intricate technical challenges, making it an ideal choice for organizations looking to optimize their IT infrastructure. This commitment to user-friendly solutions exemplifies StarWind's dedication to innovation in the technology landscape.

Cisco has joined forces with Nutanix to deliver a comprehensive hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution that effectively combines computing, storage, and networking into one cohesive, software-defined platform. By leveraging Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) hardware alongside its Intersight management platform and Nutanix's cutting-edge software, this collaboration establishes a highly scalable and efficient HCI ecosystem. The solution facilitates zero-touch operations that extend from the data center to the edge, greatly enhancing resilience with its integrated networking features while enabling independent scaling of compute and storage resources to meet the evolving demands of applications. It supports a variety of configurations, including Cisco's C-Series rack servers and the versatile X-Series systems, catering to the varied needs of businesses. Furthermore, Cisco Intersight simplifies management by allowing users to deploy, configure, and monitor hyper-converged systems through a single, accessible interface, regardless of location or time. This seamless integration and ease of management empower organizations to respond quickly to shifting demands while optimizing their resource utilization. As a result, companies can achieve greater operational efficiency and maintain a competitive edge in the fast-paced digital landscape.

The process of adopting hyperconverged infrastructure has become remarkably simple, facilitating seamless support for critical applications. Users can effortlessly implement HyperFlex in multicloud settings thanks to a variety of adaptable services available through Cisco Intersight. Built on the reliable Cisco UCS platform, Cisco HyperFlex offers numerous flexible hyperconverged infrastructure configurations. Explore the cutting-edge M5 and edge node options tailored to meet your specific business needs. By optimizing operations, you can significantly boost the performance of essential applications like SAP and Microsoft SQL. In addition, Cisco provides a wealth of hybrid cloud and container management solutions, giving you a multitude of options to align with your requirements. Moreover, you can enhance edge applications by utilizing various configuration choices and managing multiple locations with ease. Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) seamlessly combines computing, storage, virtualization, and networking into one cohesive cluster. Starting with just three nodes, users have the flexibility to scale their infrastructure to meet increasing demands for computing and storage. In essence, hyperconvergence brings the advantages of cloud solutions directly to your on-premises environment, resulting in improved operational efficiency and agility for your organization. This transformation not only enhances performance but also positions your business to adapt more readily to future technological advancements.

The HPE SimpliVity 2600 delivers outstanding performance, even when faced with a substantial number of concurrent users. It adeptly alleviates the challenges posed by spikes in client logins, thereby significantly enhancing the overall user experience through its remarkable client virtualization features. Specifically designed for edge hyperconvergence, the compact form of the HPE SimpliVity 2600 makes it an ideal choice for virtualized applications in spaces where every inch counts. Its scale-out architecture not only reduces initial capital expenditures but also ensures that investments are tailored to meet evolving business demands. This system facilitates the gradual incorporation of additional building blocks, resulting in a scalable and flexible pool of shared resources. Furthermore, the HPE SimpliVity 2600 is equipped with built-in backup and disaster recovery solutions, which protect the entire client virtualization framework and any related management tasks. By doing so, it enhances the overall reliability and responsiveness of IT operations in challenging environments, making it a vital asset for businesses that prioritize efficiency and resilience. Additionally, the seamless integration of these features allows organizations to maintain high service levels even during unexpected disruptions.

Red Hat® Hyperconverged Infrastructure utilizes our leading OpenStack® and virtualization technologies to provide a scalable and co-located solution for software-defined computing and storage, all efficiently automated via the Red Hat Ansible® Automation Platform on cost-effective, standard hardware. This innovative system not only boosts deployment efficiency and reduces operational expenses but also facilitates seamless rollouts, even in confined physical environments. Users can oversee their compute, network, and storage functions through a single, integrated interface. With support for modern workloads and adaptable architectures, it ensures compatibility with prevalent hardware options. By integrating planning, design, procurement, training, management, upgrades, and support into one comprehensive Red Hat subscription, organizations can streamline their operations significantly. Moreover, this infrastructure enables users to enhance capabilities at the network edge, addressing challenges related to limited skilled labor and space. Additionally, it allows users to tap into innovations from upstream communities while assuring the reliability of enterprise-ready solutions, free from the limitations of proprietary systems. This adaptability not only helps organizations maintain agility but also empowers them to quickly respond to the ever-evolving technological landscape, ensuring they remain competitive in a fast-changing market. Ultimately, this approach fosters a more efficient, responsive, and future-proof computing environment.

The VersaStack solution, developed through a partnership between IBM and Cisco, combines a diverse set of converged infrastructure and software-defined technologies that are designed to expedite digital transformation. This cutting-edge platform improves the ease, efficiency, and flexibility of deployments in various areas such as cloud computing, big data analytics, and enterprise applications. It allows for autonomous operations within data centers, leading to significant reductions in capital expenditures, operating costs, and overall total cost of ownership (TCO). Resources can be allocated dynamically from a comprehensive pool of compute, network, and storage options, whether hosted on-premises or in the cloud. By enabling support for hybrid environments and IT as a Service (ITaaS), VersaStack streamlines deployments across on-premises, private, and public cloud infrastructures. With strong IT automation features, this solution is intended for adaptable use in diverse cloud settings. It effectively accommodates varying capacity needs through a selection of all-flash and hybrid data storage solutions, enhances existing storage systems, and supports block, file, and object data formats. This thorough strategy guarantees that organizations can proficiently manage and expand their data infrastructures in response to changing business needs while also improving overall operational resilience.

Discover the benefits of the StarWind hyperconverged appliance without the requirement to buy our specialized hardware; instead, you can obtain the software along with the entire range of components that power our virtualization platform, which is conveniently pre-packaged for installation on your current hardware setup. You will have the option to select from numerous supported hypervisors like VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or our tailored variant of KVM, complemented by our proprietary storage virtualization solution, StarWind Virtual SAN, which effectively transmits data using the dependable iSCSI protocol or the cutting-edge NVMe-oF with RDMA technology, whenever feasible, all overseen by a user-friendly web interface that incorporates AI-driven telemetry and a "call home" functionality for improved support. Make sure to schedule a demonstration of the Virtual HCI Appliance at your earliest convenience! Our experienced sales engineers are enthusiastic about helping you grasp the extensive feature set, the potential performance metrics your hardware can reach, any limitations you might face, and the specific support parameters associated with the virtual HCI appliance as opposed to the physical model. By doing so, you can make a well-informed choice that aligns perfectly with the requirements of your organization, ensuring that you derive maximum value from your investment. Engaging with us today will put you on the path to optimizing your virtualization strategy effectively.

Leverage the power of the enterprise workload engine to improve efficiency, enhance security measures, and foster innovation within your company. The newest iteration of vSphere delivers essential services designed for the current hybrid cloud landscape. It has been revamped to include integrated Kubernetes, enabling traditional enterprise applications to run smoothly alongside modern containerized solutions. This transformation aids in updating on-premises infrastructure through efficient cloud integration. By adopting centralized management systems, obtaining global insights, and applying automation, productivity can be significantly enhanced. Furthermore, you can take advantage of additional cloud services to optimize your operations. In response to the needs of distributed workloads, networking capabilities on the DPU are fine-tuned, resulting in better throughput and lower latency. This strategy also frees up GPU resources, which can be utilized to accelerate the training of AI and machine learning models, even those that are more complex. Ultimately, this cohesive platform not only simplifies operations but also facilitates your organization’s advancement in a rapidly changing digital environment, allowing for sustained growth and adaptation.

Hyperscale networking software crafted for the dynamic 5G ecosystem, extending from data centers to core and edge infrastructures, as well as across multi-cloud setups, guarantees unmatched scalability and swift integration. With an integrated monitoring and analytics framework, users gain comprehensive visibility into their networks along with immediate intelligence that is enhanced by predictive analytics and actionable insights. The ACE platform can be operated on existing infrastructures, allows deployment from various locations, and helps reduce operational expenses by streamlining onboarding processes and improving reliability. Fully compliant with open standards, this solution permits network operators to seamlessly interface with third-party automation and orchestration tools. The ACE framework is built upon a three-tier architecture that is both adaptable and scalable, promoting efficient connections between enterprise data centers and the infrastructures of service or cloud providers. As a trailblazer in independent network operating systems tailored for internet-scale applications, it features a scale-out route reflector that boasts impressive convergence speeds. Additionally, the platform provides real-time actionable intelligence that enhances network management and optimization, ensuring that organizations can thrive in a rapidly evolving digital environment. By adopting this innovative solution, businesses can significantly enhance their operational capabilities while maintaining a competitive edge.

NetThunder can be deployed in two primary configurations: either as an independent appliance or as a cohesive network system referred to as The Storm™, which allows it to adjust to various computing needs while maintaining long-term functionality. The transition from a single unit to The Storm™ is smooth, facilitating easy scalability. The platform features a distinctive architecture that includes specialized modules, which the controller automatically adjusts to optimize performance for your specific environment, achieving maximum efficiency with minimal effort. Establishing multiple networks alongside a storage area network (SAN) is remarkably easy, resembling the simple act of connecting compatible wires. In addition, our subscription-based pricing model alleviates the pressure of upfront costs, making NetThunder a viable option for a wide range of applications. Such flexibility and user-friendliness solidify NetThunder's status as a top contender in contemporary computing solutions, appealing to both small businesses and large enterprises alike. This adaptability ensures that it can meet the evolving demands of the technology landscape.

Our newly launched multi-cloud solution features VMware Cloud Foundation-Subscription, which incorporates Tanzu Standard and offers a flexible, term-based licensing model specifically designed for on-premises deployments. This solution is tailored to support both traditional enterprise applications and cutting-edge technologies, providing a comprehensive array of highly secure software-defined services that include compute, storage, networking, security, Kubernetes, and cloud management. By allowing for consistent infrastructure and operations across private and public clouds, organizations can significantly improve their agility and adaptability in today's fast-paced environment. This offering not only reduces capital and operational costs but also lowers the total cost of ownership through standardized operations and a wide range of deployment options. It empowers businesses to run workloads at scale without compromising performance or efficiency, ensuring a cohesive infrastructure that accommodates both legacy applications and modern containerized environments. Furthermore, it streamlines the provisioning of dynamic infrastructure from a pool of virtualized resources, whether deployed on-premises, at the edge, or in the cloud, ultimately maximizing resource utilization. With this innovative solution, businesses can better position themselves to respond to evolving market demands and technological advancements.

VMware Cloud Director is recognized as a leading platform for cloud service delivery, widely adopted by many elite cloud providers to effectively manage their cloud offerings. This innovative platform enables these providers to deliver secure, scalable, and flexible cloud resources to a diverse range of businesses and IT teams around the world. By collaborating with our Cloud Provider Partners, users can harness VMware technology in the cloud, driving innovation with the capabilities offered by VMware Cloud Director. The platform prioritizes a policy-driven approach that ensures businesses can access isolated virtual resources, utilize independent role-based authentication, and maintain precise control over their services. With an emphasis on compute, storage, networking, and security from a policy-oriented standpoint, tenants gain advantages from securely partitioned virtual resources and tailored management of their public cloud environments. Additionally, the ability to extend data centers across multiple locations and manage resources through a user-friendly single-pane interface, which provides extensive multi-site insights, significantly boosts operational effectiveness. This holistic strategy not only enables organizations to refine their cloud approaches but also elevates the quality of service delivery in a competitive landscape. Ultimately, VMware Cloud Director empowers enterprises to seamlessly adapt to evolving technological demands.

The HPE SimpliVity 380 delivers a combination of flexibility and cost savings found in cloud solutions while retaining the governance and oversight typical of on-premises systems. This hyperconverged solution is specifically designed to improve both the efficiency and resilience of contemporary data centers. By consolidating infrastructure and advanced data services for virtualized environments into a unified platform, it simplifies IT operations. Constructed on HPE ProLiant DL380 servers, the HPE SimpliVity 380 is a compact, scalable 2U rack-mounted unit that integrates server, storage, and storage networking capabilities. Offering a wide array of advanced features, SimpliVity solutions enhance operational efficiency, management, protection, and performance across all virtualized workloads, doing so with significantly reduced costs and complexity compared to traditional infrastructure models. Furthermore, organizations can utilize this technology to swiftly respond to evolving business demands, thereby strengthening their competitive position in the industry. This adaptability empowers IT teams to focus more on innovation and less on maintenance, facilitating a more agile operational environment.

Meet Kubestone, the dedicated operator designed specifically for benchmarking in Kubernetes environments. This tool empowers users to effectively evaluate the performance metrics of their Kubernetes configurations. It comes with a comprehensive set of benchmarks aimed at assessing CPU, disk, network, and application performance. Users enjoy detailed control over Kubernetes scheduling features, such as affinity, anti-affinity, tolerations, storage classes, and node selection. Adding new benchmarks is a simple process that involves creating a new controller. Benchmark executions are managed through custom resources, leveraging various Kubernetes components like pods, jobs, deployments, and services. To initiate your benchmarking journey, consult the quickstart guide that outlines the steps for deploying Kubestone and running benchmarks. You can initiate benchmark tests by creating the required custom resources within your cluster. After setting up the necessary namespace, it can be used to submit benchmark requests, with all executions neatly organized within that namespace. This efficient process not only simplifies monitoring but also enhances the analysis of performance across your Kubernetes applications, ultimately leading to more informed decision-making regarding resource allocation and optimization.

CMQ can efficiently manage the sending and receiving of tens of millions of messages while offering the capability to store an unlimited number of messages. Its impressive throughput allows it to handle more than 100,000 queries per second (QPS) in a single cluster, fully addressing the messaging demands of your organization. When a message is returned to the user, CMQ guarantees reliability by creating three separate copies of the message data on different physical servers, enabling quick data recovery through its backend replication system in the event of server failure. Moreover, CMQ ensures secure access through HTTPS and utilizes Tencent Cloud's extensive security frameworks to protect against network threats and maintain the confidentiality of your business data. It also supports the management of master/sub-accounts and collaborator accounts, which allows for precise control over resource access and boosts overall security and operational efficiency. With its array of powerful features, CMQ stands out as an essential resource for businesses aiming to enhance their messaging systems while ensuring data integrity and security. Its versatility makes it suitable for enterprises of all sizes, adapting to various messaging needs and scaling as necessary.

Maxta's Hyperconvergence software empowers IT teams to choose their preferred servers and hypervisors, facilitating independent storage scaling and enabling various workloads to operate seamlessly on a single cluster. In contrast to conventional hyperconverged appliances, Maxta abolishes vendor lock-in and the associated costs of refreshes and upgrades, granting users the flexibility to leverage existing servers, acquire pre-configured solutions, or opt for a combination of both. While traditional appliances may hide additional costs, Maxta guarantees that you will never incur charges for software updates when you refresh your hardware. Unlike many storage and hyperconverged systems that limit policy management to the LUN, volume, or cluster level, Maxta supports the simultaneous execution of multiple applications on the same cluster without sacrificing performance or availability. This stands in stark contrast to appliance-based solutions that necessitate purchasing new software licenses with hardware updates and require additional appliances for storage expansion. With Maxta, you can maintain perpetual ownership of your software, allowing for effortless storage expansion by simply adding drives to your current servers. This innovative approach significantly improves cost-effectiveness while simplifying resource management in your IT infrastructure, ultimately leading to a more agile and responsive operational environment. As businesses evolve, choosing Maxta positions IT departments to adapt swiftly to changing demands.

Effortlessly manage and connect applications across different clusters, cloud platforms, and data centers. Utilize a unified management solution to enable application connectivity within varied infrastructures. Effectively integrate traditional workloads into your cloud-native application architecture. Create organizational tenants to enforce precise access controls and editing rights for teams utilizing shared infrastructure. Maintain an exhaustive change history for services and resources from the outset. Ensure efficient traffic management across potential failure domains, keeping your customers oblivious to any disruptions. TSB works at the application edge, operating at cluster ingress and among workloads in both Kubernetes and conventional computing settings. Edge and ingress gateways skillfully route and balance application traffic across numerous clusters and cloud environments, while a mesh framework governs service connectivity. A centralized management dashboard provides oversight for connectivity, security, and visibility across your entire application network, guaranteeing thorough control and monitoring. This comprehensive system not only streamlines operational workflows but also significantly boosts overall application performance and reliability. Additionally, it empowers teams to respond swiftly to changes, ensuring a resilient and adaptable infrastructure.

StarWind VSAN is designed to meet the specific needs of small businesses operating on tight IT budgets. By maximizing the IOPS from your existing raw storage, it does away with the expense of additional hardware. Its licensing structure is clear and flexible, ensuring there are no hidden costs or limitations on features. With StarWind's Virtual SAN, you can maintain impressive uptime and fault tolerance using merely two nodes, and adding a witness is optional. Even in the unfortunate event of losing an entire node along with a separate storage device—whether that be an HDD or SSD—your IT infrastructure remains resilient. You also have the capability to scale your system according to your needs, allowing for growth, shrinkage, or extension as required. The management of your hyper-converged infrastructure clusters is streamlined through an intuitive StarWind web interface. Furthermore, our team offers complimentary assistance in migrating your current workloads to StarWind! This solution is thoughtfully designed to deliver enterprise-level functionalities to small and medium-sized businesses that lack the funds for extensive corporate solutions. Importantly, StarWind VSAN can operate seamlessly in a two-node setup without the need for witnesses, offering all the anticipated benefits from the outset. This innovative solution empowers small businesses to harness cutting-edge technology without the significant financial strain usually linked to enterprise systems, ensuring they remain competitive in their respective markets. Thus, StarWind enables these businesses to thrive by providing access to essential resources previously reserved for larger corporations.

The XC Family solutions include XC Series appliances, XC Core nodes, integrated Nutanix software, and Dell EMC PowerEdge servers featuring Intel Xeon processors, making them a highly flexible and scalable option in the hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) market. With Nutanix software pre-installed at the factory along with various hypervisor options, XC Family systems facilitate quick deployment for diverse virtualized workloads, which simplifies management and reduces total ownership costs. Dell EMC leverages over ten years of experience in hardware-software integration for appliances built on PowerEdge servers, highlighted by three generations of XC Family systems. This wealth of knowledge empowers the development of cutting-edge technologies that streamline and enhance routine operations throughout the product lifecycle. The factory setup guarantees that both the software stack and hypervisor are fully prepared for immediate use, while specialized software modules enable rapid and efficient implementation. Furthermore, unique tools tailored for HCI are provided to optimize workflow orchestration across clusters, thereby boosting operational efficiency. As organizations invest in these state-of-the-art solutions, they can substantially enhance their IT infrastructure management and improve responsiveness to shifting business requirements. This strategic investment not only strengthens system performance but also equips businesses with the agility needed to adapt to future technological advancements.

Designed for easy deployment and efficient management, the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX combines Nutanix software with Lenovo's highly acclaimed, high-performance hardware. In particular, the certified ThinkAgile HX1021 node serves as a specialized Edge solution, featuring well-optimized compute and storage in a compact 1U height, half-width, and short-depth configuration, which is particularly suited for users operating in remote locations. This efficient design facilitates advanced computing right at the site of data creation across diverse environments, including retail spaces, manufacturing facilities, gas stations, restaurants, healthcare centers, and educational venues. Additionally, the launch of second-generation Intel processors within the ThinkAgile HX lineup significantly boosts performance, making it suitable for a variety of virtualized applications, such as Remote Office Branch Office setups, file and print management, email services, analytics, and in-memory databases. Over the last six years, Lenovo systems have consistently set numerous performance world records and earned a stellar reputation for reliability. This track record of excellence ensures that businesses can trust Lenovo’s solutions to keep pace with their changing technological requirements. Ultimately, the ThinkAgile HX series exemplifies Lenovo's commitment to innovation and performance in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

StoneFly offers a range of robust, adaptable, and dependable IT infrastructure solutions designed to provide uninterrupted availability. Alongside our innovative and patented StoneFusion operating system, we are prepared to support your data-centric applications and processes at any time and from any location. The setup for backup, replication, disaster recovery, and scalable storage options for block, file, and object formats is straightforward in both private and public cloud settings. Additionally, we extend extensive support for virtual and container hosting, along with various other services. Our expertise also encompasses cloud data migration for diverse data types, which includes emails, archives, documents, and SharePoint, as well as both physical and virtual storage solutions. Our comprehensive backup and disaster recovery systems can function as either standalone appliances or cloud-based solutions, offering flexibility to users. Moreover, our hyperconverged options allow for the restoration of physical machines as virtual machines directly on the StoneFly disaster recovery appliance, ensuring swift recovery during critical situations. With a strong focus on efficiency and reliability, StoneFly is dedicated to addressing the ever-changing needs of contemporary IT infrastructure, positioning us as a trusted partner in your technological journey.

At EnCloudEn, we firmly believe that proactive measures are essential for driving progress. Our system features continuous live monitoring that delivers real-time updates on the condition of all hardware and virtual machines throughout the infrastructure. Alerts are triggered according to the severity of any potential issues, allowing for prompt responses. As a result, users face minimal interruptions, with many problems being resolved before they even notice a slowdown. Our hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution is designed with modularity in mind, offering a significantly lower cost. Its hardware-agnostic nature ensures effortless integration with any standard hardware, enabling customers to acquire various components for the price of a single integrated system, with each part costing less than half compared to competitor products. Moreover, the unified platform combined with remote management features, supported by the alerting system in Louvre, has resulted in a remarkable nearly 80% reduction in support requests, thus significantly boosting overall operational efficiency. This strategy not only enhances the user experience but also streamlines resource management and allocation across all operations, ultimately driving better results for everyone involved.

Gain assurance, reduce risks, and enhance productivity by leveraging scalable, user-centric, and secure hyperconverged solutions. The offerings from Hitachi HCI present a cohesive and versatile hybrid cloud framework aimed at driving innovation and improving performance. Experience the flexibility of deploying applications on the optimal infrastructure, facilitating seamless workload migrations across different platforms. Maintain robust performance levels to satisfy the requirements of essential applications such as SAP HANA, all while maximizing resource efficiency. Benefit from adaptable resource usage that allows you to pay solely for what you require, exactly when you need it. Is your organization facing challenges in deploying new applications swiftly, often taking weeks or even months? Would you rather manage your IT operations with a simplified set of management tools? Revolutionize your data center with Hitachi Vantara's advanced hyperconverged infrastructure, which not only enhances agility and operational efficiency but also allows for rapid scalability to address evolving requirements. Investing in such innovative solutions could be the key to unlocking your organization’s full potential in a competitive landscape.

Deploying applications on OpenShift with watsonx can be accomplished effortlessly through two flexible options designed specifically for hybrid cloud environments. The Fusion HCI System presents a thorough, out-of-the-box platform that supports the smooth operation of your Red Hat OpenShift applications in on-premises settings. With the capabilities of Fusion software, you can leverage any environment compatible with Red Hat OpenShift, whether it be public clouds, on-premises setups, bare metal, or virtualized systems. This solution merges hardware, Red Hat OpenShift, and essential data services, effectively eliminating compatibility issues and reducing setup time, which empowers you to launch containerized applications swiftly, thereby accelerating innovation and shortening your time-to-market. Furthermore, it simplifies the infrastructure and data services required for OpenShift applications, allowing platform engineers to oversee OpenShift from one central location, thereby boosting operational efficiency, optimizing resource allocation, and reducing both complexity and costs associated with operations. This makes it an excellent option for contemporary application deployment in diverse settings. Overall, the Fusion HCI System is not only about efficiency but also about enabling organizations to adapt to the fast-paced demands of the market.

StarWind VTL facilitates a shift from costly physical tape backup systems, allowing organizations to comply with data retention and archiving regulations through the use of on-premises Virtual Tape Libraries and integrated cloud and object storage tiering. To protect your backups from ransomware attacks, they can be stored in an "air-gapped" manner on virtual tapes. This solution offers the versatility to replicate and tier backups to any public cloud, leveraging industry-standard object storage for improved scalability, security, and cost-efficiency. We are thrilled to introduce a consumption-based licensing model for StarWind VTL, which removes limitations on the number of installations or backup servers; you only incur costs based on the data managed by the VTL instances within your system. Moreover, we provide automatic discounts for larger data sets, which means that as your archive expands, the cost per terabyte significantly decreases. As we progressively roll out the subscription model across various regions, your sales representative is prepared to share detailed information about its availability in your area, ensuring you have tailored options that meet your specific requirements. This innovative approach not only enhances backup strategies for businesses but also allows for effective budget management, making it a strategic choice for future-proofing data protection efforts.

Nutanix AOS Storage introduces a groundbreaking method for storage solutions, departing from traditional SAN and NAS systems in favor of a highly automated, scalable, and high-performance framework. Its distributed architecture ensures enterprise-level capabilities, providing high availability and resilience for mission-critical applications. A key feature is data locality, which maintains data close to the application to reduce latency; this is complemented by intelligent tiering that optimizes performance by efficiently managing data across SSD and HDD. Additionally, the platform boasts robust data protection mechanisms, including granular snapshots and self-healing capabilities. Moreover, AOS Storage supports linear scalability, allowing organizations to start with a modest setup and expand seamlessly as their needs evolve. With the flexibility of various hypervisor options and compatibility with numerous data services, it stands out as a versatile solution that caters to the varied demands of different applications and workloads. This adaptability not only enhances operational efficiency but also positions Nutanix AOS Storage as an attractive option for companies aiming to upgrade their storage frameworks. Ultimately, its innovative features and scalability make it an ideal choice for enterprises seeking to modernize their data management strategies.

Take advantage of Azure Arc to effortlessly oversee your infrastructure spread across various locations. By utilizing Azure Local, a solution designed for distributed infrastructure, you can effectively manage virtual machines, containers, and a range of Azure services. This allows for the simultaneous deployment of modern container applications alongside traditional virtualized ones on the same physical hardware. Evaluate and select the most appropriate solutions from a specially curated roster of certified hardware partners tailored to your requirements. You will be able to implement and manage your infrastructure seamlessly, whether it is on-premises or in the cloud, ensuring a consistent Azure experience across all environments. Moreover, bolster your workload protection through enhanced security features that come standard with all approved hardware options. This all-encompassing strategy fosters both flexibility and scalability, enabling you to efficiently manage a wide variety of application types while adapting to future growth. By integrating these technologies, organizations can streamline operations and improve overall performance.

Our mission is to provide our partners and clients with customized solutions that align with their unique digital transformation journeys. Across diverse industries, organizations are increasingly required to leverage technology in order to enhance customer interactions and tap into new market opportunities. A key aspect of this initiative is the need for a flexible IT infrastructure that can adjust to changing demands while fostering innovation. We streamline the complexities associated with managing virtual infrastructure by offering lightning-fast, on-demand virtual machines, an easy-to-use API, and an intuitive self-service control panel for clients, alongside a powerful administration panel designed for service providers. SolusIO delivers a complete range of virtualization technologies that facilitate both hypervisor and container-based virtualization, allowing for centralized control of KVM virtual machines. Furthermore, future updates will incorporate support for OpenVZ, Virtuozzo, and additional technologies, which will significantly broaden our platform's functionality. This ongoing development guarantees that our clients are well-prepared to adeptly navigate the challenges posed by the ever-evolving digital landscape. By ensuring that our solutions are continually improved, we position ourselves as a leader in fostering digital advancement for our clients.

Implement a strong and secure hyperconverged infrastructure that can adeptly deliver applications and data across diverse scales and cloud settings. Transform your business by utilizing innovative cloud technologies that simplify the acquisition, installation, and management of IT services. Boost the efficiency of your most essential applications by ensuring reliable and consistent performance. By maintaining data locality, you can take full advantage of the latest hardware innovations, including NVMe and RDMA technologies. Through advanced distributed consistency algorithms, data integrity and availability are preserved, providing protection against a range of threats such as data corruption, hardware failures, and complete site outages. Storage solutions can be precisely customized to meet your specific needs and can be swiftly scaled as your requirements change. Moreover, storage policies are applied logically according to individual workloads, granting enhanced flexibility rather than being limited to fixed hardware configurations. This strategy not only maximizes resource utilization but also significantly improves the overall efficiency and responsiveness of the system, allowing businesses to adapt quickly to changing demands in the market. Ultimately, this dynamic approach ensures that enterprises remain competitive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Achieve comprehensive control, efficient management at scale, and flexibility within the hybrid cloud through a singular interface. VMware vCenter Server stands as an advanced server management tool tailored to provide a centralized hub for managing your VMware vSphere environments, allowing you to confidently automate and deploy a virtual infrastructure across the hybrid cloud landscape. You can quickly set up vCenter as a streamlined, pre-configured virtual appliance that requires minimal upkeep. The integration of vSphere Update Manager within the vCenter Server Appliance enhances and accelerates the processes involved in patching and upgrading systems. Moreover, the use of RESTful APIs enables the swift and reliable deployment of the vCenter Server Appliance from a template, which not only reduces deployment times but also decreases the likelihood of human error. Additionally, you can easily expand your on-premises environment to vSphere-compatible public clouds, such as VMware Cloud on AWS, irrespective of the vCenter version in use, thus ensuring smooth integration and operational stability. This functionality positions VMware vCenter Server as a crucial asset for businesses aiming to refine their cloud strategies and enhance overall operational efficiency. With its robust capabilities, it empowers organizations to not only manage their cloud environments effectively but also to innovate and scale with confidence.

SC//Platform accelerates value realization across data centers, distributed enterprises, and edge deployments. The Scale Computing Platform merges ease of use, exceptional uptime, and expandability into a cohesive solution. It supersedes existing infrastructure, ensuring high availability for virtual machines on a singular, user-friendly platform. This fully integrated solution is designed to support your applications seamlessly. Regardless of your hardware needs, the innovative software coupled with a consistent user interface empowers you to effectively manage your infrastructure at the edge. By minimizing administrative burdens, IT administrators can reclaim precious time that can be redirected to strategic initiatives. The straightforward nature of SC//Platform enhances both IT productivity and cost efficiency. While the future may be uncertain, proactive planning is essential. You can create a resilient and adaptable environment by combining legacy and modern hardware and applications, ensuring scalability as demands evolve over time. Through this approach, organizations can better navigate technological advancements and shifting business needs.

The Virtuozzo platform serves as a comprehensive solution for entrepreneurs looking to establish their own cloud services, allowing hosting providers to distinguish themselves from the competition by offering a diverse range of infrastructure solutions, including a robust DevOps PaaS, container hosting, and various pre-packaged clusters such as Magento, WordPress, Kubernetes, and replicated SQL and NoSQL databases, along with the capability for auto-scaling Elastic VPS. Additionally, we provide essential tools that facilitate platform management, customer support, and the tracking of return on investment growth. As a trailblazer in the industry, Virtuozzo introduced the first commercially viable container technology 21 years ago and currently powers over a million virtual environments, bolstered by a portfolio of more than 100 patents. Our commitment to innovation extends to significant contributions to open-source projects, including KVM, Docker, OpenStack, OpenVZ, CRIU, and the Linux kernel, all of which have helped us secure a dominant presence, capturing roughly 40% of the global VPS hosting market. Furthermore, our ongoing dedication to enhancing cloud solutions ensures that our clients remain equipped with cutting-edge resources to thrive in a competitive landscape.

Are you facing challenges with storage management that keep you awake at night? Whether you struggle with the complexities of managing varied storage tiers for hot, warm, and cold data, or you are dealing with performance issues and disruptions, a comprehensive software-defined storage solution can bring you peace of mind. DataCore SANsymphony allows for centralized automation and management of capacity provisioning and data placement across a wide array of storage environments, including SAN, DAS, HCI, or JBOD. Utilizing advanced block-level storage virtualization technology along with a robust suite of data services, SANsymphony offers unparalleled flexibility in how you store and safeguard your data. DataCore's software-defined storage (SDS) solution equips organizations with the performance, simplicity, and adaptability necessary to effectively consolidate various isolated storage resources into a single, highly available pool of storage services. Furthermore, DataCore SANsymphony supports an assortment of deployment models, such as hyper-converged, converged (SAN), and storage virtualization, to alleviate the business risks, IT complexities, and financial burdens linked to diverse architectures, data migration projects, and protocols. This ultimately enhances your organization's agility and strengthens its competitive position in the market. Thanks to DataCore's hardware-agnostic strategy, you can seamlessly integrate existing resources without being tied to specific vendors.

Aserto enables developers to effortlessly build secure applications by simplifying the integration of detailed, policy-driven, real-time access control within their applications and APIs. It effectively handles the complexities of secure, scalable, and high-performance access management, significantly streamlining the overall process. The platform ensures rapid authorization through a local library, supported by a centralized control plane that manages policies, user attributes, relationship data, and decision logs. With tools designed for implementing both Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and more sophisticated frameworks like Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) and Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC), Aserto provides comprehensive solutions for various security needs. You can also check out our open-source projects, including Topaz.sh, which functions as a standalone authorizer that can be deployed within your infrastructure, providing fine-grained access control for your applications. Topaz facilitates the integration of OPA policies with Zanzibar's data model, granting unparalleled flexibility in access management. Additionally, OpenPolicyContainers.com (OPCR) bolsters the security of OPA policies throughout their entire lifecycle by incorporating tagging and versioning capabilities. Together, these innovative tools significantly enhance both the security and efficiency of application development in the ever-evolving digital environment, making it easier for developers to focus on creating powerful applications without compromising on security.

The swift expansion in both the diversity and quantity of applications, along with a dramatic rise in data creation and transmission within enterprise data centers, has significantly challenged the capabilities of modern IT infrastructure. Traditional “scale-up” strategies, which involve embedding infrastructure services within top-of-rack switches and network security devices, are becoming increasingly insufficient, resulting in inevitable hurdles in performance, flexibility, and scalability for many organizations. To address this urgent demand, Pensando Systems was founded on the belief that innovative solutions are essential for overcoming these complex issues. Our dedicated team has embraced a foundational strategy to create a platform that enables enterprises to attain cloud-like speed, strong security, and efficient operations throughout their entire infrastructure, all while delivering unmatched scale and performance. By adhering to these high standards, we establish ourselves as frontrunners in the evolution of enterprise IT landscapes, ensuring that our clients are equipped to navigate future challenges effectively. Moreover, our vision extends beyond mere adaptation; we aim to redefine the standards of excellence in the industry.

The deployment process for models can often feel frustratingly slow, frequently necessitating advanced development expertise or specific resources, which results in numerous models failing to reach their intended users. However, with Baseten, the ability to launch comprehensive applications is achievable in mere minutes. You can deploy models instantly, with automatic generation of API endpoints, and you can create user interfaces seamlessly through a drag-and-drop feature. There's no need to master DevOps to transition your models into a live environment. Baseten empowers you to serve, manage, and monitor your models using just a few lines of Python code, allowing for straightforward integration of business logic and data source synchronization without the typical infrastructure headaches. You can start with practical defaults while retaining the capability to scale as required with precise controls. The platform offers the flexibility to connect with your existing data repositories or take advantage of an integrated Postgres database. Furthermore, you can craft user-friendly and attractive interfaces for business users, incorporating elements like headings, callouts, dividers, and a variety of other components to elevate the user experience. Ultimately, this platform not only streamlines the model deployment process but also broadens accessibility for a diverse range of users. By making these powerful tools available, Baseten opens up new possibilities for innovation in model application.

Appvia Wayfinder offers an innovative solution for managing your cloud infrastructure efficiently. It empowers developers with self-service capabilities, enabling them to seamlessly manage and provision cloud resources. At the heart of Wayfinder lies a security-first approach, founded on the principles of least privilege and isolation, ensuring that your resources remain protected. Platform teams will appreciate the centralized control, which allows for guidance and adherence to organizational standards. Moreover, Wayfinder enhances visibility by providing a unified view of your clusters, applications, and resources across all three major cloud providers. By adopting Appvia Wayfinder, you can join the ranks of top engineering teams around the globe that trust it for their cloud deployments. Don't fall behind your competitors; harness the power of Wayfinder and witness a significant boost in your team's efficiency and productivity. With its comprehensive features, Wayfinder is not just a tool; it’s a game changer for cloud management.

Alibaba Cloud's Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) stands out as a robust managed solution that combines multiple services such as virtualization, storage, networking, and security to create a scalable and high-performance platform for containerized applications. Recognized as a Kubernetes Certified Service Provider (KCSP), ACK meets the standards set by the Certified Kubernetes Conformance Program, ensuring a dependable Kubernetes experience and promoting workload mobility across various environments. This important certification allows users to enjoy a uniform Kubernetes experience while taking advantage of advanced cloud-native features tailored for enterprise needs. Furthermore, ACK places a strong emphasis on security by providing comprehensive application protection and detailed access controls, which empower users to quickly deploy Kubernetes clusters. In addition, the service streamlines the management of containerized applications throughout their entire lifecycle, significantly improving both operational flexibility and performance. With these capabilities, ACK not only helps businesses innovate faster but also aligns with industry best practices for cloud computing.

SecuPi offers a robust data-focused security platform that incorporates advanced fine-grained access control (ABAC), Database Activity Monitoring (DAM), and a range of de-identification methods including FPE encryption, physical and dynamic masking, as well as right to be forgotten (RTBF) deletion. This solution is meticulously crafted to deliver comprehensive protection across both commercially available and bespoke applications, covering direct access tools, vast data landscapes, and cloud-based infrastructures. With SecuPi, businesses can leverage a unified data security system to seamlessly oversee, regulate, encrypt, and categorize their information across all cloud and on-premises environments without the need for any modifications to their existing codebase. The platform is both adaptable and configurable, allowing for adjustments to meet evolving regulatory and auditing requirements. Moreover, its swift and cost-effective deployment ensures that no changes to the source code are necessary, making it accessible for various organizations. SecuPi's precise data access controls are instrumental in safeguarding sensitive information, permitting users to access only the data they are authorized to view. Additionally, the platform integrates effortlessly with Starburst/Trino, automating the enforcement of data access policies and bolstering data protection initiatives. This functionality empowers organizations to achieve compliance and maintain security while effectively managing their data challenges, ultimately enhancing their overall data governance strategies.

Manages users, groups, and roles while overseeing processes related to authentication, delegation, authorization, and auditing. It enforces role-based access control alongside entitlements and conditions that adhere to time limitations. The system administers access control policies for resources across Web, Java, and CORBA® environments. Furthermore, it oversees policies concerning access control to intricate application data and functionalities. Centralized management is further enhanced by flexible deployment options. Additionally, the system incorporates features designed to support compliance with privacy regulations. It also provides the capability to integrate with existing security frameworks, establishing a foundation for orb2 for Java Security Services, which significantly bolsters overall security management capabilities. This comprehensive approach not only streamlines the management process but also ensures a robust security posture across all platforms.

Effective management and oversight of cloud resources through centralized control is crucial for any organization. Utilizing Identity and Access Management (IAM) enables administrators to determine who has the authority to execute specific actions on designated resources, ensuring thorough governance and surveillance of Google Cloud assets from a unified platform. For organizations with complex hierarchies, multiple workgroups, and various projects, IAM provides a cohesive view of security policies that encompasses the entire entity, along with integrated auditing capabilities to meet compliance standards. As organizations evolve, navigating the internal complexities and regulations can become increasingly challenging. The landscape of projects, teams, and user permissions is in a constant state of flux, making effective management even more vital. IAM is designed with user-friendliness in mind; its intuitive, all-encompassing interface allows for consistent access control management across all Google Cloud resources. This streamlined approach not only promotes operational efficiency but also enhances security, ensuring that as your organization expands and adapts, your access management system remains resilient and flexible. Ultimately, a robust IAM strategy empowers organizations to maintain control while fostering growth and innovation.

The AWS Personal Health Dashboard is an advanced collection of tools and technologies aimed at monitoring, managing, and optimizing your AWS infrastructure. It notifies users and provides remediation suggestions whenever AWS faces incidents that could impact their services. In contrast to the Service Health Dashboard, which offers a general view of the statuses of AWS services, the Personal Health Dashboard delivers a customized perspective regarding the performance and availability of the AWS services that underpin your resources. This dashboard supplies relevant and timely information, which assists in managing ongoing issues, while also offering proactive alerts to aid in planning for upcoming scheduled tasks. Alerts are triggered by changes in the health status of AWS resources, allowing users to maintain awareness of events and receive guidance to quickly identify and resolve problems. Additionally, the AWS Personal Health Dashboard supports comprehensive access control, permitting users to set permissions based on event metadata, which enhances security and management efficiency. This feature not only bolsters user authorization but also streamlines the overall operational process. Ultimately, such capabilities empower users to ensure that their AWS environments operate at peak performance.

AWS Network Firewall enables the establishment of intricate firewall rules that provide granular control over network traffic while facilitating the implementation of security protocols across your VPCs. It can scale automatically to effectively protect your managed infrastructure. Moreover, the service allows for the customization of workload protection through a flexible engine that supports the creation of various personalized rules. You can manage security policies from a central point across all accounts and VPCs, guaranteeing that essential policies are applied automatically to any new accounts that are created. By leveraging AWS Network Firewall, you can effectively define critical firewall rules to oversee network traffic. Additionally, this service works in harmony with AWS Firewall Manager, allowing you to develop policies based on Network Firewall rules and uniformly enforce them across your virtual private clouds (VPCs) and accounts. You also have the ability to monitor traffic flows with a range of features, including the inspection of inbound encrypted traffic, stateful inspection, and protocol detection, among others, ensuring a robust defense. This comprehensive network security strategy not only protects your infrastructure but also adapts to evolving threats, providing peace of mind as your network grows and changes.

Apache Sentry™ is a powerful solution for implementing comprehensive role-based access control for both data and metadata in Hadoop clusters. Officially advancing from the Incubator stage in March 2016, it has gained recognition as a Top-Level Apache project. Designed specifically for Hadoop, Sentry acts as a fine-grained authorization module that allows users and applications to manage access privileges with great precision, ensuring that only verified entities can execute certain actions within the Hadoop ecosystem. It integrates smoothly with multiple components, including Apache Hive, Hive Metastore/HCatalog, Apache Solr, Impala, and HDFS, though it has certain limitations concerning Hive table data. Constructed as a pluggable authorization engine, Sentry's design enhances its flexibility and effectiveness across a variety of Hadoop components. By enabling the creation of specific authorization rules, it accurately validates access requests for various Hadoop resources. Its modular architecture is tailored to accommodate a wide array of data models employed within the Hadoop framework, further solidifying its status as a versatile solution for data governance and security. Consequently, Apache Sentry emerges as an essential tool for organizations that strive to implement rigorous data access policies within their Hadoop environments, ensuring robust protection of sensitive information. This capability not only fosters compliance with regulatory standards but also instills greater confidence in data management practices.

Leverage the Oracle Blockchain Platform Cloud Service to securely exchange trustworthy data among different stakeholders. This platform offers ready-made code for executing smart contracts while maintaining a tamper-proof blockchain, built upon the well-regarded open-source Hyperledger Fabric framework. You can seamlessly modify resources to meet changing demands, providing scalable computing power that can be increased or decreased as necessary. Customers are billed solely based on their actual usage, leading to cost efficiency. The platform supports collaboration from various participants through the easily configurable RAFT consensus mechanism. Moreover, its advanced access control capabilities allow for the management of permissions for each segment of large datasets stored in the cloud. This ensures that smart contract developers can efficiently oversee identities, groups, and resources. Setting up a permissioned blockchain is a straightforward process, requiring no coding expertise, and alleviates the burden of manually provisioning hardware, software, managing certificates, or configuring network components. Consequently, organizations can concentrate more on innovation while minimizing the complexities of infrastructure management. This service ultimately fosters a more collaborative and efficient environment for businesses seeking to harness the power of blockchain technology.

Catalyst is an all-encompassing cloud-based serverless development platform that equips developers with backend capabilities necessary to create microservices and applications across multiple environments. Embracing the Backend as a Service (BaaS) model, Catalyst offers a collection of pre-built, universally applicable server-side components accessible through a singular interface, enabling them to be seamlessly integrated into projects. This innovative tool allows developers to prioritize the design of user experiences in their serverless applications rather than dedicating significant time and resources to configuring and managing backend infrastructure. By enabling the deployment of applications and microservices at scale, Catalyst significantly streamlines development cycles and cuts operational expenses. What kinds of applications can be developed using Catalyst? With Catalyst, you can create an extensive range of applications and microservices without the burden of backend infrastructure management. The platform comprises three primary components: - Backend as a Service - Function as a Service - Web Client Hosting These ready-made services, along with additional Catalyst features such as push notifications, email management, authentication, and advanced AI solutions, deliver a comprehensive serverless suite tailored for efficient app development. Furthermore, this integrated approach empowers developers to innovate rapidly and respond to changing market demands with ease.