Data center redesigned: AI, VM Essentials, and backup in practice

Data center operations today are no longer just about coordinating hardware, hypervisors, and backup systems. Companies are looking for more cost-effective virtualization alternatives, more transparent monitoring, faster migration, and more reliable data protection. Changes to VMware licensing have accelerated this shift in thinking at many organizations, but the real question isn’t just what to switch to, but also how to implement new platforms in a way that simplifies operations.

In this article, we draw on practical experience to demonstrate the role that AI-powered monitoring, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, and modern backup and migration integrations can play in this process.

AI in monitoring: it doesn't replace, it lightens the load

The problem isn't that there are no alerts, but that there are too many systems, too many interfaces, and too many different reports coming in at once.

Centralizing these is an important step in itself, but it doesn’t solve everything. Someone still needs to be in front of the central dashboard to interpret events, prioritize them, and decide what requires intervention. This is particularly challenging for junior colleagues: the language of alerts is often technical, concise, and lacking context.

This is where AI adds value. The goal is not for AI to take over infrastructure management entirely on its own, but rather to support the initial level of interpretation. For example, an integration built between Zabbix and LLM models can translate incoming alerts into natural language and display them on the interface as more understandable explanations.

This is useful in several ways:

• it becomes clearer more quickly what an alert means;
• the learning curve is reduced;
• junior colleagues can respond with greater confidence;
• operations managers encounter less “noise”;
• the team can focus on the issues that really matter.

In principle, the next step could be automatic correction. In an infrastructure environment, however, human approval remains necessary for interventions at the base layer. A more realistic approach is for AI not only to explain the error but also to suggest a solution.

HPE Morpheus VM Essentials: an alternative, not just a replacement

One of the key messages of HPE Morpheus VM Essentials is that the virtualization market is gaining momentum again. Due to changes in VMware’s core-based licensing and pricing, many organizations have begun looking for alternatives. VM Essentials offers a socket-based, KVM-based virtualization solution to address this need.

VM Essentials can be seen as Morpheus’s “little brother,” while also providing a path to the larger, enterprise-grade Morpheus. This is important because companies may not necessarily want to switch platforms entirely right away, but they do want to leave the door open for future expansion.

VM Essentials provides several capabilities that many previously associated with higher VMware license tiers:

• high availability;
• automatic load balancing for compute and storage resources;
• built-in data protection features;
• a unified management interface;
• automation capabilities, including support for bash and PowerShell-based scripts.

A solid foundation: ubuntu, KVM, and centralized management

The technological foundation of VM Essentials is conservative, but that is precisely one of its advantages. It is built on the Ubuntu operating system, with the KVM virtualization layer running on top of it; QEMU provides the virtual hardware functionality, while Open vSwitch handles the switching functions on the networking side.

The role of Open vSwitch is interesting because it enables operation similar to VMware’s distributed switch logic: VLANs and network settings do not need to be configured separately on each host but can be managed from a central interface.

VME Manager can be deployed within the virtualization environment, but based on practical experience, it may be preferable to install it in an external, independent environment. This way, management remains accessible even in the event of a virtualization issue.

Storage: the intended use determines the right choice

VM Essentials supports multiple storage models, so there is no single “right” answer when choosing the appropriate architecture. The decision is determined by a combination of availability requirements, performance, cost, and operational complexity.

The main options are:

• Local storage: simple but does not provide classic high availability.
• HCI/CEPH-based model: provides a fault-tolerant, distributed storage layer within a local storage solution when using at least three hosts
• Shared storage: Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or NFS-based configuration; can also be used for HA requirements.
• vVOL-style storage: for example, in an HPE Alletra MP environment, the management interface handles the creation and snapshotting of volumes.

Based on experience, Fibre Channel and iSCSI are stable and practical options. For performance-critical applications, Fibre Channel may still be preferable, while path failure handling with NFS still requires careful consideration.

Migration and backup: key points

A new virtualization platform alone is not enough if migrating or protecting existing machines is difficult. VM Essentials includes a built-in VMware migration feature, but it has its limitations. For Windows-based source machines, for example, preliminary preparation may be required, in part due to the drivers needed for KVM.

The good news regarding backup is that, in addition to the built-in features, third-party integrations are now available. Support for Commvault, Veeam, and Zerto is particularly important because these can be integrated into existing enterprise backup strategies.

In the case of Veeam, support for VM Essentials enables features such as:

• change block tracking-based backup;
• full VM restore;
• file-level restore;
• application-level restore, for example, in SQL environments;
• restore to other platforms or cloud destinations.

Zerto should be viewed not as a traditional backup system, but as a data protection and disaster recovery solution. It continuously replicates changes to a separate target environment, which can significantly reduce RTO in the event of failure. It can also be a valuable migration tool.

What does all this mean for operations?

Data center modernization is not just about selecting a single product. Technology decisions are determined by a combination of the operational model, the team’s expertise, automation goals, and data protection requirements.

For successful implementation, it’s worth keeping a few basic principles in mind:

• Monitoring should not only alert you but also help you interpret the data;
• AI should be used in a supportive, controlled manner;
• The management layer should be separated from the infrastructure;
• The storage architecture should be selected based on workload and high-availability (HA) requirements;
• Migration and backup integrations must be validated during the planning phase;
• A platform change should be viewed not as a product replacement, but as a shift in the operational model.

More than just a platform switch: the foundations of the data center's future

HPE Morpheus VM Essentials and the integrations built around it can offer a viable alternative for organizations that are rethinking their virtualization strategies. The strength of the solution lies not only in its licensing or KVM-based technology, but also in its ability to fit into a broader operational model.

AI-based monitoring, centralized management, flexible storage options, and backup and data protection integrations with solutions like Veeam and Zerto collectively point toward a future where the data center can become a more transparent, automatable, and business-controllable platform.

However, the transition does not guarantee success. It requires planning, pilot testing, compatibility checks, and operational discipline. Where these elements are in place, VM Essentials can be not only an alternative but also a starting point for a more modern data center operation. Our organization can provide support in this area, drawing on several years of practical expertise—from planning and migration through to the establishment of operational processes. Our work is backed by close partnerships with vendors and up-to-date technological expertise, enabling us to serve as a reliable professional partner for our clients throughout the entire implementation and migration process.