Smart virtualisation alternative for agile businesses: Huawei Datacentre Solution
Data centres, the heart muscles of the AI era, must adapt to the extreme performance requirements imposed by AI workloads. This is where Huawei's Datacenter Virtualisation Solution (DCS) comes into its own: it delivers lean, highly secure virtualisation for maximum resource optimisation and future-proofs IT infrastructures without breaking the budget. Huawei DCS can compete directly with traditional platforms such as VMware – and even surpass them in terms of efficiency.
The current development of AI is the biggest economic upheaval since the Industrial Revolution. It is leading to changed market dynamics and rapid developments in the IT industry. In light of this technological revolution, numerous companies are rethinking their strategies. This also applies to data centres. Through virtualisation, i.e. the abstraction of physical resources such as servers, storage and networks, existing resources can be better utilised, applications can be deployed at lightning speed and the risk of failure can be reduced.
DCS from Huawei
With its Data Centre Virtualisation Solution (DCS), Huawei offers a platform that covers all the core components of a modern data centre – from the virtualisation layer and management to storage, networking and disaster recovery. The big advantage lies in integration: the virtual components are combined on a central interface. Huawei DCS is based on open source and supports traditional workloads through to state-of-the-art AI applications. In addition, DCS has integrated mechanisms for malware protection based on behaviour-based analysis and AI-supported detection methods. This allows potential threats to be identified and isolated at an early stage.
Furthermore, DCS helps companies to operate AI-supported workloads efficiently: through intelligent resource planning, GPU passthrough, dynamic scheduling and AI-based load forecasts, DCS ensures that computationally intensive models receive the optimal hardware resources. At the same time, bottlenecks are avoided because the system automatically scales, prioritises, and redistributes workloads. This increases the throughput of AI pipelines, accelerates training cycles, and improves infrastructure utilisation in the long term.
Efficiency through virtualisation
At the core of Huawei DCS is FusionCompute, a KVM-based hypervisor. It bundles computing, storage, and network resources and enables centralised control. KVM is a free, open-source technology that is built into Linux. It transforms the Linux operating system into a hypervisor that allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run simultaneously on a single server. Huawei uses the global standard KVM; and because KVM is part of Linux and is used and tested millions of times every day, the system is extremely stable and secure. In addition, AI-based security modules are used to automatically detect suspicious activity and help administrators quickly isolate potential malware. The result: lower operating costs with maximum security and reliability.
Unique architecture and more performance
Huawei DCS has a modular and decoupled design. This allows you to start with just two system units and scale seamlessly as your requirements grow. Decoupling also means that individual components such as storage or network controllers can be updated, maintained or replaced independently of each other without affecting the overall system. If a component, such as a server, fails, the rest of the system can continue to run because dependencies are minimal.
This flexibility is enabled by a dual-stack architecture that provides full support for VM setups and containerised environments. In combination with hyperconverged systems such as Huawei FusionCube, DCS consolidates computing power, storage, and networking on a single platform. DCS offers integrated enterprise features, eliminating the need for costly add-on modules. Performance optimisations increase VM performance by up to 30 per cent and enable up to six times faster forwarding speeds in the network. In the area of storage, DCS supports OceanStor all-flash arrays and offers distributed storage solutions with high deduplication rates. Advanced protection mechanisms such as UltraVR (for disaster recovery) and eBackup enable a zero recovery point objective. This means that the recovery point is exactly the moment of failure – all data processed up to that point remains available.
In the area of security, DCS supplements existing protection mechanisms with AI-supported malware protection, which identifies unauthorised changes, malicious files and anomalies in data traffic and automatically initiates countermeasures. Intelligent management tools simplify usage: platforms such as ManageOne and DME offer unified dashboards based on AI-driven operation and maintenance functions, enabling one-click deployment and rapid fault isolation. AI integration also supports resource tuning, predicts peak loads and performs routine analyses autonomously. APIs enable seamless integration with third-party clouds and secure hybrid operations. DCS is hardware-independent and runs on x86 servers from Dell, HPE or Lenovo, as well as on Huawei's Arm-based TaiShan servers.
Alternatives are welcome
Since the licence and price adjustments by market leader VMware, Huawei DCS has positioned itself as a powerful virtualisation alternative. With its mature architecture and clear pricing, DCS offers transparency and cost-effectiveness. Independent analyst firm DCIG has named it one of the five best VMware vSphere alternatives for enterprises in its 2024–25 global report. Analysts praise its lean architecture, elasticity, high performance, high availability and comprehensive full-stack management. Unlike models that require separate licences for essential features such as management consoles or software-defined storage, DCS uses a perpetual, base-price licensing model that includes all enterprise features from the outset – including disaster recovery, backups, container orchestration, integrated malware protection and AI-based automation capabilities. Migration from VMware is facilitated by intuitive tools for batch transfer of virtual machines, minimising downtime and ensuring continuity.
UMB and Huawei: Partners for success
As a certified Huawei partner specialising in digital transformation, UMB supports Swiss companies in their digital transformation projects. DCS offers measurable benefits: lower total cost of ownership, faster return on investment, and an open platform that is ready for tomorrow's challenges. Whether modernising local facilities, building private clouds, or preparing for hybrid models, DCS creates a solid foundation without dependencies.
Contact UMB if your company is considering virtualisation options. Our team can design, implement, and maintain solutions tailored to your needs, from initial proof of concept to seamless production environments. Are you curious about Huawei DCS in practice? Contact our specialists for a customised consultation or demonstration.
