Choosing the DC Hardware

As we explain in the post "Virtualization in a Data Center with VMWARE", we decided to use vmware software to virtualize machines optimizing the resources we have, so we adopt a cloud computing model.

Because we are developing a data center for a bank, the most critical point will be the security and we will have to keep in mind that availability will also be very high.

According to those parameters, we choose to use the following technology provided by HP and Fortinet.

Firewall:

We decided to use FortiSandBox powered by FortiGuard technology, because it ensure the maximum security with a proactive detection and mitigation of possible threads. Though it's not the most powerful, in terms of cpu,  is the one that offer comprehensive security.

Routers:

For routers, we will use the HP 8800 router  series, that according to HP are the ones that provide security and availability, the most critical characteristics we need.

Switches:

We will use FlexFabric series 12900 switches, because according to our provider, HP, they are specially designed to support virtualization and cloud computing data centers.

Servers: 

As we don't need a very specific feature for the servers, we will choose HP ProLiant SL2500, which is a very flexible and scalable server.

Hp offers "HP racks infrastructures" where we will organize all the servers.