Following in the footsteps of rivals EMC Corp. and IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co. is working to adapt its storage stack for the increasingly heterogeneous and centralized nature of IT infrastructure. The hardware giant took another step forward today with a fresh batch of updates that take direct aim at the software-defined data center.

HP’s latest product dump comes hot on the heels of arch-nemesis Dell, Inc.’s release of a monitoring product that unifies key processes and extends support to more hypervisors. It’s much of the same with the latest version of the StoreVirtual VSA platform.

The upgrade introduces compatibility with Helion OpenStack, the on-premise component of the hybrid computing portfolio HP has put together in response to similar moves by the likes of EMC virtualization subsidiary VMware Inc., with its newly renamed vCloud Air. The integration is joined by an enhanced interface for the Cinder block storage component of the project and a better rounded set of APIs that allow developers to automate more administrative work, according to the company.

For customers who don’t want to buy into Helion, HP is now offering options other than VMware. The revamped StoreVirtual VSA works both with Microsoft’s  Hyper-V and the open-source KVM.

Providing support for all three major hypervisors puts HP in a better position to target the majority of organizations that employ multiple visualization solutions in their environments, as well as the modest but growing percentage standardizing on the smaller solutions. Recognizing that value, the company is starting to implement its platform-agnostic strategy in other parts of the stack too, including the monitoring layer where Dell has been making strides lately.

The newest iteration of StoreVirtual was unveiled in conjunction with a StoreFront Analytics Pack that HP claims provides “granular visibility” into resource usage and system health. The offering is geared primarily towards use with vCenter but provides limited support for Microsoft environments in the form of a space reclamation function that automatically frees up unused space after virtual machines are deleted.

HP took the opportunity to sneak in a few unrelated product updates as well. Standing out from the bunch is the StoreServ 7200 All-Flash Starter Kit, which combines eight 480GB cMLC drives with the 3PAR Operating Software suite and snapshotting and reporting capabilities in a pre-packaged bundle priced at $35,000. That’s less than half what Pure Storage Co. and EMC are charging for their entry-level flash arrays.

But even as it undercuts its parent company, cozies up to the competition and goes after vCloud Air, HP continues to maintain a healthy working relationship with VMware in the data center. On top of all the other updates it unloaded this morning, the company revealed the addition of vCenter support to its OneView management software and introduced an enhanced StoreVirtual multipathing module exclusive to customers of the virtualization stalwart. Plus, the two firms have made known that they’re collaborating on making the virtual volumes feature currently being implemented in vSphere available for 3PAR users.

Image courtesy Hewlett-Packard, Co.