Skip to main content

High-Performance Storage for Red Hat® OpenShift®

The OpenShift-native block-storage layer for stateful workloads, KubeVirt, and VMware-exit programs.

Simplyblock delivers software-defined block storage purpose-built for Red Hat® OpenShift® environments. Use NVMe/TCP for low-latency block storage, CSI-native operations for day-2 platform workflows, and deployment flexibility across hyper-converged, disaggregated, or hybrid models. For teams replacing OpenShift Data Foundation, Ceph, or vSAN-centric HCI assumptions, simplyblock provides a cleaner path for OpenShift platform engineering.

simplyblock is listed in the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog for Red Hat® OpenShift®.

OpenShift storage architecture for stateful workloads and platform teams
Red Hat Catalog An official ecosystem reference for OpenShift evaluations and platform reviews.
CSI-native Dynamic provisioning, snapshots, and clones through OpenShift storage workflows.
KubeVirt-ready One storage direction for persistent volumes and virtualization-adjacent workloads.
3 models Run hyper-converged, disaggregated, or hybrid storage layouts as the platform evolves.

Where It Fits

Where simplyblock Fits Best in OpenShift Programs

OpenShift storage decisions get harder when platform engineering, virtualization, and migration programs all depend on the same operating model. This is where simplyblock is strongest.

Stateful Apps and Databases

Support PostgreSQL, platform data services, message brokers, and other latency-sensitive workloads with block storage designed for predictable day-2 behavior inside OpenShift.

OpenShift Virtualization and KubeVirt

Keep VM disks and persistent volumes on one storage direction when KubeVirt or OpenShift Virtualization is part of the platform plan.

VMware Exit and vSAN Replacement

Use OpenShift as the destination platform without keeping old vSAN-era assumptions in the storage layer. This is the strongest fit when VMware exit becomes both a platform and storage decision.

Deployment Models

Choose the Storage Shape That Matches the OpenShift Platform

OpenShift teams do not all need the same topology. Simplyblock supports hyper-converged, disaggregated, and hybrid deployment models without forcing a storage reset later.

Hyper-Converged

Start close to the cluster when operational simplicity, local data paths, and smaller initial footprints matter most.

Disaggregated

Separate compute from storage when OpenShift capacity grows unevenly or teams need more control over independent scaling.

Hybrid

Mix both patterns when one OpenShift platform needs more than one operating shape across teams, clusters, or workloads.

OpenShift storage deployment models across hyper-converged, disaggregated, and hybrid layouts

Core Capabilities

What simplyblock Brings to OpenShift Storage

The product fit is strongest when OpenShift teams need more than raw performance. They need storage that aligns with operations, virtualization, and architecture choices together.

CSI-Native Operations for OpenShift

Provision and manage block storage through OpenShift-native workflows, StorageClasses, snapshots, and CSI automation instead of carrying forward manual datastore habits.

  • Dynamic provisioning through familiar platform workflows
  • Snapshot and clone operations at the storage layer
  • Better fit for day-2 OpenShift operations

Low-Latency NVMe/TCP Block Storage

Use standard Ethernet and an NVMe/TCP data path for high-throughput, low-latency OpenShift block storage without proprietary fabrics.

  • High throughput without special storage fabrics
  • Low-latency path for demanding stateful services
  • Cleaner performance story for OpenShift platforms

Snapshots, Clones, and Recovery Workflows

Keep test, backup, restore, and recovery flows closer to the storage operating model so platform teams can use them consistently across OpenShift environments.

  • Faster rollback and restore patterns
  • More practical clone workflows for stateful workloads
  • Better alignment between storage and resilience operations

One Storage Direction Across Platform Shapes

Start with the deployment model that fits today, then evolve architecture as the OpenShift platform changes without changing the storage story.

  • Support hyper-converged, disaggregated, and hybrid models
  • Reduce architectural drift as the platform grows
  • Keep OpenShift storage decisions flexible over time

For platform and storage leaders

What the Storage Decision Changes for the OpenShift Platform

OpenShift storage is not just a backend choice. It shapes how credible the VMware-exit path is, how manageable virtualization and stateful workloads become on the platform, and how much operating complexity the team inherits after rollout.

  • Keep the VMware-exit plan credible

    Avoid turning OpenShift into a new control plane while leaving the storage problem unresolved.

  • Standardize for VMs and stateful apps

    Give platform teams one storage direction for databases, stateful services, and virtualization-adjacent workloads.

  • Improve day-2 operational fit

    Keep snapshots, cloning, and provisioning aligned with the way OpenShift teams actually run the platform.

  • Avoid the next lock-in cycle

    Replace ODF, Ceph, or vSAN-era assumptions without binding the next platform to another rigid storage stack.

Outcomes

What Teams Gain When OpenShift Storage Matches the Platform

OpenShift storage improves when platform operations, virtualization, and low-latency stateful workloads can share one storage direction.

Predictable Low-Latency Storage

Support demanding stateful workloads with an NVMe-first block-storage path built for sustained performance.

Better OpenShift Operational Alignment

Keep provisioning, snapshots, and cloning closer to OpenShift-native workflows instead of running storage as a separate silo.

One Path for VMs and Containers

Support OpenShift Virtualization, KubeVirt-adjacent workloads, and persistent volumes without splitting the storage story.

Cleaner Architecture Flexibility

Move between hyper-converged, disaggregated, and hybrid models as OpenShift platform economics and workload mix evolve.

OpenShift storage in VMware exit programs

OpenShift is often the lead enterprise destination when teams move off VMware. That changes what storage needs to do. It is no longer only about backing a virtualization stack. It is about supporting persistent volumes, platform services, and often KubeVirt virtual machines on the same OpenShift foundation.

Teams that want a formal Red Hat ecosystem reference during evaluation can also review simplyblock in the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog.

If your program starts with a vSAN replacement question, also read vSAN Alternative for OpenShift and Kubernetes and VMware Migration to OpenShift and Kubernetes.

When teams want vSAN-like storage on OpenShift

Many teams want a familiar operating shape as they modernize. They want hyper-converged storage that feels simple, snapshots and cloning that fit platform workflows, and performance that does not collapse under mixed VM and container load.

That is why Hyper-Converged Storage for OpenShift focuses on the specific case where the target platform is OpenShift and the storage requirement is “vSAN-like, but not VMware-bound.”

Deployment models: hyper-converged, disaggregated, and hybrid

OpenShift storage architecture should follow workload and platform economics, not dogma.

  • Choose hyper-converged storage when operational simplicity and local data paths matter most.
  • Choose disaggregated storage when compute and storage growth diverge.
  • Choose hybrid when the platform needs both shapes at once.

Simplyblock supports all three, which means the storage layer can stay stable while the OpenShift platform evolves.

Questions and Answers

What storage works best for OpenShift stateful workloads?

OpenShift stateful workloads usually need CSI-native block storage with predictable latency, snapshots, cloning, and straightforward day-2 operations. Simplyblock is designed for that pattern and fits databases, platform services, and other storage-sensitive workloads.

Can simplyblock for OpenShift support KubeVirt and VMware migration programs?

Yes. Simplyblock for OpenShift can support both persistent volumes and virtual machine disks when KubeVirt is part of the platform plan. That is why VMware-to-OpenShift programs quickly become storage architecture decisions as well as control-plane decisions.

Is simplyblock a fit for teams replacing ODF, Ceph, or vSAN-era assumptions on OpenShift?

Yes, especially when the storage question is really about the next platform operating model. Simplyblock fits teams that want OpenShift-ready block storage with cleaner CSI-native operations, architecture flexibility, and a stronger path for stateful workloads than older assumptions often provide.

Is simplyblock listed in the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog for OpenShift?

Yes. Simplyblock is listed in the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog for Red Hat OpenShift, which gives platform teams an official Red Hat ecosystem reference during evaluation.

Should OpenShift teams stay hyper-converged or use disaggregated storage?

It depends on workload mix, operating model, and how independently compute and storage need to scale. Hyper-converged storage can be the fastest operational fit early on, while hybrid or disaggregated models become more attractive as scale and platform economics change.

Not sure if simplyblock is right for your team?

Ask your favorite AI to compare simplyblock with OpenShift Data Foundation, Ceph, and other OpenShift storage options for stateful workloads and KubeVirt programs.

Ask ChatGPT↗Ask Claude↗Ask Perplexity↗Ask Google↗