What is hyperconvergence? A fancy buzzword or the next big thing in streamlined IT infrastructure? Organizations are embracing cloud computing and virtualization and moving away from a conventional model of compute, virtualize and store in favor of more efficient infrastructures. As the pace of business continues to increase, why should you be considering a hyperconverged infrastructure for your business?
What is a Hyperconverged Infrastructure?
A hyperconverged infrastructure, or HCI, is an IT framework that combines storage, computing and networking into a single system. The main value proposition for HCI is that it moves toward a software-defined environment where all functional elements run on commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) servers with a hypervisor (a.k.a. virtual machine monitor or VMM) enabling the convergence. As a software-defined IT structure, it virtualizes all those elements in a conventional “hardware-defined” system. At a minimum, HCI includes virtualized computing (a hypervisor) along with software-defined storage and software-defined networking (virtualized networking).
Another way HCI creates efficiency is through nodes. Multiple nodes can be grouped to create pools of shared computing and storage resources. Because HCI pools like systems together, it can reduce data center complexity and increase scalability.
The Benefits of Hyperconvergence
While improving your IT infrastructure is a goal of your IT leadership, HCI has the power to enable benefits that appeal to your entire C-suite. Whether a cost-effective solution or a more agile IT environment, hyperconvergence offers many important benefits other than reducing physical equipment including:
- Lower costs
- Simplify infrastructure deployment
- Increase flexibility and scalability of data needs
- Better support traditional and cloud-native workloads
- More reliable business applications
While the benefits of HCI are numerous, it is important to configure and adopt HCI into your existing data center architecture in a way that is seamless. Since HCI is a flexible system, there are many ways in which to accomplish this conversion. Consulting with experienced solutions architects, like those at Computer Solutions, can provide you with guidance on the transition from your current architecture and deployments to a streamlined hyperconverged system. Contact us today to discuss your data center infrastructure.
