Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) is Changing Data Centers

****Hyperconverged infrastructure is changing the way data centers work for the better. Learn about the benefits of hyperconverged infrastructure.****

Every year there is a huge number of technological reforms and upgrades that can make life easier for both individuals and companies. Sometimes, large-scale changes also affect the data processing centers.

If even more than 10 years ago data center managers worked with traditional infrastructure familiar to everyone, then in recent years there have been big changes. These changes were the use of networks that provide both speed and availability (software-defined networks), a distributed information technology architecture in which customer data is processed at the edge of the network, as close as possible to the source (edge computing), the fifth generation of mobile communications, as well as artificial intelligence.

Such technologies imply a major transformation in how data centers operate. However, the most important thing is that qualified specialists are needed to work with such technologies, which means higher requirements for data center managers. They must be able and know how to work with such innovative solutions, and explore and customize them. It would seem that the use of technology should be beneficial, but for people working with such innovations, this becomes a challenge.

That is why the latest technology has been developed that promises to solve all these problems.

Table of Contents:

1. Hyperconverged Infrastructure
2. Converged Infrastructure
3. Key Benefits of HCI

**Hyperconverged Infrastructure **

Before describing all the advantages of technology, it is worth considering the hyperconverged infrastructure definition. HCI is a distributed infrastructure platform that combines servers, networks, and storage with sophisticated software to produce adaptable key components that may improve existing infrastructure.

The consistent building pieces required to establish a hyperconverged infrastructure can be acquired as a mix of electronic, electrical, and mechanical hardware or as virtual stacks.

Such an infrastructure consists of standard components: servers running on the x86 architecture, software for creating, running, and managing virtual machines, and special software needed for management.

The beauty of a hyperconverged data center is that if you need more processing power, you can easily scale the process. All you need to do is attach a few extra boxes, depending on how much you need to scale everything. Thus, each organization gets a great opportunity to improve the processing centers of HCI data.

It is already clearly visible how quickly the demand for the creation of such data centers is growing. 3 years ago, the global market for such products and services was estimated at over $6 billion. In 5 years, it will be valued at more than $22 billion. Companies now must cut information technology expenses, drastically speed up the building of data centers, manage numerous operations, and grow swiftly.

**Converged Infrastructure **

There existed a converged infrastructure prior to the introduction of such an upgraded infrastructure. It comprises pre-engineered equipment and programs that professionals may purchase and install independently. In short, it’s like an IKEA crib. You get a set of ready-made components that you need to combine to get the finished product. That is, you get components that will be compatible with each other. You do not need to search for suppliers for each component to separately assemble everything you need.

Hyperconverged infrastructure is a more advanced CI. This infrastructure already contains all the necessary components that you can work with. In simple words, if CI is an IKEA crib that needs to be assembled, then HCI is a prepackaged meal that you just need to heat.

If you use a similar infrastructure in your data center, then to increase the capacity, you only need to order more infrastructure units. Easy and simple scalability allows multiple companies to increase the volume of data processing, as well as quickly adapt to new company needs.

Key Benefits of HCI

Scalability is the most important advantage of HCI. However, this is not all that such an infrastructure can offer.

**Low-cost hyperconverged infrastructure units **

HCI requires x86 servers, which are installed in most modern data centers. Thus, companies do not need to spend money to buy the necessary servers. In addition, every time there is a need to add capacity, companies need to buy only one type of device instead of a huge variety of different devices. They can be purchased from a single supplier, which reduces the time of purchase and implementation.

In addition, if necessary, if there are difficulties with installation or updates, then you only need to seek technical assistance from one vendor instead of working with many different vendors.

**Remote control **

Infrastructure components are handled as services in a software-defined data center. They can be managed and configured remotely, which greatly facilitates the work of managers. At any time of the day or night, managers can quickly reduce or increase the amount of storage, and memory, adjust computing power, as well as all the necessary resources. This means that managers will be able to update all resources used as soon as it is needed.

**Achieving the greatest efficiency of all processes **

All used infrastructure resources are combined into clusters. If you need more memory for a particular process or application, or need more storage capacity and compute power, you can quickly identify those resources that aren’t already being used to provide what you need. With unified management, managers can quickly discover these resources, pool them together, and make them available for process or application execution when needed.

**Integrated management **

You only need a single console to manage all the processes. Local and remote clusters can be managed from one place. Thus, the entire management process is greatly simplified.

Companies operating in the field of IT have a chance to reduce the costs of IT departments, as well as increase their productivity. The work of specialists is facilitated since it is no longer necessary to think about how to deploy a system, integrate it, and separately maintain each component while solving other problems associated with managing the center.

There is no need to expand the staff, as well as to attract consultants who charge a lot for their work. If your staff has generalists, then they will be able to do most of the work without help.

**Conclusion **

There are many benefits to implementing hyperconverged infrastructure in your data center. The first and most important is the speed and ease of scaling, which is low cost. In addition, all processes can be controlled remotely using a single console. Achieving the greatest efficiency of all processes occurs quickly if necessary.

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