Hyperconverged infrastructure has risen to prominence in today’s ever-changing IT landscape.
Businesses are always looking for new, innovative ways to manage their complex, siloed IT systems and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is helping them achieve these goals.
It combines computing, networking, and storage into a single solution. This all-in-one approach creates a cost-effective, efficient, and reliable environment. As a result, many industries are adopting HCI, and it’s now a key part of modern IT strategies.
This blog will explore the reasons for the development of hyperconverged infrastructure. Also, why is it now the choice for many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and edge environments?
The Development of Hyperconverged Infrastructure
A storage area network (SAN) is a network of storage devices. Multiple servers can access it. Since the 1990s, it has been key to helping organizations meet changing IT demands.
However, these physical SANs come with limitations.
It required separate, distributed systems to meet scalability and reliability needs. This left businesses with a large, complex web of systems to manage.
In the 2010s, tech experts created virtual SANs (also known as Software Defined Storage) which leverage the internal server storage to deliver the same capabilities as a physical SAN. These virtual SANs have gained popularity and are now a key component of a hyperconverged infrastructure solution. HCI typically includes the server, storage, and networking hardware required but virtualizes all of them so that users benefit from higher utilization of these assets.
The popularity of HCI continues to grow (compound annual growth rate of 22.7%), and the entire market is predicted to be worth $61.49 billion by 2032.
Hyperconverged Infrastructure vs. Traditional IT Approach
No business wants to manage separate storage, networking, and computing systems. Not only is it costly, but it’s also time-consuming and requires internal IT skills.
The traditional siloed approach requires specialized teams, making it harder to scale these systems as a business grows.
In contrast, HCI integrates all these core components into a unified interface. It’s a single channel for all essential functions, simplifying management and streamlining operations across a business.
How does this benefit SMBs and edge computing environments?
SMBs and Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Small and medium businesses (SMBs) typically operate from a single or small number of locations. SMBs are also more likely to have constrained budgets and limited technical expertise.
HCI is a cost-effective, all-in-one way to manage IT. It lets SMBs beat cost and complexity challenges and it’s designed to be radically simple. So, SMBs can start without deep technical skills and easily manage their HCI in-house, or with the support of a HCI service provider.
Edge Computing and Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Edge computing continues to drive the adoption of HCI software. Edge could mean the remote office/branch office (ROBO) sites of a large enterprise organization or the vast number of sites required in any distributed environment like retail stores, hospitals and clinics as well IoT (Internet of Things) deployments in any industry.
All of these use cases generate a vast amount of data that needs to be managed and can be a huge problem for IT departments.
Traditional IT can support edge requirements. However, as businesses grow, processing data in a data center or the cloud can become costly.
HCI is purpose-built for edge and edge-like environments. HCI is a less expensive and less complex solution that’s built to operate in a configuration where multiple servers work together as a unified system, meaning can use the HCI to manage everything.
Also, Gartner predicts that, by 2025, 75% of enterprise data will be created and processed outside traditional data centers or the cloud. A HCI can help organizations to navigate this shift, all with greater cost efficiency, scalability, performance, and management capabilities.
What Are the Limits of Hyperconverged Infrastructure?
Sometimes HCI can sound too good to be true, right?
HCI isn’t a ‘unicorn’ that can solve all of a business’s data problems. But, it is a simple, affordable, and easily scalable solution.
One thing to keep in mind is that not all HCI vendors are the same.
Recent shifts in the HCI market, like Broadcom buying VMware, have created new challenges. VMware has been a leading provider of HCI solutions for the last 10 years, and this change made most of its customers worried and concerned about higher prices and future changes. SMBs and edge customers want new HCI solutions to avoid these challenges.
However, changing HCI can often take a long time to navigate – and is difficult to quickly transition. This is very limiting for businesses trying to grow, and maintain operational efficiency, or who are simply trying to remain cost-effective.
Luckily vendors with flexible solutions exist. Some hyperconverged infrastructure vendors ensure that their HCI is lightweight, easy to deploy, and straightforward to manage. This helps SMB and edge customers quickly set up their HCI. It also lets them overcome the limits of today’s HCI market.
