What is hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI)?
HCI combines compute and software defined storage into single rack mount servers rather than combining dedicated compute servers and dedicated storage arrays together in a rack level solution.
Why is this important?
These HCI Servers are connected through a common network fabric to form a unified
cluster that pools compute and storage across the cluster. This saves you money on additional hardware costs as well as rack space and allows for a ‘pay-as-you-grow’ economy, with you only needing to purchase what you need for Day 1 with the ability to expand as you need. With resources managed through a single unified console you can gain greater visibility to drive business productivity and change as well as save time through a one stop simple platform.
3 top tips
Co-Exist
It is important to acknowledge that some workloads will continue to run on traditional architectures and some may have specific timelines on when they can be migrated across. Makes sure expectations are clearly defined within the scope of the project. Protecting legacy investments is a key part in finding the right balance of introducing HCI.
Your network is the ying to your yang
Look at the wider infrastructure and make sure that the network is considered. Working in harmony, the performance of your HCI is heavily dependent on the choices made to the network infrastructure. Collaborate with your teams to make sure that it is architected in a way to support future HCI growth.
Save time and automate
Look into how Natilik can use applied automation through platforms such as Cisco Intersight to deploy, configure and optimise your HCI infrastructure. Look at automating with the use of API’s and connecting additional tools and functionality through products such as AppDynamics, Turbonomic, ACI and Hyperflex.
If you’re interested in finding out more, then get in contact with us at hello@natilik.com and one of our security experts will be in touch.
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