Hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) can simplify and centralize a business’s IT systems, making them more efficient, scalable and cost-effective. But how does it work, and is it suitable for all businesses?
Let us explore further what HCI is, how it can benefit your business, and what limitations it can present.
What is hyperconverged infrastructure?
Hyperconverged Infrastructure is a software-focused IT framework which combines compute, storage, networking and automation into one integrated, virtualized platform.
This approach offers a range of advantages for your business.
How does HCI work?
Like server virtualization, hyperconverged infrastructure uses a hypervisor to abstract computing resources from their underlying hardware. HCI then combines these resources into a centrally managed system. This allows workloads to be deployed and resources allocated dynamically, as needed.
This happens in the following stages:
| Step | What does it mean? | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Installation of physical servers | Each server, or node, contains compute, storage and networking resources, including CPU, RAM, and SSDs or HDDs. |
| 2 | Virtualization via a hypervisor | The hypervisor, such as VMware ESXi, creates virtual machines (VMs) by abstracting the physical hardware. |
| 3 | Pooling of storage across the servers | Instead of separate storage arrays, software-defined storage combines the disks from all nodes into a shared pool. |
| 4 | Virtualization of networking | oftware-defined networking connects the VMs and manages traffic between nodes and workloads. |
| 5 | Central management layer | A management platform provides a single interface to deploy VMs, allocate resources, monitor performance, and automate tasks. |
| 6 | Resource scaling | When more capacity or performance is needed, a business can add more nodes. These will be automatically integrated. |
Did you know that HCI can simplify your data center migration?
Discover what else you can do to ensure a smooth and secure data center migration with our step-by-step data center migration plan.
HCI vs CI vs traditional infrastructure: a breakdown
Traditionally, enterprise IT infrastructures use several distinct resources for processes such as networking, storage and management. However, this set-up presents several challenges, including:
- Unnecessary complication
- Compatibility issues
- Slow operations
Meanwhile, converged infrastructure is the framework that opened the door to HCI. Converged infrastructure is a pre-packaged, pre-configured combination of IT hardware systems and resources, but without the virtualized layer.
Let’s break down how traditional IT infrastructures compare to HCI and to converged infrastructure.
| Feature | HCI | CI | Traditional IT Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Compute, storage, and networking integrated within the same server nodes using software-defined systems. | Pre-configured bundle of separate compute, storage, and networking hardware. | Separate servers, storage devices and networking equipment purchased and deployed independently. |
| Virtualization | Compute, storage, and networking are software-defined and managed through a hypervisor. | Primarily server virtualization. Storage and networking typically remain hardware-defined. | Limited virtualization or applied mainly to servers. |
| Scalability | Highly scalable by adding additional nodes to the cluster. | Moderately scalable. May require additional hardware components. | Scaling often requires purchasing and integrating new standalone hardware. |
| Management | Centralized software platform manages compute, storage, networking, and workloads. | Unified management tools, but infrastructure components remain distinct. | Systems managed separately across multiple systems, tools and interfaces. |
| Security | Integrated security features and microsegmentation possible. | Standard infrastructure security tools, while integration varies by CI vendor. | Security measures independently implemented across separate hardware layers and systems. |
| Performance | Optimized through distributed workloads and software-defined resource allocation. | Optimized hardware stacks but less dynamic resource distribution. | Performance depends on manual configuration and hardware capabilities. |
| Resource Use / Optimization | Highly efficient resource pooling and automated allocation. | Moderate efficiency, while resources are still tied to their specific hardware components. | Resources are often underutilized due to siloed infrastructure and manual provisioning. |
What are the top Benefits of Hyperconverged Infrastructure?
HCI benefits range from reducing long-term costs to facilitating business growth. Let’s unpack some of the key reasons enterprises choose HCI in their IT strategy:
Easy Scalability
Hyperconverged infrastructure is scalable by nature. Such flexibility enables seamless resource expansion for businesses, since it allows for customizable (or “granular”) scaling. This means that with HCI, companies can scale up or down effortlessly based on their evolving needs.
Simplified Management
Hyperconverged systems offer centralized control of storage, computing, and networking. HCI management also provides higher levels of automation, so that staff have fewer responsibilities and a lower risk of human error. The combination of these factors streamlines IT operations and makes them easier to manage and maintain.
Cost Efficiency
HCI can reduce your company’s IT total cost of ownership in several ways. These include:
- Hyperconverged infrastructure consolidates hardware. All a system’s resources are pooled into one dedicated device instead of across several. This decreases a company’s need to invest in various pieces of equipment.
- HCI also reduces energy consumption. This is partly because it uses less hardware and partly because it optimizes operational efficiency. This has both economic and environmental benefits for your company.
- No need to overprovision. Flexible scalability means that your company will not need to purchase more resources than it needs to accommodate expansion.
Flexibility
HCI systems are not only flexible in their scalability. They also:
- support hybrid cloud environments and server virtualization
- can be customized to your particular business needs
- allow for automatic and dynamic resource allocation
This means businesses can adapt quickly to changing workloads and deployment models.
Built-in Security
Security and data protection are key priorities in hyperconverged infrastructure. Integrated security features include:
- Advanced data encryption
- Automatic and centralised data back-ups
- Layered security across different components
Such characteristics ensure protection against cyber threats and keep your company’s data safe in case of disaster. As a result, HCI is a reliable choice for businesses handling sensitive data.
Increased Reliability
Hyperconverged infrastructure offers built-in redundancy and automated failover mechanisms in case of disasters. Distributing workloads across multiple nodes also allows HCI to reduce the impact of server issues on overall system performance.
This means your company’s systems will continue to provide high performance with minimal downtime.
Compatibility
HCI combines all the most important data center components into a centralized, single system. This way, it avoids compatibility problems between systems and components. In this regard, HCI is similar to its predecessor, converged infrastructure.
However, what sets HCI apart is its software-defined architecture , which integrates smoothly with existing IT environments. This includes legacy systems and modern applications. Therefore, both older and newer set-ups can enjoy the benefits of HCI solutions.
Reduced Vendor Lock-in for Hardware
Because HCI is software-focused, businesses have a fair amount of freedom in the hardware components they choose. This means they can select hardware from a variety of vendors (“Bring your Own Hardware”). In this way, they avoid depending on one manufacturer. However, it is true that there is a risk of software-related lock-in.
Straightforward Deployment
In HCI, many of the set-up processes are automated. This immediately simplifies the deployment process.
Moreover, HCI works using nodes, or units which contain compute, networking and storage resources. They function together to maintain a coherent, all-incompassing virtualized IT infrastructure. Importantly, these nodes are preconfigured. This makes their deployment easy and seamless.
If your company prefers to use an expert, companies like Evernex can make deployment even smoother.
Data and Storage Efficiency
Hyperconverged infrastructure makes your systems as efficient and streamlined as possible. In terms of data storage, this means:
- maximizing storage utilization
- optimizing data deduplication and compression
- reducing overall data footprint
The less space your business’s data takes up, the quicker and lighter your operational systems will work.
Network Optimization
Hyperconverged infrastructure can support network optimization by virtualising networking functions and allowing traffic to be managed more efficiently across the cluster.
Is your IT infrastructure affected by the change in VMware licencing?
Find out how businesses are reclaiming control over their VMware licences and costs in our expert article.
How can Evernex help you with your Hyperconverged Infrastructure?
Evernex is one of the world’s leading Third-Party Maintenance providers. We offer hardware support at every stage of your equipment’s lifecycle, from deployment to IT Asset Recycling.
Evernex can help your business with its HCI in various ways, including:
- Selection and deployment of equipment
- Hardware maintenance and refurbishment
- Expertise in a wide range of manufacturers and models
HCI simplifies IT systems, optimizes resource utilization and maximises performance. Contact one of our experts today to find out how Evernex can help you with your HCI journey.
Frequently asked questions
What are HCI systems?
HCI systems virtualize and combine resources such as networking, compute and storage into one centralized platform for simpler management and optimized resource usage.
What is the difference between hyperconverged infrastructure and cloud?
Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is an on-premises IT architecture which integrates compute, storage, and networking into a software-defined system. Cloud computing delivers those resources virtually as services hosted and managed by a third-party provider.
What is the difference between converged and hyperconverged?
Converged Infrastructure is a pre-packaged and pre-configured collection of IT hardware assets. HCI brings physical computing resources together in a central, virtualized platform and allocates resources as needed. The main difference between CI and HCI is that HCI is software-defined and CI is not.
What is the difference between HCI and server?
HCI integrates core data center infrastructure components, including servers, into a unified system. Meanwhile, a server is a single piece of hardware that provides compute resources.
What are the main benefits of HCI?
Hyperconverged architectures offer a range of business benefits, primarily enhanced scalability, improved hardware utilization through virtualization, and simplified management through centralized control and automation.
Is HCI cheaper than traditional infrastructure?
That depends on your perspective. In the short term, HCI may present higher upfront costs than traditional data center infrastructures. However, the Total Cost of Ownership of hyperconverged architectures are often lower than traditional set-ups, as a result of workload consolidation and reduced space and power requirements.
What are the limitations and risks of HCI?
Hyperconverged infrastructures do present some limitations and drawbacks for businesses. These include a certain level of vendor lock-in for software, which can affect long-term costs; resource contention with multiple VMs competing for the same hardware resources; and security vulnerabilities due to the centralized nature of HCI.