Cisco HyperFlex and the benefits of Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Hyperconverged infrastructure is a growing trend in IT, and those organizations that have implemented it are realizing significant benefits—including improved operational efficiency and scalability, not to mention cost savings.
A hyperconverged infrastructure has a software-centric architecture that tightly integrates computer, storage, network and virtualization resources in a server supported by a single vendor. The integrated technologies are managed as a single system through a common toolset.
A hyperconverged system allows you to manage the integrated technologies as a single system through a common toolset and eliminates storage silos. Hyperconverged systems can be expanded by adding nodes to the base unit.
A flexible and scalable end-to-end solution for a wide range of applications
Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform is one of the most popular hyperconverged infrastructure platforms on the market. Built on Cisco Unified Computer System (UCS), the platform integrates Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series nodes, which have high disk capacity, and Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, which have high computing capacity, into a single unified cluster. This gives you the ability to choose the balance of CPU and disk storage that’s right for your applications, to optimize performance, and to scale as your needs grow. Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Software and the VMware ESXi hypervisor come preinstalled for one-click installation.
A host of capabilities in one data platform
Enterprise-class data management: Delivers complete lifecycle management and enhanced data protection in distributed storage environments: replication; deduplication; compression; thin provisioning’ rapid, space-efficient clones; and snapshots.
Simplified data management: Integrates storage functions into existing management tools, allowing instant provisioning, cloning, and snapshots of applications to dramatically simplify your daily operations.
Independent scaling of the computing, caching, and capacity tiers: Give you the flexibility to scale the environment based on evolving business needs.
Continuous data optimization with inline data deduplication and compression: Improves resource utilization with more headroom for data scaling.
Dynamic data placement in node memory, enterprise-class flash memory (on solid-state disk [SSD] drives), and persistent storage tiers (on hard-disk drives [HDDs]): Optimize performance and resiliency, allowing you to readjust data placement as you scale your cluster.
API-based data platform architecture: Provides data virtualization flexibility to support existing and new cloud-native data types.
Is hyperconverged infrastructure right for your organization?
Between 2014 and 2015, the hyperconverged market globally grew by around 116 percent, according to IDC, and it will likely top $1.5 billion by the end of 2016. In addition, a recent report from 452 Research found that about 79 percent of enterprises will probably spend more money on hyperconvergence technology in 2016 than they have in years past, with very large companies and financial firms leading the pack in this arena.
This phenomenal growth is not surprising, considering that hyperconverged infrastructure can dramatically reduce the amount of both hardware and software needed to effectively manage a network, it’s no small wonder that hyperconverged infrastructure has really taken off in IT.
If you’re not sure if this type of platform is right for your company, contact us. We’ll help you weigh the pros and cons, and the steps required to implement a hyperconverged infrastructure technology.