Until recently, technology solutions consisted of separate servers, storage and networks configured and physically managed on premises, based on a custom design for every organization. Then came converged technology, which combined servers and storage according to a reference architecture to deliver a pre-built, pre-packaged solution.
The next evolution of converged technology is hyperconverged technology. These solutions integrate servers, storage, networking, virtualization, automation, orchestration, and IT services into a single solution. A key distinction between converged and hyperconverged is the addition of built-in software-defined storage.
Many organizations are using hyperconverged infrastructure, with built-in flexibility and automation, to achieve this. But hyperconverged isn’t always right for every situation. Whether it’s right for your organization depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.
It’s true that hyperconverged technology offers a lot of promise, but you have to align that promise with your specific requirements and goals. It’s a great solution for specific workloads, for example. If you’re deploying a VDI solution, have requirements for remote branch offices, or need to build a pilot hybrid cloud strategy with automated on-premises-to-cloud workflows, a hyperconverged strategy may be right for you. It’s an exciting set of technologies, but it’s not necessarily for every application workload. We see clients adopting this as part of their multi-year IT strategy, but it is framed to specific use cases and business needs.
The value that hyperconverged solutions offer over other forms of IT infrastructure is flexibility and the inclusion of a software-defined management layer that makes the software-defined enterprise easy to achieve and cost effective to scale out. The built-in automation and orchestration capabilities allow customers to take a strong step forward in creating a cloud-like experience within their own data center and to move from a manually intensive second platform operating model into a very dynamic environment that lends itself to third-platform flexibility.
To help you determine if hyperconverged is the right solution for your business, we’ve put together an eight-step process that begins with clearly defining the needs of your business.
Applications
Start with the application layer. What applications (i.e., SAP (News - Alert)) or business services (i.e., email) do you need to run? How business-critical are these applications, and what are your performance demands and growth considerations? Answering these questions is a solid first step in determining what your core requirements really are.
Hypervisors
Hyperconverged solutions are designed for virtualized environments. So ask yourself: Do you have hypervisor or physical requirements in your project scope?
Resources
Consider your compute, memory, and storage requirements to ensure you’ll get the performance you require. How many users do you have today? What are your growth plans? One of the top advantages to a hyperconverged infrastructure is the ability to expand linearly as business needs change – and to do it cost effectively.
Network
While looking at your resources and growth paths are important considerations that will extend the life of your solution, knowing your networking, security, and audit requirements – and matching them to the right hyperconverged solution – are critical to your success.
Dependencies
Applications don’t operate in isolation; they integrate with other systems in the business environment, which means it’s critical to fully consider the ways these technologies will interact with each other and within the context of your cloud strategy because certain hyperconverged infrastructures may align better with these requirements.
Data Protection
Each version of hyperconverged infrastructure provides some level of data protection, but does that align to your business’ data protection strategy? Define your backup and recovery service requirements before shopping for a hyperconverged solution.
Management
What are your operational and management requirements? Understanding the business’ requirements around alerting, updating, and logging is another critical step toward success with hyperconverged solutions.
Migration
Once you’ve implemented a hyperconverged solution, how will you get from here to there? Define your migration strategy before moving forward, and determine up front if you’ll need a professional services partner to assist.
Paul Abram is the data center and enterprise compute practice leader, and Brett Anderson is the senior director of HPE Solutions, for international IT solutions and managed services provider Logicalis US.Edited by Alicia Young
