Hyper convergence is not new, and the concept of having a virtualized, software-defined compute and network resources is something that has been in existence for a long time. However, it is only in the last few years that enterprise IT is realizing the benefits of Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) in terms of IT simplicity, performance and cost benefits. The market for HCI has been growing at a fair clip recently. According to IDC, the market for hyper converged systems would be near USD 6.4 billion by 2020.
At its heart, hyper convergence takes a different path from the traditional three-tier architecture that enterprise IT has followed for more than three decades. HCIs put all resources – the hypervisor, compute, and storage – into industry standard x86 resources, under the hypervisor. Storage is software defined and part of the server, making it extremely agile, easier to configure and simpler to manage, as compared to three-tier architectures.
HCI therefore becomes a great opportunity for CIOs to move away from traditional siloed systems and create a leaner, scalable and sustainable technology environment. Here are a few ways in which it reduces enterprise IT complexity:
One of the key drivers of the growing interest in HCI is its strong alignment to another fast growing paradigm – the private cloud. Worldwide, private cloud adoption is seeing significant upward movement. CIOs are realizing that there are significant ROI benefits from using private clouds for static workloads over a period of 3 to 5 years. HCI offers organizations with a simple, cost effective way to create and manage their private cloud.
At present, HCI can be implemented in three ways:
IT departments must grasp the opportunity to build greater agility and unlock greater value from their current infrastructure, through HCI. Critically, CIOs must leverage their trusted infrastructure partners and CSPs to get greater clarity around available HCI options and the best fit solution for specific performance, availability and cost requirements.
Girish Sharma
Head of Product Management- Cloud Services, NTT Global Data Centers and Cloud Infrastructure, India
With over 14 years of industry experience, Girish Sharma is Head of Product Management- Cloud Services at NTT Global Data Centers and Cloud Infrastructure, India. His areas of interest include Cloud Computing, Infrastructure Solutions, Sales Enablement and Technology Partnerships. He is an advocate of the adoption of new programs and processes at enterprises, cementing technology partnerships and a true believer in sales enablement.