Data Center Consolidation Using Hyperconverged Technology

IDC Analyst Definition of Hyperconverged Infrastructure:  A solution that natively collapse core storage, compute, and storage networking functions into a single software solution or appliance. In addition all hyperconverged systems employ:

1. A distributed file system or an object store that serves as the data organization, management, and access.
2. A hypervisor that provides workload adjacency, management, and containerization in addition to providing the hardware abstraction layer.
3. An (optional) Ethernet switch to provide scale-out and/or high-availability capabilities.

Why Do Data Center Consolidation?

• Insufficient storage capacity.
• Inadequate storage performance; a 3 – 5 year old SAN will probably be a performance bottleneck.
• Insufficient compute resources.
• Support renewal / end of warrantee period; extensions of support contracts will come with significant price increases.
• Renewal of outdated storage as storage cycles are typically 4 – 5 years.
• Improve backup and disaster recovery while refreshing data center environment

How Does Hyperconverged Infrastructure Impact the Data Center?

• Reduces the number of devices in a single data center.
• Reduces global footprint with fewer data centers and locations to manage.
• Reduces capital equipment costs by consolidating multiple functions into fewer devices.
• Reduces power and cooling requirements by limiting the number of devices in the data center.
• Reduces floor space by consolidation within a data center.
• Simplifies management and operations of the data center.

The Evolution of Hyperconverged Systems