Technology market experts IDC reported that hyperconverged systems have been the main source of growth in the converged systems market, showing marked acceleration in the last quarter of 2020. Technology news site TheNextPlatform attributes the health of the HCI market to its evolution from being used for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to being seen as a platform for modern workloads, including hybrid cloud and containerization.
HCI is being embraced as a means of data center transformation instead of just an easy way to scale infrastructure. As companies expand their use of HCI, it’s important to emphasize how to make the best use of the technology for the greatest value.
Here is an overview of 5 HCI best practices to keep in mind:
1) Use the correct backup solution
Some hyperconverged systems are backup-oriented, but all HCI solutions need a mechanism for backing up critical data. Cohesity and Rubrik use HCI for backup and recovery, but whatever backup solution you use, be sure it is compatible with HCI. Your backup solution should also be scalable enough to accommodate the flexibility of HCI’s building-block architecture and capable of connecting to HCI.
2) Implement adequate security
HCI has unique infrastructure security requirements because of its integrated architecture. Security for HCI should defend against attacks on each component: storage, compute, and networking. Although all 3 components are contained in a single chassis, hackers can target them individually. Both the hardware and the software, which provides virtualization, should be protected against internal and external threats.
3) Scale resources independently
Traditionally, HCI has allowed companies to scale resources proportionally. For example, if you need to add more storage capacity, supporting compute and network will scale to meet the new demand. Newer HCI solutions allow organizations to add either extra storage or compute nodes without scaling the other for a more flexible approach to meeting workload needs.
4) Leverage existing virtualization expertise
Members of your IT staff who have experience working with virtualization will be well equipped to manage your HCI. However, these team members may need a little training on how to deal with the new technology. They should familiarize themselves with the demands of typical HCI workloads, such as VDI. Staff members who are familiar with either storage, compute, or networking may need to get to know the other components of HCI just as well.
5) Take advantage of HCI for edge computing
HCI simplifies the architecture needed to support remote workplaces and the edge computing used in IoT technology. The ease of deployment and scaling combined with unified monitoring and management make HCI ideal for edge computing deployments. HCI also provides the low-latency performance needed for remote users of applications.
Best HCI Solutions for Following Best Practices
Probably the overarching message regarding HCI best practices is that companies should take advantage of the technology’s potential for innovation. HCI can provide a springboard for hybrid and multicloud environments and support containerized workloads.
To open up these possibilities, your company should find a technology partner that provides leading HCI solutions, such as Nutanix.
ProActive Solutions partners with Nutanix and strongly believes in the potential HCI has to modernize your company’s IT infrastructure. That’s why we offer HCI as part of our data center transformation solutions. We will work with your organization to find HCI use cases and help you through the process of finding and deploying the right solution.
Make hyperconverged infrastructure your next IT project. Request a quote from ProActive.