What does next level hyperconverged infrastucture look like? Meet HCI 2.0

[StorageExperts]

Over the past decade, we have come to realize the benefits of hyperconverged infrastructure the simpler, software-defined ability to create VMs en masse, manage them, and move them around, as needed, regardless of the hardware. All seemed fine, until it became evident that this new approach, while an evolution on some fronts, had some drawbacks.

One of the delights of working in the technology field is the anticipation of what’s coming next. Phrases like “2.0”, “upgrade”, and “advancement” all carry the promise that something new and better is now available. However, all too often, we are disappointed with revelation and feel we’ve been sold on a vague promise.

Not so, with the latest breakthrough in the oh-so-attractive IT realm of hyperconvergence.

Over the past decade, we have come to realize the benefits of HCI (Hyperconverged Infrastructure the simpler, software-defined ability to create VMs en masse, manage them, and move them around, as needed, regardless of the hardware. All seemed fine, until it became evident that this new approach, while an evolution on some fronts, had some drawbacks. Basic HCI, while still perfect for VDI, general purpose virtualization, and deployments at the edge where simple and compact makes sense, didn’t have the ability to handle larger and more complex workloads that needed to scale. For instance, even if you could put line-of-business apps like ERP or transactional database environments into a VM, you need reliable infrastructure that minimizes failure domains so that one node outage does not create downstream issues for critical applications at scale.

What if you could have an HCI environment where you could scale to maximum performance, and reduce the risk of losing apps and data, AND remove wasted resources tied up in multiple backups? Sounds like “next level” to me.

Well, there is such a solution – HPE Nimble Storage dHCI, short for disaggregated HCI, and we call it HCI 2.0. It combines the powerful storage of HPE Nimble all-flash arrays, along with the world’s best-selling server, HPE ProLiant Gen 10, and HPE Infosight, that monitors and helps correct anomalies in the environment. This last part is especially unique in that it performs that “needle in a haystack” job, to find, report and sometimes proactively fix things that have, or will soon, go awry.

Chuck Wood, one of HPE’s experts on HCI 2.0, does a great job of explaining this approach in a recent WorldWatch Webinar about dHCI.

Part of the beauty of this solution is the simplicity. It’s simple to deploy – taking just 15 minutes from rack to application. It’s simple to manage – using the VM-centric vCenter tools you’ve grown to know and love. It’s simple to scale – adding storage and compute with no disruption and no impact to the apps and you can even add existing HPE ProLiant G9/Gen 10 servers you already have. It’s simple to support – HPE Infosight monitors and alerts complex issues, so you don’t get surprised.

I know, you’re worried about “next level” promises that don’t come true. Especially ones about data integrity. I hear you. 

How about this?

HPE Nimble Storage dHCI delivers sub-millisecond latency, 99.9999% guaranteed data availability, built-in data protection, and can tolerate three simultaneous drive failures without a hiccup in performance. That’s super impressive disaster protection there.

Let’s say your business is growing and you find you’re in “VM sprawl” where the number of VMs is on a non-stop collision course to overrun your resources. HPE Infosight, as part of this HCI 2.0 rollout, can find the data on where all the VMs are, identify the noisy VMs using too much memory, and let you decide to allocate more storage or compute, depending on the needs. Sounds like true “advancement” to me.

And, the icing on the cake is that you can have this solution and pay for only what you use, with HPE GreenLake for Nimble Storage dHCI.

Petsure, a leading pet insurance company from down-under, used HPE Nimble Storage dHCI to manage their environment during the uptick in pet ownership and adoptions during COVID-19. Read their press release on the subject.

National Tree Company leverages HPE Nimble Storage dHCI for speeding their retail operations improving order processing by 70%, and they have gained time to focus on more strategic initiatives.  See their transformation Case Study.

And, if you are not convinced this is “next level”, check out this comparison paper between HPE Nimble Storage dHCI and VMware VXrail and see what I mean.

I can’t wait for the next “next level”!

Meet new HPE blogger, Stan Grant. Stan is an Industry & Workload Marketing Manager for HPE Americas.  He is focused on hyperconverged technologies, manufacturing innovations, and security for hybrid cloud.

Stan loves learning about new and impactful innovations that make our lives better.

You can follow Stan on twitter @StanITGrant or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Storage Experts
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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