Glossary What is Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI)?
By / 2 Jan 2023 / Topics: Data center Modern infrastructure
Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) is a software-defined IT infrastructure server. Instead of using hardware to operate each server element (such as storage, network and compute), the infrastructure elements exist as software, which is known as virtualization.
IT administrators can easily create virtual infrastructure within HCI servers. This enables fast application and resource deployment. Since it takes up less space and is easier to cool, HCI can also reduce IT infrastructure costs.
HCI servers are built by the manufacturer, so they can’t be customized. This contrasts with converged infrastructure, which is modular in design.
What’s the difference between converged and hyperconverged?
| Converged Infrastructure (CI) | Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) |
|---|---|
| Separate compute, network, & storage components | Combined compute & storage, network remains separate |
| Components can be sourced from same or different vendors | Components can be sourced from the same vendor |
| Scale components individually | Scale compute and storage together |
| Different software/firmware per component | Sotfware-defined storage runs on compute nodes |
| Architected together after component inception | Archtected together before component inception |
| External cohesion through mulitple management planes | Internal cohesion through a single management plane (usually hypervisor) |
Benefits of HCI
Hyperconverged infrastructure enables a multicloud environment through unified management. This capability is critical, as it imparts the ability to automate and orchestrate infrastructure or components like APIs that provide programmability going to or from the public cloud.
Automation and orchestration can help you refocus on the business rather than the day-to-day activities of keeping the lights on, responding to alerts, and provisioning new servers or applications. These capabilities allow an IT organization to increase their strategic capacity to help the business, rather than just maintaining the status quo.
HCI solutions deliver the following benefits:
- Lower management costs
- Faster and simpler deployment
- Streamlined provisioning, management, and expansion
- Non-disruptive lifecycle
- Consolidation of technical silos
- Flexibility in design and growth
- Runs most workloads
- Start with a few nodes and grow to many (web scale)
- Fewer design requirements
- Optimize CapEx by aligning investments with requirements
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
- Combines OpEx efficiencies with flexibility
- Build based on environment size and needs (from Remote Office/Branch Office (ROBO) to data center)
Many organizations look to HCI when implementing or improving Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or server virtualization as a way to reduce complexity and minimize upfront costs.
