Dispelling the myths surrounding the hyper-converged infrastructure

Dispelling the myths surrounding the hyper-converged infrastructure

In the last post in our series about the hyper-converged infrastructure, we covered the basics, including what it is and what the benefits are. Now that you've learned a bit about what's true when it comes to hyper-converged infrastructures, it's a great time for you to start thinking about what isn't true.

The rise of the hyper-converged infrastructure as the hot new solution has been remarkably rapid. In the space of only a couple of years, hyper-converged went from completely unheard of to a billion-dollar industry in its own right. One of the side effects of this rapid rise and the extreme amount of hype surrounding it is the fact that a number of common myths emerged surrounding the technology. The speed at which the technology emerged helped ensure that these myths were not dispelled, and instead came to be commonly accepted. In some cases, the hyper-converged vendors themselves were directly responsible for spreading half-truths, while in other cases the myths were simply misconceptions that started to take on a life of their own.

No matter how these myths came into being, what's really important is that you dispel them now, before you decide to take on a hyper-converged infrastructure project, so that you can have realistic expectations going in. Read this post for a closer look at some of these myths, as well as explanations for why they aren't true. After reading this post, you'll be prepared to start your hyper-converged infrastructure with a complete and accurate understanding of what the technology can do.

Common myths surrounding the hyper-converged infrastructure

1. It is always the most affordable method for building a data center by far

While we did mention the potential savings that the hyper-converged infrastructure can create in our previous post, it’s important to understand that these are only one specific form of savings: capital expense savings. This comes as a result of removing the need to invest in expensive premium hardware to make changes or inspire better performance.

What you shouldn’t expect is for the hyper-converged infrastructure to magically decrease your costs across the board. In the world of IT infrastructure, there’s no such thing as a magic wand that instantly makes everything better, and hyper-converged is certainly no exception.

2. It’s completely open and standards-based

While it is true that your hyper-converged infrastructure can be built on commodity hardware and managed using any Windows or Linux operating system, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it represents a completely open and standardized approach.

For one thing, your hyper-converged infrastructure will be based entirely on the offerings of a single vendor. If you ever wish to change your infrastructure or add anything to it, you would need to work with that same vendor again. This is one reason that picking the right vendor for your needs before you take the plunge into the hyper-converged infrastructure is so incredibly important.

3. A hyper-converged infrastructure harms your ability to innovate

For many IT leaders, the ability to innovate is based on the ability to try new things quickly, which logically depends on the ability to work with multiple vendors simultaneously. As a result, these leaders often assume that working with a single vendor to manage their hyper-converged infrastructure can curtail their ability to innovate.

In fact, hyper-converged vendors are among the leading technological innovators in the world today. Also, any new innovations your hyper-converged vendor offers you will be tested and ensured to work well with your infrastructure, greatly reducing the amount of trial and error you might have to undertake otherwise.

4. VDI is the only good reason to use hyper-converged

While it is true that the virtual desktop infrastructure is one very important and beneficial use case for the hyper-converged infrastructure, new use cases are emerging all the time. Instead of focusing on only one area of use, keep an open mind to everything you can accomplish with the hyper-converged infrastructure, and try out new things as they come along. This is the best way to make the most from your investment.

See how we can help you

Thanks again for following our series on the hyper-converged infrastructure. Check back soon for the final post in the series, which will cover the concept of selecting the right hyper-converged vendor for your needs. You can always reach out to us here at Cima to talk through hyper-converged infrastructure, cloud or anything else you're considering for your organization.

Best,

Jim

James Cunningham serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Cima Solutions Group. His experience in Healthcare operations and infrastructure support has enabled him to effectively move workloads into various cloud computing models. With 19 years in the IT field he carries several industry standard certifications, specializing in x86 and virtualization. Prior to Cima, James spent 15 years in Healthcare IT. He was Manager of Infrastructure at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. He has also spent over 10 years at The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, in Systems Engineering and EMR System Support.


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