By now, you’ve likely heard of “hyperconverged infrastructure,” and you and your team may even be considering adopting it. As you work through that decision, chances are you’ve wondered what sorts of problems hyperconvergence could solve for you.
Or, you might be in the camp of folks who’ve used legacy 3-tier architecture for so long that it’s a part of your DNA—and you might not be too keen on uprooting something that’s worked “just fine” for so many years.
Either way, we’ve taken the guesswork out for you and compiled 5 of the top pain-points you can bid farewell to should you take the leap to HCI.
1. Costly and Complex VDI Deployment
What do all IT teams want? To be more responsive, more resilient, to run ‘round the clock, and to do it all within a rigid budget.
How are many of them doing it? More businesses are turning to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). With remote access to desktops and applications, employees can be anywhere and work from any device, enabling greater continuity and productivity.
The problem? If the underlying infrastructure that supports VDI is weak, the performance and availability of your VDI workloads are compromised.
Time for a not-so-surprising surprise: HCI is emerging as a far more streamlined, cost-efficient way to deploy VDI. Here’s how: By using software-defined storage (SDS), the right resources go to the right virtual desktops automatically, eliminating the pain of manual intervention. Plus, businesses on HCI are able to scale within their budgets, enjoy no-brainer infrastructure, and get their time back.
2. Lengthy, Agonizing Management
Much of the complexity associated with legacy architecture comes from the tedious, time-consuming management it requires.
We have silos, racks, separate servers, multiple vendors, endless cables, and much more to thank for that. Far too many IT teams are focused on simply keeping these and other elements in check to worry about projects and initiatives that can push their business forward.
That’s why hyperconvergence uses a single pane of glass to give you a better-than-bird’s-eye-view into your IT environment. With complete visibility, you’re free to manage every part of your infrastructure simply and seamlessly in one spot. No more separate (and costly) management solutions!
3. Bye, Bye IT Budget!
Like it or not, we all have a finite IT budget—one we simply can’t afford to drain on infrastructure alone.
Here’s just an abridged list of the true cost of legacy architecture:
- Separate support costs
- Support teams
- Licensing costs
- Upgrade costs
- Administrative costs
- Power and cooling costs
- Datacenter footprint costs
- Hiring specialists
- Storage provisioning costs
At face-value, 3-tier architecture looks friendly on your wallet. But that initial cost quickly doubles and triples when you consider the variables it takes to keep it going. In the long-run, all these upkeep costs can deplete your budget.
4. Need to Scale? Make your Best Guess
If you’re on 3-tier architecture, chances are you’re familiar with the Resource Prediction Dilemma—a daunting task where you’re asked to predict your resource consumption 3-5 years down the line. Too often, this means overprovisioning to avoid resource depletion.
However, that means you’re left with unused, wasted resources.
Not so the case with HCI. Using a pay-as-you-grow model, you simply add on nodes and deploy them as needed. That means nothing goes to waste, and you’re not forced to pay for more than you need.
Put another way, hyperconvergence grows with you.
5. Leaving Innovation on the Backburner
You’ve probably heard of the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your budget goes into keeping your datacenter afloat. Maintenance tasks, system support, and other operational necessities fall into this category. The other 20% is considered “surplus,” which funnels into innovation.
Wait, what?
If too much of your time and resources are allocated to simply keeping the lights on, your business will have a hard time staying competitive, let alone becoming an industry leader.
Hyperconvergence erases that rule. Thanks to automation, self-service, and other time-saving capabilities, your IT teams aren’t bogged down with routine maintenance tasks—you’re free to focus on projects that drive business value.
P.S., When your employees aren’t bogged down with tedious management tasks, that free time doesn’t just translate to better, more innovative projects. With HCI, IT engagement (and employee retention) increases thanks to more interesting, rewarding projects.
Getting Started with Hyperconverged Infrastructure
If you’re still on the fence, no worries. We’re believers in “try before you buy.” At Atom Creek we have partners who have HCI trials to experience the power of industry-leading hyperconvergence platforms. Reach out today to see how you can start this immediately.
