Cisco HyperFlex: A New Era in Data Center Management
Hyperconverged infrastructure provides an alternative to expensive external storage, while making enterprises more agile and efficient.
Over the past two decades, data center management has undergone several significant transformations. It wasn’t much more than a decade ago that mainframes moved out of data centers to make way for smaller servers focused on a single task. As enterprise architects realized that many of those servers left capacity unused much of the time, technologists began to move them onto consolidated hardware platforms through virtualization technology.
Consider hyperconvergence the newest evolution of data center management. It builds on the integrated computing, storage and networking of the first generation of converged systems with additional layers of automation and abstraction.
Across industry verticals, organizations are seeing intense data growth that is outpacing most enterprise storage budgets. This puts IT teams in a difficult situation: needing to provide higher levels of IT service with fewer resources. Limited IT budgets make it infeasible to make large purchases of traditional disk systems to keep pace with data growth. Hyperconverged platforms give enterprises a sustainable, efficient alternative to expensive, proprietary external storage arrays.
8 Questions for Determining When
HyperFlex Is Appropriate
Hyperconvergence may be optimal for a wide variety of use cases. Organizations that answer “Yes” to any of the following questions should consider HyperFlex as a potential solution for their technology needs:
- Does the organization want to simplify data center architecture?
- Is there a need to reduce infrastructure and/or operational costs?
- Does the technology staff anticipate a server and/or server refresh in the near future?
- Does the organization have remote branch offices?
- Do developers need a more flexible test and development environment?
- Is the organization considering deploying virtual desktop technology?
- Does the organization already use the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS)?
- Are business leaders attracted to the pay-as-you-grow model of cloud computing, but hesitant to move enterprise data into the public cloud?
Cisco HyperFlex
Consider hyperconvergence the newest evolution of data center management.
At the same time, enterprises are growing geographically and becoming more highly distributed. Business requirements often drive the establishment of remote offices and campuses. This geographic growth moves increasing amounts of data away from the central office, creating a need for local storage capability. This also means that IT staff must ensure the security of enterprise data wherever it is located. Hyperconverged infrastructure platforms empower organizations to standardize storage and other IT services across diverse geographic locations. Technologists leveraging hyperconvergence may also depend on it to provide data protection and mobility enhancements.
Cisco HyperFlex systems deliver three key advantages in the hyperconvergence market:
• Agility: HyperFlex is an end-to-end solution that lets enterprises move quickly and support
digital transformation efforts.
• Efficiency: HyperFlex keeps data optimized and infrastructure aligned with application requirements.
• Adaptability: HyperFlex positions organizations to support an expanding range of applications
and operating models.
As a single, integrated solution for enterprises seeking to consolidate on a single architecture, network fabric and management platform, HyperFlex facilitates the rapid deployment of technology services. Engineers can deploy computing, network and storage resources in less than an hour. This speed extends to ongoing operation of the environment, with a single management plane for both converged and hyperconverged solutions delivered at a fraction of the cost of a comprehensive converged infrastructure. The purchasing model enables a pay-as-you-grow approach, so organizations can add computing and storage modules separately and scale them as pools of resources rather than fixed configurations. To read more about HyperFlex, download our white paper, "Cisco HyperFlex Transforms Data Center Management."
CDW: A Data Center Partner That Gets IT
From start to finish, CDW helps organizations of all sizes meet their data center infrastructure needs. A dedicated account team provides solutions and services ranging from IT components such as servers, storage and networking equipment to the underlying infrastructure for power and thermal management.
A dedicated CDW account manager and experienced, certified solution architects are ready at every phase of choosing and leveraging the right data center solutions.
See how CDW helps to keep data centers on track
Featured Partner
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Extend the benefits of distributed storage technology to more applications and use cases. Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series combines compute, storage, and networking into an easy-to-use system that brings new levels of speed and efficiency to IT. Use Cisco HyperFlex technology to unlock the full potential of hyperconverged infrastructure today.
The CDW Approach
ASSESS
Certified solution architects conduct onsite evaluations to identify opportunities to improve data center efficiency and performance.
DESIGN
CDW•G experts help design data center solutions that meet the specific needs of the organization and its users.
DEPLOY
The CDW team creates a road map for strategic implementation that minimizes disruptions and downtime.
SUPPORT
If purchased products or solutions ever need maintenance, CDW experts are here to help.
MANAGE
Lighten the IT load by letting CDW manage various data center elements, such as power and thermal management, network services, storage, security and more.