List of top hyperconverged infrastructure systems 2020. Converged infrastructure merges the storage, compute, and networking components based on commodity hardware in a unified turnkey product explains what is converged infrastructure. Storeonce solutions, whether hardware versus software, target versus. They are designed for virtualized and cloud environments. Hci combines compute, storage, and networking resources in a single building block and adopts softwaredefined everything approach. Learn what those are and discover more key findings in this gartner report. Hci removes complex manual steps in deployment and is designed for simplicity. With the performance improvements over the past few years with intel x86 processors, we have seen a rapid movement to softwaredefined. With the performance improvements over the past few years with intel x86 processors, we have seen a rapid movement to software defined storage, software defined networks, software defined data centres, and software defined everything else. Converged vs hyperconverged infrastructure bmc software. Compute, storage, networking and management are now delivered as software.
In some circumstances, sis would even write custom software to marry all the various bits of it together. Converged infrastructure is a prepackaged bundle of systems, including servers, storage, networking, and management software. The difference between softwaredefined storage and hyperconverged infrastructure is that sds is the virtualization of storage by separating the control and management software from the hardware architecture. Highly efficient storage platforms for data performance creating storage solutions that evolve with business needs. With stoneflys innovative software defined storage approach, its easy to deploy, scale, and manage the hyperconverged storage infrastructure.
Emc has a separate enterprise san symmetrix family but the vnx put the two largest pureplay storage system vendors. The first came from nutanix, a startup that offers hyper converged systems, merging compute and storage and removing the need for a dedicated san. Converged storage is a storage architecture that combines storage and computing resources. This approach contrasts with the traditional storage model, in which storage and computing take. Nov 07, 2018 this article will compare two of the biggest players in enterprise storage netapp vs.
The combined offering provides the user with a single window support for lifetime of the product. Hp converged storage helps customers simplify with unified. Converged infrastructure solution for storage systems. Vmware provides a unique, software defined approach to hyperconvergence, leveraging the hypervisor to deliver compute, storage and management in a tightly integrated. Cisco released its unified computing system some time ago, which consists of hardware and management software under the ucs umbrella. The important part was that sis typically presented their offering to the customer as a. The organization purchased a payroll system, not a vmware cluster, some storage, networking, operating systems and application software. Aug 01, 2014 as the concept of hyperconvergence combining compute, networking and storage continues to gain acceptance and adoption, chris evans and max kolomyeytsev will discuss what features to expect. This article will compare two of the biggest players in enterprise storage netapp vs. There are unified storage systems where the san blocks are actually sitting on top of a file system and the translation happens within the storage controller. The first expectation of unified storage systems is the convergence of the. Hpe hyper converged solutions combine intuitive software with the reliability of a world class platform to deliver cloudlike simplicity to your business. Technology is lowering the cost of onpremises storage and increasing its agility. When you combine all the above solutions in 1 single system it can be termed as hybrid scalable converged unified storage.
Unified storage refers to a single logical system that is capable of. For storage specifically this requires a softwaredefined, distributed, shared storage model with all the data services typically provided by external san or nas but all delivered as software on the hypervisor. Powering the industrys largest hyperconverged infrastructure ecosystem. There are also opex to consider such as software licensing, power, space, cooling, and probably the number one cost of most it shops is the people. So, you get an expert it team with a depth of experience in the field of hyperconvergence. While virtually every major server vendor offers a unifiedconverged system, you do still have the option to mix and match an oracle server with emc storage, for example. Cisco validated designs flashstack is now a cisco validated design, a cisco published solution that. The combination of storage and compute differs to the traditional it model in which computation and storage take place in separate or siloed computer equipment.
Converged infrastructure and the traditional data centre. Hyperconverged infrastructure vs cloud computing bridgeworks. Hp converged storage drives rapid response legacy monolithic and unified. Where converged infrastructure is hardwarebased and specializes in packaged hardware and software from a single vendor, hyperconverged infrastructure collapses compute and storage resources into. Building on this momentum, hp is releasing new midrange and flash storage innovations include 3par file persona software and the hp 3par storeserv 7440c converged flash array, which provides allflash performance, unified storage agility, hybrid storage affordability and flat backup of 3par storeserv snapshots to hp storeonce backup fully. Unified storage sometimes called network unified storage or multiprotocol storage is a storage system that makes it possible to run and manage files and. To gain a clearer understanding of ci, it is helpful to consider the differences between converged storage, unified architecture, ci itself and. Stonefly uss unified storage and server combines storage, compute, and networking into one easytomanage, simpletouse, highly scalable and redundant storage appliance. Vmware provides its vsphere and vcloud software suites for virtualization and management. Mar 21, 2018 hyperconverged infrastructure vs cloud computing. The market for converged infrastructure is growing rapidly as it departments small and large decide that it complexity is bad.
On the other end of the spectrum, hyperconverged infrastructure hci uses intelligent software to combine x86based server and storage resources into a 100% softwaredefined solution. Help in managing hyperconverged storage is provided by one of. As a cisco preferred solution provider, pure storage is involved. Hyper converged infrastructure hci is a convergence of compute and storage infrastructure that is easy to deploy and manage with a single ui. This platform was designed to combine the manufacturers clariion and celerra arrays.
Hyper converged infrastructure hci can be thought of as software centric data center infrastructure that seamlessly integrates compute, storage, networking and virtualization technologies to give end users a unified scaleout platform. Hitachi unified compute platform ucp is the companys product for converged infrastructure ci, combining resources server, storage, networking, virtualization, and software management. Hyperconverged products threaten standalone san and nas. Hp converged infrastructure solutions are a key element in a clients instanton enterprise journey. Hpe convergedsystem gives you lower cost of ownership and greater flexibility to meet more business demands. Hyperconverged storage is a softwaredefined approach to storage management that combines storage, compute, virtualization and sometimes networking technologies in one physical unit that is managed. Hyperconverged infrastructure vs cloud computing 5.
A unified storage system simultaneously enables storage of file data and handles the blockbased inputoutput. Both offer allflash and hybrid unified storage arrays, along with softwareonly configurations, cloud onramps, backup capabilities and system management options. Converged and hyperconverged secondary storage trustradius. That is why any system administrator can work with hyperconverged software solutions. Dell, hpe, lenovo, and super micro all offer blade products, which give you the ability to mix and match compute, networking, and storage from offtheshelf components. This can result in the development of platforms for server centric, storage centric or hybrid workloads where applications and data come together to improve application performance and delivery. New hp converged storage infrastructure storagenewsletter. Nov 15, 2016 while virtually every major server vendor offers a unified converged system, you do still have the option to mix and match an oracle server with emc storage, for example. Software defined storage typically includes a form of storage virtualization to separate the storage hardware from the software that manages it.
The need for data storage is never ending for some enterprises and probably feels like a force of nature for others. Originally, hyperconverged infrastructure offered a building block of compute, softwaredefined storage and virtualised. Finally, hyperconverged infrastructure has a storage controller function that runs as a service on every node in the cluster, which is why this is classified as softwaredefined storage. Finally, hyper converged infrastructure has a storage controller function that runs as a service on every node in the cluster, which is why this is classified as software defined storage. Converged storage vendors typically tout that this type of data storage is easier to purchase one vendor vs multiple, faster to deploy and manage. Aug 01, 2017 by contrast, with converged architecture, storage is attached directly to the physical server. As the concept of hyperconvergence combining compute, networking and storage continues to gain acceptance and adoption, chris evans and max kolomyeytsev will discuss what. The storage admins perspective replacing a traditional storage environment with hyperconverged infrastructure hci solutions can give you a simpler, more. The first came from nutanix, a startup that offers hyperconverged systems, merging compute and storage and removing the need for a dedicated san. Hyper converged storage is a software defined approach to storage management that combines storage, compute, virtualization and sometimes networking technologies in one physical unit that is managed as a single system. Parks works with customers, product teams and the technical community to develop content and programs. In a world where time is the new currency, simplicity is a musthave. Emc merged its midrange clariion san and celerra nas platforms into the vnx.
For it planners sifting through the deluge of vendor claims about these two technologies to determine which is best for their organizations is difficult. On the other end of the spectrum, hyperconverged infrastructure hci uses intelligent software to combine x86based server and storage resources into a 100% software defined solution. These virtual controllers run on every node within the cluster ensuring unified storage management, better resiliency, and failover capabilities. You can get an entrylevel san from either company for around. Hyperconverged architectures hca and software defined storage sds are two of the most talked about trends in the data center, and both are gaining traction. Converged storage is the integration of storage and computing hardware and processes to speed delivery time, optimize application performance, and minimize power, cooling, and physical space requirements in virtualized and cloudbased environments. The flashstack converged infrastructure solution combines the latest in compute, network, and storage components into a single, integrated architecture that accelerates time to deployment, lowers overall. We partner with storage industry leaders such as emc to bring the latest proven technologies to our clients in innovative ways that tackle the complexity of enterprise storage environments. As a form of ci, converged secondary storage incorporates storage, computing, and networking elements based on x86 hardware in a unified turnkey product. Converged storage is the integration of storage and computing hardware and processes to speed delivery time, optimize application performance, and minimize power, cooling, and physical space. A unified storage system simultaneously enables storage of file data and handles the blockbased inputoutput io of enterprise applications. Hp solution support provides singlepointofcontact services for the entire turnkey solution, including thirdparty software.
Hyperconverged vs converged vs software defined storage. Hyperconvergence and the future of the data centre nexstor. By contrast, with converged architecture, storage is attached directly to the physical server. Monolithic architectures support both block and filebased architectures, either independently or in a unified storage system that brings together both. Hyperconverged infrastructure hci allows the convergence of physical storage onto industrystandard x86 servers, enabling a building block approach with scaleout capabilities. To this end, a multiprotocol storage system consolidates file and blockbased access in a single storage platform compared to traditional arrays that contain either. Hyperconverged infrastructure hci is transforming the way private datacenter. Hitachi vantara provides converged and hyperconverged infrastructure that help you to achieve data agility and optimize your data center and hybrid cloud with data insights. The storage is controlled at the os or hypervisor layer with the help of virtual storage controllers. Converged storage helps users build a storage pool based on modular building blocks. The storage admins perspective replacing a traditional storage environment with hyperconverged infrastructure hci solutions can give you a simpler, more efficient way to manage resourcesand eliminate the guesswork that often leads to overprovisioning. Converged storage is a storage architecture that combines storage and computing resources into a single entity.
Softwaredefined storage sds is a marketing term for computer data storage software for policybased provisioning and management of data storage independent of the underlying hardware. Companies usually purchase these systems from one company, instead of buying the hardware and software components separately from different suppliers. It replaces the components of legacy infrastructure, i. Reduce data center complexity, increase scalability, improve timetovalue and potentially lower costs. Hyper converged infrastructure hci allows the convergence of physical storage onto industrystandard x86 servers, enabling a building block approach with scaleout capabilities. For our customers and partners, pure storage works with cisco to deliver industryleading roi for your flashstack converged infrastructure. So with that out of the way lets compare san storage options to hyper converged. A unified storage architecture ensures that all protocols can be supported. Aug 17, 2015 hyper converged architectures hca and software defined storage sds are two of the most talked about trends in the data center, and both are gaining traction. Nexentastor is the industrys leading softwaredefined storage sds platform, built on a. Emc vnx we compare emcs vnx and netapps fas series unified storage systems in terms of data services, autotiering and clustering.
Unified storage architectures which combine nas and. Softwaredefined architecture enables local storage on multiple compute nodes to be used as a shared storage resource. Reducing manpower expertise can save money to be used for other things. Second, the storage infrastructure that supports a virtualized server or desktop. Hp converged storage products are built on modular, standardized platforms, scaleout software, and converged management. Hci removes complex manual steps in deployment and is. To enable customers to meet the challenge of explosive data growth while maintaining operational efficiency and simplicity, hp is delivering a nextgeneration converged storage architecture that removes the boundaries between server, storage, and networking resources. Hpe synergy composable infrastructure advantages vs. Keeping up with explosive data growth is only the first requirement a storage solution needs to meet. All software clearos software converged infrastructure management software data management and query software. This can then be reconfigured or moved instantly to support various. Discover how hpe and intelligent data storage can help you unlock the full potential of your data and set the pace with aidriven data management, built for cloud storage infrastructure and as a service experience. Hyperconverged infrastructure vs cloud computing 5 questions to ask as it departments look to move beyond traditional virtualisation into cloud and hyperconverged infrastructure hci platforms, they have a lot to consider and it can be hard for it staff to know where to start. Help in managing hyperconverged storage is provided by one of the hyper converged infrastructure vendors.
Options from hewlettpackard, dell, ibm, cisco systems, vce and netapp attempt to reduce acquisition and operational costs, consolidate networking, increase manageability, decrease time to deployment, cut storage costs and reduce power consumption. In this instance, flash storage is almost always used. In hci, much of the work is defined in software and integration is a must, so they tend to come from a single vendor. Unified storage sometimes called network unified storage or multiprotocol storage is a storage system that makes it possible to run and manage files and applications from a single device. Converged and hyperconverged infrastructure hitachi vantara. Analyst with evaluator group, discusses hyperconverged, converged and software defined storage. The important part was that sis typically presented their offering to the customer as a single solution. Storage performance san versus hyperconverged virtual. There are other unified systems where there are dedicated controllers for san functions and separate controllers for nas functions, but there is a management wrapper that creates a single logical system to manage. Hyperconverged infrastructure hci can be thought of as softwarecentric data center infrastructure that seamlessly integrates compute, storage, networking and virtualization technologies to give end users. Best hyperconverged infrastructure systems 10 a hyperconverged infrastructure is a softwaredefined appcentric storage infrastructure coupled with a compact efficient scaleout hardware infrastructure. Going hyperconverged with software defined storage youtube. To make the most of this, you should leverage the right storage technologies. As a cisco preferred solution provider, pure storage is involved with the following cisco initiatives.
By using storage controller software, these servers could also be made into. Hyperconverged storage from starwind starwind software. Brad parks converged infrastructure strategist, hp storage. Both offer allflash and hybrid unified storage arrays, along with softwareonly.