For over two decades, legacy virtualization has been empowering IT infrastructures and operations. It’s helping enterprises maximize their hardware utilization and simplifying resource allocation.
Traditional virtualization allowed multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single server, boosting hardware utilization and reducing costs. However, it compartmentalized compute, storage, and networks into different silos.
Also, as businesses embrace digital transformation, the limitations of legacy virtualization models have become evident. Complexity, scalability challenges, and rising costs demand a newer approach.
That’s where HCI or hyperconverged infrastructure comes into the picture. This new approach reduces complexity, scalability challenges, and increasing costs, with simplicity and innovation. Most importantly, the use of hyperconverged infrastructure has led to less hardware utilization and lowered operational costs.
Moreover, virtualization software has evolved, and names like VMware and Nutanix have long dominated the market. However, growing concerns about licensing and subscriptions led more competitors to enter the market. Before you choose a solution, learn how HCI evolved and changed IT operations for the better.
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Key Ways HCI Platforms Redefine Virtualization
Hyperconverged infrastructure or HCI redefines virtualization in more than one way. The following are some key areas of improvement worth taking a look at:
From Silos to Unification
Large enterprises that have relied on separate, siloed, and hardware-heavy IT infrastructure have seen significant operational and management improvements with HCI.
HCI breaks down the silos and integrates compute, storage area networks (SANs), which were traditionally separate components.
Once integrated, enterprises no longer needed to rely on component-specific management tools. Instead, HCI integrated all the functions into a single software-defined data center where resources are pooled and managed as one cohesive system.
Simplified Management
Here’s why enterprises are now choosing HCI over traditional IT architectures:
- HCI simplifies management for users.
- Once the siloed components start to come under a single pane of glass for management, the IT team has a holistic overview of the infrastructure.
This unified and single-pane design for HCI makes IT management easier, reduces administrative overhead, and streamlines operations.
Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility
Scalability for IT infrastructures has never been easier. HCI uses a modular, “scale-out” architecture. They have to simply add new nodes to a cluster incrementally to complement the growing IT needs.
The outcome of such easy IT scalability leads to easier resource management without disruption. Also, enterprises need not overprovision for future needs and incur sizable budgeting.
Improved Performance and Efficiency
HCI redefines IT infrastructure with respect to hardware components and management, true. But the amplification of efficiency and performance is yet more revolutionary.
It leverages SDS and data locality, thereby reducing latency and eliminating performance bottlenecks that are often associated with separate SANs in traditional virtual environments.
Integrated Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Unlike traditional IT infrastructures, HCI solutions include built-in integrated data protection features such as backup replication and automated failover.
This ensures business continuity and data safety inside the same management framework, which is a capability that typically required complex and separate solutions previously.
Cloud Integration and Hybrid Environments
IT infrastructures have evolved beyond the inherent rigidity of the on-site infrastructures. From setting up the infrastructure to making it accessible to hybrid workforces, traditional infrastructure is too complex.
That’s where HCI takes enterprises to new heights by providing a foundation for private and hybrid cloud strategies. The use of similar distributed systems technologies as public clouds enables seamless workload mobility and consistent management across on-premises infrastructure and public cloud services (like AWS or Azure).
It’s a lot easier compared to using a VPN for accessing on-site servers while working remotely. Therefore, HCI directly powers and supports an organization’s hybrid work model.
Focus on Workloads, not Hardware
HCI abstracts hardware management and automates processes, making virtual machines and their applications the focus. This allows enterprises to allocate resources dynamically according to workload demands, making the infrastructure “invisible” to application owners.
Why HCI is the Future
The evolution from traditional virtualization software to HCI isn’t just a technological shift. It’s a tactical and business efficiency-related choice, keeping a business competitive and agile in its industry. That’s why HCI is more than a shift in choice of technology; it’s a choice toward competency and future readiness. Here’s why:
Hybrid Cloud Readiness: HCI integrates with public cloud platforms, allowing hybrid deployments without complexity.
Business Continuity: HCI comes with disaster recovery and data backup processes integrated into the system, ensuring minimal downtime.
Security by Design: HCI from vendors such as Sangfor integrates security across the entire stack. As a result, it’s efficient at reducing vulnerability and cyber threats.
Operational Efficiency: Centralized management reduces the need for multiple tools and specialized teams.
Cost Optimization: Lower hardware requirements and reduced licensing fees translate into significant savings.
For IT leaders, adopting HCI means embracing a future in which infrastructure is no longer just a cost center but a driver of innovation.
Sangfor’s Approach to Virtualization
When it comes to vendors leading the way in enterprise-grade virtualization, Sangfor is a name worth considering. The Server virtualization software is at the heart of the hypervisor. Built on a type-1 bare-metal architecture, aSV delivers enterprise-grade performance with advanced features such as:
- Live Migration: Move workloads without downtime.
- AI-Optimized Resource Scheduling: Intelligent allocation for maximum efficiency.
- VMware-Compatible CLI: Smooth migration from existing VMware environments.
- NUMA Optimization & SR-IOV Networking: Enhanced performance for demanding workloads.
- Micro-Segmentation: Granular security controls for virtualized environments.
Sangfor stands out as more than an HCI vendor. It’s a cost-effective alternative to VMware and other leading solutions for HCI and traditional legacy IT infrastructures. For businesses seeking agility and resilience, Sangfor offers a compelling proposition.
The Future Lies in Hyperconvergence
Virtualization has come a long way from decade-old legacy systems. From large enterprises to smaller SMBs, IT and operations managers have learned the importance of flexibility and security. Enterprises would rather have a single interface than struggle with different components for compute, storage, and networking.
Hyperconverged infrastructure addresses these limitations and provides IT leaders and large enterprise decision makers with the flexibility, agility, and cost efficiency. As a leading HCI vendor, Sangfor leads the way, believing that hyperconvergence is the way forward for IT operations.
