What is Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI)?
Hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) allows the convergence of physical storage onto industry-standard x86 servers, enabling a building block approach with scale-out capabilities. All key data center functions run as software on the hypervisor in a tightly integrated software layer – delivering services that were previously provided via hardware through software.
Grow your ecosystem capabilities with Hyper Converged Infrastructure Powered by VMware vSAN
VMware provides a unique, software-defined approach to hyper convergence, leveraging the hypervisor to deliver compute, storage and management in a tightly integrated software stack. Our industry-leading software for HCI is offered on the broadest set of consumption options, from VCE VxRail™, a turnkey HCI appliance, to more than 200 certified platforms in the form of vSAN ReadyNode.
What is VMware’s Industry-Leading Software for HCI?
HCI powered by vSAN consists of:
- vSphere: our industry-leading virtualization platform that provides server virtualization.
- vSAN: the only vSphere-embedded storage solution that delivers flash-optimized, high-performance, hyper-converged storage for virtual machines.
- vCenter Server: the unified and extensible management solution for vSphere environments.
HCI powered by vSAN gives you the broadest choice of hardware deployment options. The vSAN ReadyNode program includes more than 150 certified x86 systems available from all the major server vendors. VCE VxRail is a turnkey hyper-converged infrastructure appliance, jointly engineered by VMware and Dell EMC, which offers the most streamlined deployment experience.
SPOTLIGHT
Hyper-Converged Infrastructure for Dummies Guide
Learn how to use HCI to eliminate complexity, improve productivity, reduce costs, and more.
HCI 101: What You Need to Know
Learn more about the benefits of HCI.
HCI on the Virtual Blocks Blog
Get hyper-converged infrastructure technical insights, insider tips, and more from our storage and availability experts.
Join the discussionWhy Hyper-Converged Infrastructure and Why Now?
HCI solution can dramatically increase efficiency, improve flexibility, and reduce TCO across the data center.
Century Link Streamlines Data Center with HCI
vSAN lowers Century Link’s data center footprint.
Evaluator Group HCI Study
vSAN named the #1 HCI product being purchased or evaluated by customers.
VMware Powered Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Enables You To
Evolve Without Risk
As the only native-vSphere storage, vSAN enables you to seamlessly extend virtualization to storage, creating a hyper-converged solution that simply works with your existing tools, skillsets, software solutions and hardware platforms. vSAN now further reduces risk with the first native HCI security solution, protecting data-at-rest while offering simple management and a hardware-agnostic solution. vSAN continues to offer the broadest set of deployment choices supported by the large, proven vSAN ReadyNode ecosystem of leading server vendors.
Reduce TCO
Faced with tight IT budgets, customers are turning to HCI powered by vSAN to lower total cost of ownership up to 50%. vSAN can dramatically reduce costs due to hardware choice, server-side economics, and affordable flash. Your operations become easier with fewer tasks and intelligent automation that can be managed through one tool and a unified team. The simplicity allows you to respond to business demands faster and more intelligently. New enhanced stretch clusters deliver site and local protection at half the cost of leading traditional solutions.
Scale to Tomorrow
As your businesses continue to evolve, the agility of vSAN helps you prepare for tomorrow’s IT demands—whether that requires expanding into the public cloud or rapidly deploying the latest flash and server technologies to gain a competitive advantage. vSAN also supports a wide range of applications, from current business critical applications to next-gen applications and containers. When combined with NSX, a vSAN powered SDDC stack can extend on-premises storage and management services across different public clouds ensuring a consistent experience.
Hyper-Converged Infrastructure powered by vSAN: Deployment Options
VCE VxRail
The VCE VxRail appliance, exclusively available from VCE and VMware, is the easiest and fastest way to implement a VMware powered HCI solution. With the power of a whole SAN in just 2 rack units, it provides a simple, cost effective hyper-converged solution for a wide variety of applications and workloads. With VxRail, IT organizations can start small and easily scale capacity and performance by non-disruptively adding appliances to the cluster without the investment or up-front planning required with traditional infrastructure.
vSAN ReadyNode
vSAN ReadyNode are the most flexible x86 building blocks on which to deploy VMware hyper-converged infrastructure software. We have partnered with all the leading x86 server vendors to provide a broad choice of pre-certified hardware, enabling you to deploy hyper-converged infrastructure with maximum flexibility of hardware, software, licenses and support.
Social Communities
Join the HCI and vSAN conversations on Twitter @vmwarevsan and @VxRail. And learn more about HCI and vSAN on the Virtual Blocks blog.