Hyperconverged Infrastructure
What Is Hyperconverged Infrastructure?
Combine storage, compute, and networking into a single system with hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). This simplified solution uses software and x86 servers to replace expensive, purpose-built hardware. With hyperconverged infrastructure, you’ll decrease data center complexity and increase scalability.
Traditional three-tier architecture is expensive to build, complex to operate, and difficult to scale. Don't wait for IT infrastructure to support your application demands. Adopt HCI without losing control, increasing costs, or compromising security.
Hyperconverged Infrastructure Explained
Why Should You Evolve to HCI?
Learn more about hyperconverged infrastructure, the benefits of making the switch, and how to get started.
Watch the Video (2:22)
Three Reasons to Adopt Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Discover how hyperconvergence works and why consolidating can help reduce complexity, cost, and risk.
Read the eBook
How Does Hyperconverged Infrastructure Work?
Four tightly integrated software components make up a hyperconverged platform: storage virtualization, compute virtualization, and networking virtualization, all with advanced management capabilities to help with automation. The virtualization software abstracts and pools underlying resources, then dynamically allocates them to applications running in VMs or containers. Configuration is based on policies aligned with the applications, eliminating the need for complicated constructs like LUNs and volumes.
What Is the Difference Between Hyperconverged and Converged Infrastructure?
Hyperconverged and converged IT infrastructures both integrate the four components of a data center. While hyperconverged systems accomplish this through software, making it hardware-agnostic, converged solutions rely on hardware. A converged infrastructure data center uses many of the same products as traditional IT, just with a simplified architecture and easier management.
What Can You Do with HCI?
- Build a private cloud: Deploy cloud-like infrastructure on-premises with lower costs, more control, and improved security. Choose from multiple hardware possibilities from our certified partners.
- Extend to public cloud: Choose an as-a-service option from the largest HCI cloud ecosystem for faster speed of deployment and less time spent managing infrastructure.
- Achieve true hybrid cloud: Manage a mix of VM- and container-based applications, deployed across a mix of data center, public cloud and edge environments with VMware hybrid cloud.
Advantages of Hyperconvergence vs. Traditional, Three Tier-Architecture
HCI transforms the traditional IT operational model with simple, unified management of resources. This results in:
Simpler Operations
Eliminate manual processes and the need for siloed operational expertise on your team. Now, a single, converged IT team can monitor and manage compute and storage resources, freeing up precious staff time.
Lower Costs
Reduce your CAPEX by using a scale-up/scale-out architecture that requires only industry-standard x86 servers, not expensive, purpose-built networking. Then simply add capacity as needed with no disruptions.
Greater Agility
Be more responsive to rapidly changing business needs. Set up hardware in a few hours; spin up workloads in minutes. Accelerate the performance of business-critical applications like relational databases.
What Are the Organizational Impacts of Adopting HCI?
Hear how HCI improves ease of management, use and more from VMware’s Lee Caswell and IDC’s Eric Burgener.
Evaluating Hyperconverged Infrastructure? Three Questions to Ask
Does hyperconverged infrastructure make IT more efficient?
Eliminating traditional IT silos and managing everything from a single tool means lower OPEX and CAPEX for your IT infrastructure. And with HCI, you don’t have to sacrifice security, flexibility or scalability. Learn why VMware has the most HCI customers in production worldwide in this infographic.
How will HCI integrate with your existing environment?
To deliver on its potential, a hyperconverged infrastructure solution shouldn’t be tied to a specific hardware platform. VMware HCI allows you the freedom to choose your preferred platform, fully integrate with your existing infrastructure, and protect and optimize existing investments.
Can an HCI solution efficiently and cost-effectively grow when, where and how you need it?
Data center scaling can be a costly, complicated process. VMware HCI is designed for simplicity and scalability for rapidly changing business needs. Only VMware has the complete set of offerings for a fully software-defined data center in production today.
The Most Trusted Hyperconverged Infrastructure Solution
vSphere
The industry-leading virtualization platform that provides a common operating environment across hybrid cloud.
vSAN
The only vSphere-embedded, flash-optimized storage for virtual machines and containers that reduces TCO by as much as 50%.
vCenter Server
A centralized platform that gives you visibility, efficient management at scale, and extensibility—all from a single console.
Benefits of Hyperconverged Infrastructure Powered by vSAN
Simple Evolution to Full Stack HCI
- Stay native to your hypervisor and leading clouds
- Use existing virtualization tools
- Protect and optimize current investments
Broadest Flexibility
- Get certified solutions with your preferred vendor
- Enjoy day one support for the latest technologies
- Unify resources under policy-based management
Multi-Cloud Capabilities
- Ensure consistent operations from edge to core to cloud
- Gain intrinsic security for data at rest and in flight
- Choose from hundreds of public cloud providers
Customer Success with VMware Hyperconverged Infrastructure
HCI is well-suited to a wide range of use cases, from business‐critical applications (BCAs) and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to disaster recovery and more. See how VMware-powered HCI delivers simplicity, cost savings and scalability for our customers.
Rapid, Reliable Edge Deployment for Cubic
“We’re using vSAN for hyperconverged infrastructure because of its reliability; it’s stable and lives depend on it. VMware systems are designed to just keep running…it’s an unstoppable system.”
– Tom Lynott, Director of Software Architecture, Cubic
Watch the Video (2:22)
Seamless Infrastructure Migration for Harro Höfliger
“Overall, we’re extremely satisfied with the performance, high availability, manageability and scalability of our new hyperconverged infrastructure, thanks to the Fujitsu Integrated System PRIMEFLEX for VMware vSAN.”
- Karsten Ehrlich, Division Leader of IT, Harro Höfliger
Read the Case Study
Always-up Infrastructure for Angel MedFlight
“Without VMware, I don't think that we would have the uptime or the reliability to be able to perform what we do at 40,000 feet on a global scale and do what we do best—save patient lives.”
- Paul Green, CIO, Angel MedFlight
Watch the Video (2:37)
Get Started with Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Request Your Free HCI Assessment
Ready to get started on the simplest path toward hyperconverged infrastructure and hybrid cloud? Start by evaluating the readiness of your current environment for HCI with a free, online assessment.
More About Hyperconverged Infrastructure
Check out the infographic to see why more organizations are making the switch to address today’s IT challenges.
Learn more about the only vSphere-native, flash-optimized storage for private and public cloud deployments.
Understand what HCI is all about, how you can get started, and where you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck in this Dummies guide.
Find out which factors to consider when deploying hyperconverged infrastructure, explore the countless options, and then choose the one that’s right for you.
Join the Conversation
Follow us on Twitter @vmwarevsan and @VxRail, and learn more about HCI and vSAN on the Virtual Blocks blog.