Do you ever wish deploying hosting was easier and faster? That’s what Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) is all about. The first time I learned about HCI, I couldn't believe how much faster it made things. Gone are the days of separate servers, storage boxes, network cables, etc. Everything works together as one smart system. Sounds great? You bet! Let me explain how it works.
Typical setup requires:
• Servers with enough processing power to manage data
• Storage systems for file-level storage
• Networking to connect everything together
With HCI, all of this is running on the same hardware with Virtual Machines (VMs). If you need more processing or storage, you can just add a new unit...like adding a LEGO block.
• Faster install: You can provision servers and storage within minutes.
• Costs decreased: You don't have to buy expensive, separate pieces of equipment for each task.
• Easier management: An easy web portal controls everything.
• Speed improves: The ability to move data faster, because everything works together.
On top of this, HCI has backup and failover with it, so there wouldn't be any fear of losing something, in the event one of those systems failed, you would still have it protected. No panic, no downtime.
If you are only hosting a few small websites, you probably will not need it. But, if you have cloud hosting, a private server or very large workloads, HCI makes a huge difference. It is reliable, fast and easy to scale as your business scales.
• VMware vSAN - Very stable and expensive
• Nutanix AHV - Flexible and easy to use
• Microsoft Azure Stack HCI - Great if you are a Microsoft user
• Scale Computing - Simple and perfect for small setups
They all are brilliant tools to make hosting easier to understand and smarter.
So, What Is HCI?
In simple terms, HCI is a combination of servers, storage and networking that you manage through software.Typical setup requires:
• Servers with enough processing power to manage data
• Storage systems for file-level storage
• Networking to connect everything together
With HCI, all of this is running on the same hardware with Virtual Machines (VMs). If you need more processing or storage, you can just add a new unit...like adding a LEGO block.
Reasons for Hosting Companies Using HCI
Anyone who' has hosted knows how hard it could be to manage different hardware. HCI makes it super simple. Here's an example of this:• Faster install: You can provision servers and storage within minutes.
• Costs decreased: You don't have to buy expensive, separate pieces of equipment for each task.
• Easier management: An easy web portal controls everything.
• Speed improves: The ability to move data faster, because everything works together.
On top of this, HCI has backup and failover with it, so there wouldn't be any fear of losing something, in the event one of those systems failed, you would still have it protected. No panic, no downtime.
Is HCI Worth It?
Yes; honestly... if you'd like to have a lot of capability with a little bit of flexibility? More of the little hosting company's are moving to HCI for all of the space, time and money it saves them.If you are only hosting a few small websites, you probably will not need it. But, if you have cloud hosting, a private server or very large workloads, HCI makes a huge difference. It is reliable, fast and easy to scale as your business scales.
Some Popular HCI Solutions
Here are some popular names for HCI:• VMware vSAN - Very stable and expensive
• Nutanix AHV - Flexible and easy to use
• Microsoft Azure Stack HCI - Great if you are a Microsoft user
• Scale Computing - Simple and perfect for small setups
They all are brilliant tools to make hosting easier to understand and smarter.
