The big data centre decision: to converge or hyper-converge?

July 3, 2018

First there was converged infrastructure. Then came hyper-converged infrastructure. So, how do you decide which approach is right for you?

When it comes to making decisions about how to run – and manage – data centre infrastructure, you’ll probably find yourself confronted by lots of different choices. Which makes deciding what is the best platform to select seem like a daunting task.

The good news is that whichever approach you take – converged or hyper-converged – life is going to get a whole lot easier.

That’s because both ‘converged’ options look to simplify IT operations. And the deployment method for both will be much easier compared to traditional systems where separate server, storage and networking technologies are implemented into the data centre.

Which means your environment will become easier to scale, with little additional configuration work.

And with a single system, day-to-day administration will become easier and less of a burden. And that means your IT specialists will be able to focus their attention on more strategic tasks

And on the technical side, all components will work together. Eliminating the interoperability and complexity issues that often add up to additional operational expense.

So now, all you need to decide is which way to jump!

Which platform should I deploy?

It’s the 64 million-dollar question we get asked time and time again.

Working with the world’s leading convergence and hyper-convergence vendors, we’ve gained a deep understanding of the technologies on the market today. And which options represent the best fit for any individual scenario.

Fact is that both platform approaches have their own individual strengths and advantages. We’ve even helped some medium-to-large enterprise organisations implement both converged and hyper-converged platforms to cope with the mixture of workloads they need to handle.

Like we said, making the right decision for your business isn’t a simple ‘cookie cutter’ tick box exercise.

But don’t worry, the following quick tips should help to get your decision-making process underway.

It all begins with evaluating your current operational environment and identifying your short and longer-term needs.

Determining your requirements

Before taking the plunge and deciding on a converged or hyper-converged solution, you’ll need to consider a range of things like:

  • future scalability needs
  • how much control over configuration will be required
  • the workload requirements for the applications you’ve deployed – or plan to deploy – and how likely it is that these will fluctuate over time.

Other things you’ll need to consider in the decision mix include:

  • are you managing a remote or branch office, or ROBO, infrastructure?
  • is data centre consolidation within – or between data centres – on the cards?
  • do applications need to scale in a modular fashion?
  • will you be testing or developing infrastructure?

It’s important to point out, however, that the above lists are by no means comprehensive.

Ready to discover more?

You’re in luck ­- we’re holding a one off, exclusive TechTalk event in London on July 18, where we’ll discuss everything you need to know about the question on everybody’s lips – converged or hyperconverged?

With no costs to register and refreshments available on the night, we’d like to welcome you to the latest Q Associates TechTalk.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Register here today.

Get In Touch

Contact Q Associates today if you have any questions or would like to discuss your IT requirements in more detail. Tel: 01635 248181 Email: Info@qassociates.co.uk

Angela Renshaw

Marketing Manager at Q Associates.

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