Hyper-Converged Infrastructure vs. Traditional IT: Which is Right for Your Company?

Building and maintaining a traditional IT infrastructure is no longer as beneficial as it once was, due in large part to advances in hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) technology. To meet market demands and remain competitive, more organizations are migrating away from legacy environments and toward the cohesive, software-centric approach of HCI.

The global hyper-converged infrastructure market size is projected to grow from $11.98 billion in 2024 to $61.49 billion by 2032, representing a CAGR of 22.7%.

HCI isn’t just a passing trend. It’s quickly becoming a foundational element for the data center of the future, delivering speed, agility, and enhanced security, all while promising long-term, sustainable cost savings.

HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE DEFINED

Hyper-converged infrastructure is a modern IT architecture that combines the formerly distributed functions of compute, storage, networking, and virtualization into a single, integrated system. This approach differs from traditional data centers, where these components were separate and, as a result, often challenging to manage.

KEY BENEFITS OF HCI

• Simplicity: HCI simplifies IT operations by consolidating multiple foundational components into a single, easy-to-manage platform.
• Scalability: An HCI’s primary benefit is how easily it can be scaled up to accommodate changing business needs.
• Efficiency: By converging critical resources, HCI can streamline operations and enhance performance, thereby improving business outcomes.
• Flexibility: As the technology has improved, HCI can now be deployed across a variety of environments, including private, public, cloud, and hybrid, leveraging partnerships that didn’t exist a year ago.
• Security: With built-in security features, like encryption and threat detection, HCI can keep data safe. Additionally, automated backup features support more effective disaster recovery.
• Cost Savings: Using a hyper-converged solution reduces the need for specialized operational resources, resulting in significant, long-term cost savings.

HCI VS. TRADITIONAL IT: A COMPARISON

While HCI offers significant advantages, it’s essential to understand the specific ways it differs from the traditional IT environment. Here’s a brief comparison:

TRADITIONAL IT SETUP

• Separate Components: Since compute, storage, networking, and virtualization functions are managed as distinct, independent entities, it can create near unlimited flexibility in hardware choices, but this can create silos and opens the door for compatibility and performance issues.
• Complexity: Legacy infrastructures require complex configuration and ongoing integration of various components, such as servers and storage. This demands specialized IT skills and can be time-consuming.
• Lack of Scalability: Because traditional IT infrastructure involves a significant amount of manual configuration and disparate hardware additions, it can be inherently challenging to scale. Sometimes solutions perfect for one system do not have the capability to scale up efficiently or economically and lead to dead end architecture.
• Inefficiency: Managing separate components requires a substantial amount of overhead and other resources, which can impede productivity.
• Performance Issues: With traditional IT infrastructure, organizations often find themselves in a situation where they lack the capacity to upgrade everything at once. Because these investments are asynchronous, it can lead to disparities in versions which can hinder performance.

HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE (HCI)

• Integrated Components: With HCI, compute, storage, networking, and virtualization are seamlessly combined into a single, integrated system, making management less complex.
• Simplicity: Hyper-converged infrastructure offers a more streamlined approach with a single interface. This provides maximum visualization and control over the entire infrastructure.
• Scalability: With HCI, you can start with a small cluster and then expand it node by node as your business grows.
• Efficiency: Since hyper-converged solutions eliminate the overhead associated with managing separate components, the environment instantly becomes more efficient.
• Agility: HCI is specifically designed to meet the evolving and increasing demands of modern businesses that require agility and responsiveness.

FUTURE OUTLOOK: DISAGGREGATED HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE

Despite all the advantages of HCI, there are a few potential downsides to consider. First, they demand a special skill set. Rather than hiring an expert to manage each component, HCI’s require someone with a broader, more comprehensive set of skills to be able to oversee the entire infrastructure at once.

Another potential drawback of hyper-converged infrastructure is that in order to expand in one area, you must expand in all of them. For instance, even if you only need additional data storage, you would be required to purchase an entire new node with additional resources for all capabilities. This can increase your investments beyond what’s necessary.

The solution to this is an emerging trend known as disaggregated hyper-converged infrastructure (dHCI). This approach allows for greater flexibility in managing and upgrading components separately, instead of needing to buy entire nodes. This results in a more efficient use of resources and faster processing.

We are currently seeing dHCI become particularly popular with businesses in industries that require vast amounts of storage, such as healthcare, law, and accounting. Likewise, organizations with highly performant infrastructures may also be ideal candidates for dHCI setups.

FORGING A PATH FORWARD

For organizations considering a change in infrastructure, whether from traditional to HCI, or from HCI to desegregation, we recommend taking the following steps:

1. Conduct a detailed cost analysis.
2. Perform a comprehensive benefit analysis.
3. Identify the skill set needed and what will be required to achieve them (e.g. in-house training, outsourcing, etc.).
4. Decide who will be responsible for implementing/managing the new environment.
5. Determine the space requirements.

Note: Deciding between a traditional IT setup and a hyper-converged infrastructure may require a complete shift in mindset as well, whether it is on-prem or in the cloud.

INFRASTRUCTURE EXPERTS AT YOUR SERVICE

Unsure of the next step? Marcum Technology is ready to partner with you. Our experts will assess your current infrastructure, identify the potential benefits of transitioning to a hyper-converged environment (HCI/dHCI), and guide you through the journey from traditional architecture to a more flexible, efficient, forward-thinking solution.

Our infrastructure solutions cover everything—from conducting a cost-benefit analysis to building a solid business case that resonates with decision-makers. In addition to strategic assessments and migration services, our managed services and security offerings will help ensure a safe and seamless transition.

Let Marcum Technology help you optimize your infrastructure for the future!