ST1711

STRATEGY
STRATEGY: HYPERCONVERGENCE
GOING HYPER
STEPHEN CHEW OF CURVATURE EXPLAINS HOW TO EMBRACE HYPERCONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE -
ON A BUDGET
infrastructure for connectivity. In short, legacy
systems are being leveraged as building blocks
for today's hyperconverged environments.
A hyperconverged infrastructure solution
should be on your radar, because it eliminates
the need for siloed operations and puts greater
focus on a consolidated infrastructure, which
reduces reliance on precious real estate while
consuming less power. All this results in
reduced operating expenditure and less
manual maintenance.
Server refresh period is often understood
to be the warranty/maintenance
timetable dictated by the OEM vendors
(which is typically 3-5 years). Yet, according to
one analyst report, the potential lifespan of
servers is between 7-10 years (typically 6 years
for rack servers and up to 10 years for
integrated systems), actually providing up to
three times longer than the typical replacement
cycle for servers and storage arrays. The truth
is that servers last a lot longer than you think.
We wanted to know if this message had
resonated, so we recently asked our
audience on LinkedIn this question: "Did you
know your servers are built to last between 6-
10 years?" A quick slew of comments ensued
that demonstrated different points of view
out. Opinions were roughly divided down the
middle, from the conservative "You should
replace your hardware between 3-5 years to
renew your productive software environment,"
to the reformative, "Virtualisation has
changed my views on server longevity. Plan
your platform to survive the failure of every
possible element and buy quality equipment
second hand at a fraction of retail."
Let's say you fall on the conservative side and
currently prefer to stick with your OEM vendor
advice. Your options are to either renew your
maintenance contract or procure the latest
generation of servers to replace existing ones.
Both options come with extremely high
premium and of course, the true cost of
upgrades goes beyond your initial purchase.
Factor in lost productivity and potential
downtime, which impact staff time, the uptime
of services, and have a cascading effect on
other projects within the organisation. It will
also likely mean increased requests for tech
support when the system breaks. Migration
and upgrades are complex projects that
distract your IT team from innovating.
One trend that is emerging is
Hyperconverged Infrastructure, allowing
innovation but with old hardware. Legacy
servers are being repurposed as building
blocks for a hyperconverged infrastructure.
We've seen customers evolve their three-tier
architecture (server, SAN, and storage) into a
two-tier hyperconverged (server/storage)
environment while using existing network
A hyperconverged solution also opens up a
world of possibilities, including softwaredefined
storage. The challenge of data deluge
is very real. About 2.5 exabytes of data are
created every day. That's equivalent to 90 years
of HD video. Software-defined storage has
been proven to be much more efficient than
native hardware storage, and it reduces the
number of hardware storage units you need to
maintain and replace. Also, as a virtual
computing platform, hyperconvergence gives
you continued access to your data in the event
of a malfunction or disaster, and it provides the
necessary redundancies for data protection,
backup, and recovery.
What's more, when customers need ondemand
upgrades, you can reduce your
deployment and implementation time without
affecting operations. That means shorter lead
time - and that right there is how you can
channel your human capital to focus on
initiatives that drive revenue.
What hyperconvergence doesn't need to
mean is an entire 'rip and replace' and a new
journey dictated by your server manufacturer.
Look closely at the assets you already have
and start planning and repurposing for
positive change.
More info: www.curvature.com
www.storagemagazine.co.uk
@STMagAndAwards Nov/Dec 2017
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STORAGE
MAGAZINE
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