You may hear individuals in your company’s IT department talk about HCI. If you ask them about it, the explanation might only confuse you further. They might make it sound like you need an engineering or computer science degree to comprehend the basic concept.
Actually, the HCI concept is not all that confusing, nor is the hyper-converged data center. We will talk about both so you can understand them right now.
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What is HCI?
HCI stands for hyper-converged infrastructure. You may also sometimes hear someone say HCI means human-computer interaction, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
A hyper-converged infrastructure is a unified system that software defines. It has all the elements you think about when you look at a traditional data center. It can manage your network. It has storage capabilities and computing power as well.
The hyper-converged infrastructure exists to make your work life easier. It is one system that does the job of several outdated ones. You can certainly still use separate systems for things like network management and storage, but why would you do that when you can seamlessly combine them?
What is a Hyper-Converged Data Center?
The data centers that some companies now offer for customer use run on an HCI. That means you have an HCI like we just explained, and that protocol or technology operates out of a single centralized location.
A hyper-converged data center is not like cloud computing. If you use cloud computing, you are thinking mostly about the user experience. You’re using advanced automation or orchestration for your underlying infrastructure. Some companies can work with that in 2023.
Others like hyper-converged data centers because if they use them, you’re simplifying and streamlining all of your IT needs. You can follow a node-based, rigid architecture. You won’t have flexibility like you would in the cloud, but you need very little administrative oversight. That’s something most companies seem willing to at least entertain.
Why Would You Use a Hyper-Converged Infrastructure or Data Center?
If your IT department tells you to look at a hyper-converged infrastructure and a data center that uses this principle, they probably understand that this tech lets you simplify your deployments. You can simplify your IT management as well.
You can use it to upgrade your system quickly and efficiently as new tech becomes available. You’ll know that it’s reliable and scalable. You should see improved overall performance and agility. The software-defined infrastructure that a hyper-converged setup offers you will seem intuitive, even for someone not very savvy in your company’s IT areas.
It’s sometimes intimidating when you move from a cloud-based system to a hyper-converged infrastructure model. Companies that offer this tech, though, keep making it more comprehensive. You can often learn how to use it and have it automating and running various company tasks in no time.
When you install it, you’re consolidating IT tasks like processing data, managing it, and storing it. That can genuinely help your business.