Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Management

• Is third-party threat a viable server maintenance contract tactic?

  When negotiating server hardware and maintenance agreements with vendors, server customers can threaten to go elsewhere. But how effective is that tactic?  Continue Reading

• What is a top barrier to fruitful server refresh cycle negotiations?

  Successfully countering server vendor sales tactics requires forecasting hardware and maintenance needs. Lacking a solid, consolidated forecast can be a recipe for failure.  Continue Reading

• Are attitudes toward edge computing architecture changing?

  Edge computing has many advantages over the centralized running of applications and processing of data on premises and in the cloud. Are IT leaders getting the message, though?  Continue Reading

• Erasure coding vs. RAID: Pros and cons for hyper-convergence

  Hyper-converged systems, like any other, require data protection. We describe using RAID and erasure coding for hyper-convergence to help you pick the best option for your HCI.  Continue Reading

• HCI management layer vs. native hypervisor management

  See why inherent differences between hyper-converged and native hypervisor management tools tend to make one better suited for managing virtualized HCI resources than the other.  Continue Reading

• Essential hyper-converged backup, data protection questions to ask

  Procure a hyper-converged infrastructure, and you'll need to protect the data residing in that environment. Ask and answer these questions to determine the best HCI backup approach for your organization.  Continue Reading

• Do the benefits of hyper-convergence outweigh the drawbacks?

  Much has been said about the inability to scale storage separately from other resources in a hyper-converged system, but are there any advantages to treating storage in this way?  Continue Reading

• Do hyper-converged platforms have scalability limitations?

  Hyper-converged architectures let users scale easily by adding nodes as needed, but it's important to be aware of vendor- and hypervisor-specific limitations.  Continue Reading

• What hyper-converged architecture features are most important?

  When evaluating your options for a hyper-converged architecture, simplicity, resilience and scalability are some factors that should top your shopping list.  Continue Reading

• How do I manage VM resources in hyper-converged systems?

  Hyper-converged systems are growing in popularity, but the setup of virtual environments can result in wasted VM resources.  Continue Reading

• How are hyper-converged vendors providing DR?

  Brien Posey explains how hyper-converged systems are used for DR and which vendors are offering it in this expert answer.  Continue Reading

• How does the cost of a hyper-converged system compare to SAN or NAS?

  When evaluating the cost of a hyper-converged storage system, it's important to keep the functionality of the system in mind in addition to cost per gigabyte.  Continue Reading

• Are vSphere Virtual Volumes necessary with an EVO:RAIL appliance?

  Taneja Group's Tom Fenton explains how VVOLs work, and the storage differences between VVOLs and VSAN.  Continue Reading

• Is hyper-converged storage for VDI a good option?

  Hyper-converged storage can be a great fit for VDI because it eliminates complicated configuration that comes with virtualizing desktops.  Continue Reading