Tips

Tips

• Hyper-converged platform configuration key to success in SMBs

  Big companies that must support hundreds of VMs and scale quickly are prime HCI customers, but small companies can buy a smaller configuration and reap hyper-convergence benefits.  Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud environments can use hyper-converged cloud systems

  Whether in a public, private or hybrid cloud environment, there are some things you need to be aware of when using hyper-converged systems in your cloud storage structure.  Continue Reading

• How to use hyper-converged products in an enterprise environment

  In a hyper-converged system, you get everything a vendor thinks you need in a single connected system package. But what if your enterprise doesn't need all those component parts?  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged storage vendors offer backup software replacement tools

  If you're going to rely on a hyper-converged infrastructure for your traditional backup needs, there are three vital capabilities you must consider first.  Continue Reading

• How hyper-converged software provides DRaaS

  When a hyper-converged platform is packaged on an appliance, disaster recovery can be difficult. However, hyper-converged users still have several options for DRaaS-like features.  Continue Reading

• Shorten your data storage problem list with hyper-convergence

  IT professionals have many hurdles to jump in traditional, virtualized storage environments. Luckily, hyper-converged infrastructure can eliminate some of those obstacles.  Continue Reading

• Use a software-defined storage vendor to avoid lock-in

  Vendor lock-in is one downside to buying a prepackaged hyper-converged infrastructure product. But selecting a software option could avoid the problem.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged architectures receive value from deduplication process

  As capacity becomes cheaper, some storage administrators might assume deduplication is less relevant. But in hyper-converged data centers, the technology is as important as ever.  Continue Reading

• How hyper-converged storage vendors tackle larger workloads

  Organizations need to approach hyper-converged storage options with performance requirements and workload sizes in mind. Otherwise they could end up facing latency and bottlenecks.  Continue Reading

• Common hyper-converged network concerns and how to solve them

  Hyper-convergence combines compute, storage and networking into one bundle, but the heavy I/O demands involved can cause network latency in organizations.  Continue Reading

• How to support resource-hungry VMs on hyper-converged infrastructure

  VMs that run big applications on hyper-converged infrastructures suck resources from the whole cluster, but splitting a demanding app among VMs can improve performance for all.  Continue Reading

• Are you ready for a hyper-converged data center?

  The promise of self-contained compute systems from one vendor may seem to be the answer to tight budgets, but problems still exist with hyper-convergence in the data center.  Continue Reading

• Going all in with a fully hyper-converged data center

  More organizations are incorporating hyper-convergence into their data center, but is 100% hyper-convergence realistic? George Crump explains where it might work.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged data center changes infrastructure upgrades

  Hyper-converged platforms allow customers to purchase more resources as their environments grow, eliminating the costly hardware refreshes of traditional environments.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged software requires special attention

  Software-only, hyper-convergence models provide more flexibility than an appliance approach -- but they also require more testing and validation on the part of the user.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization requirements met by hyper-convergence

  Changing virtualization needs make data center upgrades a necessity. Discover how hyper-convergence can help to solve storage needs in virtual environments.  Continue Reading

• Network infrastructure components critical to hyper-convergence

  Proper attention to networking components associated with hyper-converged architectures can not only ease deployment, but improve performance and flexibility.  Continue Reading

• Avoid VM resource contention in hyper-converged platforms

  With a high number of virtual machines competing for resources and consuming bandwidth, storage performance can suffer in hyper-converged environments.  Continue Reading

• Enhance hyper-converged platform performance with tuning

  A hyper-converged platform eliminates the need for most performance tuning with an integrated platform joined by one network. But tuning can still improve performance.  Continue Reading

• Pain-free hyper-converged platform integration

  Integrating existing hardware into a hyper-converged cluster is important for migration, but adding outside storage hardware can introduce unwanted complexity.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged architecture use cases expanding

  Hyper-converged infrastructure is living up to its potential as organizations of varying sizes realize new ways the technology can be used to increase efficiency.  Continue Reading

• Reasons to hyper-converge your architecture

  If you plan to kick off 2016 by hyper-converging your infrastructure, storage expert George Crump outlines the benefits of such a project, as well as some areas of concern.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate hyper-converged platform flash storage in four steps

  Many hyper-converged platforms today include a mix of flash and HDD, and flash might be a more cost-effective way to add performance to your environment than you think.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged software benefits include cost, flexibility

  Software-only hyper-converged architectures are popular for organizations looking to save money, but an adequate IT staff is necessary for installation and troubleshooting.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged architecture: Aggregation vs. replication

  Learn the benefits of aggregation in a hyper-converged environment, how to choose between aggregation and replication, and the compromise to each approach.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery policies for hyper-converged infrastructures

  Disaster recovery plans for hyper-converged infrastructures have very different considerations than the approaches used in traditional environments. Discover areas to examine.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged platform integration challenges

  Integrating a hyper-converged platform into your computing environment is an issue for many data centers. Explore possible roadblocks and tools to aid the process.  Continue Reading

• Converged vs. hyper-converged storage: Which method is best?

  Ease of management, scalability and cost are all factors when an organization has to decide on converged vs. hyper-converged storage. We list the benefits for each approach.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged architecture replication impacts performance

  Replication in a hyper-converged architecture allows for more flexible data mobility, but the technology can take a toll on performance and available capacity.  Continue Reading

• The three tiers of hyper-converged architectures

  Hyper-converged architecture delivers storage in a bundle, but there are several components involved. George Crump discusses the three pieces of hyper-converged systems.  Continue Reading

• Increase storage capacity in hyper-converged systems

  Hyper-converged systems make it easy to increase storage capacity, but that also means you could be paying for unneeded compute resources.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged architecture configuration issues

  No hyper-converged architecture setup is alike, but there are some universal steps that can be followed with most vendor products. Brien Posey explains in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged architecture deployment: Areas of concern

  A hyper-converged architecture is meant to be simple to install, but a smooth deployment depends on proper planning.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged system checklist evaluates required features

  With multiple hyper-converged systems to choose from, this checklist can help you determine which system is right for you.  Continue Reading

• Take server virtualization storage head-on with converged storage

  Converged systems and hyper-converged storage systems can ease the pain one of the most challenging aspects of VM storage: complex provisioning.  Continue Reading

• Seven criteria for hyper-converged system selection

  Expert Jon Toigo outlines seven factors to consider when evaluating a hyper-converged storage system.  Continue Reading

• Separate the 'hype' from hyper-converged storage

  Is hyper-converged storage just another storage buzzword? Expert Jon Toigo digs through the hype to define the term.  Continue Reading

• Comparing VMware Virtual SAN with Microsoft Clustered Storage Spaces

  VMware and Microsoft have owned the software-defined storage market, with very different methods. Jon Toigo compares the two in this tip.  Continue Reading