Let’s talk about clusters and clouds. We often associate the word “cluster” with terms such as redundancy, resiliency or workload distribution. IT admins have traditionally turned to clustering bare metal systems such as firewall appliances, web servers, and virtual hosting platforms for years. When we consider the “cloud” we think about characteristics such as limitless scalability, elasticity, and simplicity. Of course, the infrastructure that supports these cloud environments is derived from clustered infrastructures, hidden underneath SaaS and IaaS platforms and are thus inaccessible to customers.

Extend Nutanix Clusters Into The Cloud

But what if you extend your clusters into the cloud? You could have then the best of both worlds. That is what has delivered on, cloud-based clusters that reduce both the cost and complexity of today’s most complicated hybrid networks. Think of their solution as a cluster on steroids. For instance:

• In the same way that you are accustomed to firing up additional virtual machines within your on-premises HCI solution, you can now scale out, not only from a capacity perspective, but a geographical one as well. That’s because you can burst added capacity across multiple clouds in order to meet unforeseen demands from multiple regions of the world.
• What you giveth, you can also take back away. Idle machines cost money in an OPEX cloud model so let you spin down virtual machines and shrink capacities when demand fades in order to save money. Nutanix Clustering does one better than that, however. Not only can you hibernate VMs and their supporting resources, you can even hibernate the bare metal instances that support the cluster itself, saving you bare metal compute costs as well. Then simply resume these instances when they are needed again down the road. In other words, you aren’t just right-sizing your VM capacity, you’re also right-sizing your cluster infrastructure in real time as well. This is especially beneficial for , say for DevOps or seasonal-based businesses.

Watch how to hibernate VMs in this 2-minute demo from Nutanix

• Nutanix cloud-based clusters take redundancy to the next level as well as you can leverage public clouds for high availability and even if your primary workloads reside on-premises. Your disaster ready infrastructure can reside in faraway geographic reasons to ensure ultimate redundancy.

Cloud Like, But Not Cloud Only

The Nutanix HCI stack is available on AWS and Azure bare metal instances, fully extending the power of existing on-premises Nutanix HCI clusters into the cloud. But that doesn’t mean it is a cloud only solution. It also doesn’t mean that you are reliant on any third parties as is the usual case with cloud-based services. Nor are you locked into any particular cloud infrastructure. Using the Prism Central management interface, internal IT remains in complete control of their own environment, calling the shots as they see fit. Admins can now manage any Nutanix node, VM or application within their ecosphere from a single pane of glass. This not only simplifies administration but also allows you to maximize your resources to your mission critical workloads rather than management tasks. All of this allows for seamless integration on a number of levels. Here are three to consider:

1. It redefines the concept of “lift and shift” for applications. While lift and shift migrations might not involve a forklift, it often requires rearchitecting your applications in order to transition them to the cloud. By decoupling applications from their underlying platform, Nutanix gives you the ability to migrate on-premises applications to the cloud with minimal changes, thus saving you time and money.
2. Those applications that must be hosted by your on-premises Nutanix cluster can be modernized in cloud like fashion by allotting them direct access to native cloud services such as AI-based analytics and other advanced digital initiatives.
3. Not only are your applications completely portable now, so are your licenses. Current Nutanix customers can utilize existing Nutanix Capacity Based Licenses (CBL) and apply them to the cloud. Simply reduce or retire your existing on-premises clusters and apply them to the cloud. New customers hosting environments that have consistent workloads may want a commitment-based subscription plan while others may be better off with a pay-as-you-go structure.

A True Hybrid Cloud

There was a time when a network was comprised of a single data center. There was a time when an enterprise utilized a single cloud. Those days are long gone as businesses have evolved with the times, and so has Nutanix. HCI is no longer about on-premises hardware environments. Nutanix clusters are about incorporating all aspects of your hybrid cloud whether it be public or private clouds. Nutanix clusters operate in a borderless vacuum so that you can operate your applications and services in a hybrid estate that is void of confining perimeters. In the same way that the first Nutanix cluster solutions began busting up silos within the traditional data center, they’re now doing the same for multi-cloud environments as well. Nutanix clusters offer you the freedom of the cloud in terms of performance and portability. Exciting, right? Maximize your today by clustering everything into one extended platform.

NEXT STEPS: We’ve helped countless enterprise IT teams transform their business with Nutanix. Leverage our team’s extensive knowledge by with us. Whether you’re consider adopting Nutanix, or if you want to know how to get more value from your Nutanix environment, we’re here to help. .

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Modern data centers are more efficient and high-performing than ever, but problems and failures still occur. The goal is to leverage the software defined data center (SDDC) to achieve optimal efficiency for the business. Incompatible hardware and an overabundance of solutions often prevent true convergence. Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) links the entire data center to one comprehensive management system. HCI creates a seamless, robust data center environment, eliminating many virtualization challenges. With HCI, you can maximize performance and efficiency, and get a better return on your data center investment.

Simplify Data Center Management

HCI turns the data center into a cohesive environment with one management console. Formerly isolated devices are linked together to form a single system with a shared resource pool. IT administrators can manage the entire system from a central interface. This convergence is not limited to a single location. With HCI, enterprises can connect multiple data centers and manage them as one system. HCI eliminates the need for a divided IT with a specialized group managing each aspect of the data center.

Support Virtualization

Virtual machines (VMs) are a key part of the software-defined infrastructure (SDI). With HCI, IT can shift to a VM-centric approach to data center management. HCI provides integrated policies and management options that are implemented at the VM level. In a hyperconverged system, the VM is always the main focus. Policies and resources are implemented and managed in a way that best supports the VM.

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The goal of virtualization is to create a shared resource pool that helps maximize performance and resource utilization. However, many data centers face the performance-killing input/output (IO) blender effect. HCI connects the hypervisor and storage resources in a way that prevents the IO blender. Enterprises can eliminate their resource islands and still meet individual application needs. HCI allows for true resource pooling, resulting in increased capacity and optimal performance.

Maximize Scalability and Efficiency

HCI provides granular scalability, simplifying expansion. Enterprises no longer need to make sizable infrastructure investments to increase their resources. The infrastructure can be scaled up by much smaller amounts, allowing companies to only invest in the resources that they actually need. HCI also makes it easy to implement new resources. The comprehensive system can identify and configure each device as it is added.

Create Effective Automation

Incompatible, unconnected hardware has always rendered data center automation impossible. HCI’s central management interface turns the data center into a unified environment where automation is not just possible; it is simple to achieve. With HCI, IT can finally automate many routine processes. The management interface even provides tools to make automation easy and effective. Automation increases IT efficiency and reduces the manpower needed for basic operations. IT can focus on business needs rather than routine procedures.

Provide Better Data Security

Data security is a complex challenge that many enterprises do not adequately address. Legacy systems rely on third-party solutions that are often ineffective and hard to integrate. HCI provides built-in comprehensive security tools that offer greater protection. Efficient backup and recovery solutions maximize data protection and availability without creating a drain on the system. The central management platform allows IT to immediately recognize and resolve security issues.

Increase Agility and Responsiveness

Business needs rapidly change, requiring IT to be more agile and responsive than ever. The simplified management, automation, and scalability HCI provides help maximize IT agility. Administrators can easily move workloads and allocate resources as needed while automated processes allow IT to focus more on meeting business needs. With HCI, IT can function as a valuable business service, improving performance and efficiency throughout the organization.

HCI eliminates many of the issues that modern SDDCs face. With HCI, data center management is simple and efficient. Automated processes allow IT to focus more on business objectives and maximize their agility. Easy scalability and resource pooling ensure optimal resource utilization. Built-in tools ensure that data is always secure without sacrificing system performance. HCI does not require an expensive upfront investment as it can be implemented over time. HCI is a cost-effective solution that can help you get more from your data center investment. When every part of the data center is linked to form a cohesive infrastructure, virtualization can reach its full potential.

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Real Tech with WEI: Getting Started with Hyperconverged Infrastructure

NEXT STEPS: Explore the key differences between converged and hyperconverged infrastructure in our white paper: Future Ready Data center: Converged vs Hyperconverged infrastructure.

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