What Is Hyperconverged Storage? Uses & Benefits
Enterprise Storage Forum, Wednesday, November 22,2023
Hyperconverged storage uses software defined methodologies to virtualize data storage alongside compute and networking functions in a single system. Through virtualization, hyperconverged storage makes far more flexible pools of storage available compared to storage tethered to a specific piece of hardware, such as a networked attached storage device or disk/flash array. Decoupling the hardware from the software and storage lets hyperconverged storage scale readily and provide greater flexibility and functionality.
Hyperconverged storage abstracts storage and its controls from the underlying hardware. This is a different approach than direct attached storage (DAS), in which each computer device has its own storage drive, or networked storage approaches in which multiple devices access a central pool of storage in a storage area network (SAN) or in network attached storage (NAS).
The storage is packaged with compute and networking resources that operate independently of hardware, making it possible to scale incrementally. Businesses looking to implement hyperconverged storage have three options:
- Buy it directly from storage vendors along with the hardware necessary to support it
- Buy it from vendors and purchase commodity servers and storage boxes separately
- Engage a cloud vendor to provide hyperconverged storage as a service
Components of Hyperconverged Storage