Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) combines hypervisor, compute, storage, and networking technologies into a single system that customers manage through a unified control pane. HCI systems typically deploy in a cluster of three or more server nodes for high availability. However, many vendors support two-node clusters, and some offer single-node options, often for users with modest infrastructure needs in remote offices and branch offices (ROBO). Consolidated HCI systems have become a popular alternative to the traditional three-tier IT architectural approach with discrete SAN/NAS storage, compute, and networking resources that often require skilled IT staff to provision, operate, and maintain.
HCI systems can simplify deployment and management for IT organizations facing staffing challenges, especially at remote sites. They can also help improve agility for digital-first organizations that pursue new workloads, such as analytics and artificial intelligence, to gain greater business benefit from the data they collect.