The hyperconverged market is heating up. With the speed, simplicity, and agility needed for a digital economy, HCI solutions are more efficient and deliver a better experience for end users.

Not all HCI solutions were created equal

What’s the best solution, and how do you maximise the potential performance? It’s a crowded market place out there, with vendors competing for market share. The real question is – what’s the best solution for your business? What will enable you to overcome your specific challenges and enable your goals?

Our Data Centre and Virtualisation consultant, Joost Buelens, highlights the key considerations when looking to HCI:

• How much compute and storage power are required to provide HCI services? Utlising the virtualisation host compute resources to provide storage services is the principal foundation behind all HCI solutions. Yet the amount of resource overhead consumed varies amongst HCI solutions, so always consider how much workload your HCI solution can support.
• Network integration. What networking does the solution include? Optimal network performance is essential for a proper functioning HCI solution. To be fault tolerant, all data written to any node must be sent across the network to at least one other node, making it a vital part of the system. Some HCI solutions have the network built in, if not, you may need to invest in additional switches.
• Fault tolerance. How does the solution provide fault tolerance? Some solutions use traditional RAID methods locally on each node, whereas others rely on replicating data to different nodes to provide fault tolerance. Differing strategies mean that some solutions will better handle multiple component failure than others which will impact resilience.
• Deduplication and Compression. Does the solution use storage efficiency techniques to increase the amount of data that can be stored? In some HCI architectures, enabling dedupe and compression can be beneficial for performance – on write, compression means less data is sent to the disk, and using dedupe means only metadata needs to be updated. If the solution does not have compression and dedupe, you may need to purchase more nodes for a certain amount of data.
• Orchestration & Automation support. How much manual work is required to get the solution to achieve what you want – both at installation and in operation? Consider how much resource you have available in your teams to manage the solution at installation and going forward. Can you integrate your HCI platform with any automation tools you are currently using?
• HyperVisor support. This one is quite simple. While some solutions only support ESXi, others will additionally support HyperV.
• Node Sizing. Can you buy or build nodes sized correctly for your requirements? If nodes are limited to a set number of small sizes, you could be paying for more compute than you need to get a certain amount of storage, or vice versa. The right HCI solution should allow you to scale economically as you grow.
• Backup and replication. Some solutions have some backup and/or replication services built-in. Others are supported by popular backup products, so it’s important to consider how to back up the HCI solution and how to replicate data for site resilience – some HCI solutions may even be able replace your current backup solution.

With multiple factors to consider, our consultants first listen to what you want to achieve, combining our commercial and technical expertise to design, implement, and manage the right HCI solution to support your specific requirements.

Speak to our experienced consultants and tell us your goals.

Borderless networks are nothing new – we’ve heard about them for years. Users can connect to corporate resources on any device, from anywhere. Yet, for the first time, Cisco have a security solution that can truly claim to offer full security enforcement for a borderless network. That solution is Umbrella.

Umbrella positions itself perfectly by securing one of the fundamental building blocks of network communications – DNS. Almost all communications over the Internet, whether they are deliberately invoked by a user or silently invoked by applications, require a DNS lookup. Therefore, if you can accurately secure the DNS layer, you can accurately secure almost all network communications. If you can do this for users both on and off the corporate network then you are covering all of your blind-spots.

Yet this approach only works if the decisions you make are accurate. Originally developed by OpenDNS, this is where Umbrella steps up. From the outset, the solution has been built into the fabric of the Internet through close peering relationships with ISPs which result in Umbrella collecting enormous amounts of data on a daily basis (approximately 100 Billion requests per day!). This information is processed through industry-leading algorithms and data-processing tools to provide highly accurate information about which requests should be allowed or blocked. If a DNS request is blocked, users and, more importantly, malicious applications cannot (in most cases) access a malicious resource. Quite often, blocking network communications for a piece of malware is as effective as removing the malware completely.

As well as securing network traffic, Umbrella enforces your IT policy by controlling access to content deemed inappropriate for an organisation – essentially performing the job of a web proxy but with two crucial advantages: firstly, the majority of traffic will not need to be proxied (bad stuff is blocked, good stuff is allowed, all at the DNS level) making the solution scalable, high performing and less likely to break cloud-based applications; secondly we’re not just talking about web requests here – DNS, and therefore Umbrella, cover all requests regardless of application or protocol. Further to this, if Umbrella isn’t 100% sure that a site is safe, it automatically redirects web traffic to Umbrella’s towers and WILL proxy that traffic so that malware scanning can take place and ensure no infection.

So, there must be a catch somewhere, right? Actually, there isn’t. Umbrella is incredibly easy to integrate into existing networks. In some cases, it is as simple as changing from using your existing ISP DNS servers for external lookups to using Umbrella’s servers. This simple change can be enough to secure entire networks in minutes. Even mobile devices can be protected using the Umbrella App.

The bottom line is this: you are already using DNS for virtually everything you do online – given the choice, why wouldn’t you choose to protect it?

Learn more about Cisco Umbrella with a free, no obligation trial.

Digital Network Architecture

Its been years since Cisco launched a new generation of switches. That why when Cisco announced a new Digital Network Architecture (DNA) last year, all heads turned to ask the question – is this the software defined network we’ve all been waiting for? A network built on software and designed for the digital landscape (more mobile devices, more virtualisation, more cloud, more applications, and a lot more data).

The software defined network has landed

The answer to the question is yes. Our customers are already adopting DNA, because the biggest company in networking have finally closed the loop between wired and wireless technology, delivering a software defined network that works.

Its not that software defined is new, but clunky consumption models have slowed down adoption in the past. So, what’s changed? DNA is a single software defined architecture built from the ground up. Customers can design, build, and scale the entire network and security infrastructure all from a single digital ready device. Security, cloud, mobility, and IoT – it’s readily available on a digital ready infrastructure, as and when its needed. Wrapped around this are the tools built for intelligent automation that successfully deliver simplified management and agility in what used to be very complex.

Intelligent networking?

You’ve probably heard the term ‘intent’ based networking, and thats because this is a very considerable step forward. Intent based networking is the difference between a network that needs continuous attention and one that simply understands what you need and makes it happen. The business can tell the network what it needs, and the network will translate those needs into policy and implement it automatically. In a world of data the potential here for IT departments to address everyday operations challenges are very significant.

What this means for Network Security

A combination of intelligent networking, cloud based visibility, and a software defined infrastructure, have made the entire network a security sensor. The ability to enforce policy and to quickly identify and respond to threats are embedded networkwide. In fact, Cisco’s catalyst 9000 switches can detect threats hidden in encrypted traffic. Combined with Cisco’s other cloud based products including Cisco Umbrella, and AMP for Endpoints, we’re left with a very impressive and effective security portfolio for the Network, covering all blindspots.

The right decision for my business?

At VCG we work with customers to best leverage software defined networks for their environment and business outcomes. As vendors and technology move towards software defined IT, its becomes hard to argue against a digital ready network.

A recent report by data analysts CGA and Alix Partners revealed that 15 restaurants are closing every week in the UK. This stat comes as no surprise to anyone in the restaurant trade as we’ve all watched the likes of Byron Burger, Strada, Prezzo, Carluccio’s, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and Gaucho close restaurants. A mix of economic and political factors such as rising costs, reduced footfall, rapid over expansion, and uncertainty surrounding Brexit have all contributed to a 2.4% overall decline of group restaurants on Britain’s high streets according to the report.

With the outlook on the UK high street so challenging, a growing number of restaurant chains are expanding into overseas markets as a valuable source of growth. Among these are healthy fast food chain Leon, which as 20 sites in the pipeline for the Irish Republic alone with more restaurants planned for Switzerland and the US. The chairman and CEO of D&D London were also quoted in the hospitality press recently saying a ‘poorly managed Brexit’ would lead them to focus on EU and US growth, instead of investing at home. The restaurant chain currently has 90% of its business in the UK.

Higher digital expectations

When venturing overseas it is essential that IT leaders and heads of transformation get their digital strategies right from the outset as mistakes can be costly to correct. It is also important to remember that underinvestment in digital networks can stifle fledgling expansion as consumers in many overseas markets have higher expectations when it comes to in-store digital experiences, compared to their UK counterparts. This means a weak go-to-market offering could spell disaster. This is where SD Wan can provide a compelling solution to the challenges of replicating the great on-site connectivity you enjoy in the UK, at new overseas sites.

When compared to MPLS, SD Wan can be quick and relatively straightforward to set up overseas as it only requires an on-site internet connection. It also limits capital and ongoing expenditure thanks to the use of cloud connectivity. This means that a new overseas network can be managed from any remote location with an internet connection – including a head office back in the UK.

If a business is growing as a result of a merger or acquisition, SD Wan can also help deliver simplified network integration. If, on the other hand, a new site in on a greenfield location, establishing a SD Wan network is just as fast and cost effective.

Granular network security

One of the great benefits of SD Wan is the level of granular security options it delivers at a time when organisations are possibly focused on expanding within budget, with security considerations enjoying less attention. In the SD Wan architecture, a company benefits from end-to-end encryption across the entire network, including the internet. All devices and endpoints are completely authenticated, thanks to a scalable key-exchange functionality and software-defined security. SD Wan can also integrate security, policy, and orchestration.

There are limitations to SD Wan, however, especially for businesses considering using it in the UK. For example, SD Wan is not currently cheaper to use in the UK so it isn’t a realistic replacement for MPLS. There may also still be a need to spend on MPLS or dedicated firewall security.

At a time when restaurant businesses are looking to expand overseas to capitalise on growth potential, SD Wan offers a great way to replicate and improve upon the on-premise digital networks enjoyed in the UK. This connectivity can be achieved quickly, cost-effectively and in a relatively straightforward way, leveraging digital networks so that they become a compelling commercial opportunity rather than a burden.