In businesses everywhere, the conversation around IT is changing.
CIOs are no longer engaged in deep discussions about the merits of network attached storage versus storage area networks. Their conversations now sound more like a CEO or CMO as they talk about technology in terms of fostering innovation, improving customer service and creating a competitive advantage. At the same time, CMOs are getting more involved in technology decisions; analysts predict that CMOs will soon be the primary influencers over IT purchases.
As technology moves out of the backroom and into the boardroom, hardware and software vendors are looking for ways to simplify the acquisition and implementation of new technology. Converged infrastructure is a great example of this. Instead of selling storage, computing and networking as a piecemeal solution, more vendors are offering pre-packaged, pre-integrated, all-you-can-IT solutions with storage, computing and networking bundled together in a single, scalable appliance.
There are a number of reasons why CIOs, CMOs and even CFOs like this strategy. It’s cheaper to buy and implement technology this way. It’s also much faster, because the system is already pre-integrated and pre-validated. HP, for example, can deliver a fully operational ConvergedSystem in less than one month from the order date. Compare that to the typical three- to four-month cycle for new technology deployments.
The ability to deploy new technology quickly is key to maintaining a competitive advantage. Solutions such as Cloud-based services and real-time data analysis are potential game-changers for enterprises—but not if they’re deployed six to twelve months after the business identifies the need for them. With a converged infrastructure, enterprises are no longer chained to lengthy evaluation, installation and integration cycles, and CIOs can focus their efforts instead on integrating the technology into business processes such as customer service and the supply chain.
Converged infrastructure also allows businesses to “future-proof” their technology investments through open platforms and cost-efficient scalability. In the case of the HP ConvergedSystem for Virtualization series, businesses can scale up to 300 virtual machines on a single ConvergedSystem 300 appliance or more than 1,000 virtual machines on a ConvergedSystem 700 or ConvergedSystem 700x appliance, and easily connect it to a public cloud solution for additional capacity when needed. Ultimately, a converged infrastructure approach enables CIOs to move the technology conversation forward, from “How do we do it?” to “What can we do better with it?”
If that’s not the conversation you’re having today about your IT infrastructure, talk to AdvizeX about HP ConvergedSystems for Virtualization and ask about test driving an HP solution in one of our performance centers. ▪