Dell continues to amaze me by the innovation they have done in the last few years. I used to be pretty impressed with the strategies of HP, IBM, and Cisco etc…But as our company continues to get closer and closer to Dell, it seems nearly everything they do is cutting edge and adopted very quickly by our customer base.
One of the latest strategies is converged infrastructure. It has many definitions, but to us, it is taking the 4 pillars of datacenter infrastructure (Servers, Storage, Networking, and Software), and combining them into one solution. The Dell FX2 series does just that. See pic below:
Take an environment where you have entirely separate systems for these pillars. The expertise needed to expand these pillars without one overtaking, outgrowing, of under-sizing the other can be a challenge. It can be costly as well. A simple miss-calculation can lead to an entire SAN replacement. Upgrades to 10G networking can also be a challenge as you not only have to worry about switches….but HBAs, NICs, and other topology items.
That is where Dell FX2 comes in. This short video can explain it all. By building out your infrastructure in small, affordable “bricks” of either servers, storage, or networking, growth can happen in small increments. Instead of buying a new 50K shelf for your SAN, a simple storage blade can be added. Instead of having to slam in a new 2U VMware host that takes a considerable amount of space and power, simply add a single blade to the unit. The system is 100% 10G within itself, and includes network switches in the back. Many of the FX2 systems can be tied together to create your datacenter. Lastly, the entire stack of FX2 systems can be managed under one pane of glass.
At Cyber, we have implemented many of these at our customers. We are still searching for any downside to building out your datacenter in the fashion. Still looking….
Watch the Dell FX2 Video Here:
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