HPE, Dell, Lenovo, Cisco, Nutanix Headline Crowded Hyperconverged Field

Hyperconverged data center systems are the newest rage in the converged market space. Here’s a look at some of the top players in the market.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise in March launched the Hyper Converged 380, which is built on the company’s ProLiant DL380 servers. Unlike other OEMs that are partnering with third parties, HPE is going with its own hardware, software and firmware. HPE officials also say that while hyperconverged systems will address the needs of most small and midsize businesses, for enterprises they will be stepping stones to composable architectures.

Dell is building out its XC portfolio of hyperconverged appliances that include Nutanix’s software. At the same time, the company—which is in the process of buying EMC for $62 billion—also is reselling EMC’s VxRack and VxRail systems that come with VMware virtualization software.

EMC, through its Converged Platform business that is based on its former VCE unit and leverages VMware’s software, sells the VxRack (pictured) and VxRail hyperconverged systems. Once Dell’s acquisition of EMC is complete, Dell’s XC systems likely will become part of EMC’s Converged Platform Division.

Lenovo, with IBM’s former x86 server business in the fold, is partnering with the likes of Nutanix and Juniper Networks to grow its Converged HX Series of appliances that are aimed for SMBs and enterprises.

Several years ago, Cisco become a significant enterprise data center player with the launch of its Unified Computing System converged solutions. Earlier this year, the company introduced HyperFlex, which comprises UCS servers, Nexus switches and UCS Manager software, as well as software-defined storage (SDS) technology developed with startup SpringPath, which Cisco has invested in.

Hitachi Data Systems in June not only announced enhancements to its Unified Compute Platform (UCP) 2000 converged system, but also introduced the UCP HC V240, the first offering in what officials say will be a new family of hyperconverged data center infrastructure.

The company already was selling vSTAC converged storage and compute appliances, but earlier this year bought NexGen Storage, a startup that sold all-flash and hybrid storage arrays. In June, Pivot3 officials announced the vSTAC SLX, the first product to use NexGen technology.

Late last month, startups Gridstore and DCHQ merged to create a new company called HyperGrid, which officials said is offering hyperconverged infrastructure-as-a-service. HyperGrid is looking to combine Gridstore’s hyperconverged all-flash infrastructure with DCHQ’s software platform, which creates an offering that provides a hyperconverged infrastructure that comes with a pay-as-you-consume pricing model that is similar to what Amazon Web Services (AWS) has in its own data centers.

Nutanix sells its own appliances, but officials say it’s software that pools the nodes of a cluster, brings resilience and intelligence to solutions, and fuels the SDS capabilities critical for hyperconverged infrastructures. The company partners with a wide range of OEMs, which puts Nutanix’s software on their own hardware.

Like Nutanix, SimpliVity also offers appliances as a way to get its software to the market. However, its HyperConverged Infrastructure software is what defines the company. According to a recent report by SimpliVity, its software delivers 22 percent to 49 percent better cost savings than AWS, and the company recently announced a multimillion-dollar deal to replace legacy IT equipment for a financial services firm in the global Fortune 50.