The Hyperconvergence Benefits of Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct

To fully realize the benefits of Storage Spaces Direct, you have to understand the benefits of hyperconvergence technology for small businesses. Hyperconvergence brings computing, storage, and networking together into a single system. It makes it easier to scale up or down, offering flexibility and simplified management.

Hyperconvergence benefits also include the agility of a public cloud infrastructure, with the privacy and control of keeping hardware on premise. All software-defined elements are implemented virtually, however, so you can scale up by deploying more modules.

It also helps save money. Organizations require less data center power and space, less IT work, and less reliance on third-party software like disaster recovery tools. It's also an affordable option for small businesses that don't want or need a large, full-scale data center infrastructure.

Microsoft introduced this capability with Windows Server 2016, then moved it to Windows Server 2019. With Storage Spaces Direct, the system accesses internal storage from servers, within a cluster, and pools it. By so doing, your organization can enjoy better performance and more efficiency

Why turn to hyperconvergence as a small business? Historically, enterprises large and small have used shared storage solutions like SAN or NAS to manage their needs. Hyperconvergence, however, is better for organizations wanting to add storage as it is needed.

Scaling up with Storage Spaces Direct is incrementally smaller, and thus more affordable, than having to buy another SAN or NAS and wait for it to get filled up. For a smaller business, this is ideal, as it gives you flexibility without having to purchase storage on a scale larger than what you need.

It's also a lot easier to scale up with Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct, which we'll outline next.

Storage Spaces Direct uses servers with local-attached drives, providing either converged or hyperconverged architecture. The hyperconverged option uses Hyper-V virtual machines or SQL server databases directly on the servers used to provide storage, creating one cluster for computing and storage. Files are stored on local volumes, which means users don't have to worry about configuring server access or permissions and can save money on hardware costs.

Mirroring and erasure coding ensures that virtual disks have fault tolerance, with copies of data stored on different drives and cluster nodes. Your organization is protected if there's a drive or server failure, even if it happens simultaneously. This is a highly resilient system that works with Windows Server failover clustering to keep your business running no matter what.

Users can scale between two to 16 servers and over 400 drives, with up to 1 petabyte of storage per cluster. Storage Spaces Direct works optimally with four nodes, but can be scaled down to two nodes with a tie-breaker mechanism.

However many drives you find that you need, it's remarkably simple to add them to the system. Storage Spaces Direct will automatically onboard any new drives and start using them, showing just how easy it is to scale a small business as it grows.

The speed and capacity of Storage Space Direct's hyperconverged infrastructure can free up time and resources. The result is more efficient business operations and the opportunity to explore new avenues now that your IT labor and resources aren't all focused on managing computing, storage, and networking.

Storage Spaces Direct brings your organization from a standard server to a cluster within 15 minutes, which shows how simple it is to switch to this robust technology.

If you are considering how hyperconvergence can benefit your business, Integrated Computer Services, Inc. is here to help pave the way. We are experienced, qualified IT consultants offering support, managed services, and overall optimization of your tech systems. We will work with you to determine what Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct deployment is best for your needs, infrastructure, and business goals. Contact us online or give us a call at (201) 720-3775.