Over the past several years, vendors have introduced an impressive new generation of architectures optimized for existing and evolving workloads like machine learning, deep learning, IoT and other data-reliant workloads. While the diversity of technology has grown dramatically, hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is becoming the architecture of choice for IT—moving from business applications into mission-critical applications. HCI provides the agility to support a wide range of business solutions from edge to core to cloud.

Today, new business insights and innovation are increasingly dependent on analyzing data ‘at the edge’ and efficiently storing these insights in the cloud. In response to this, Lenovo and Nutanix have worked together to develop a versatile solution that is able to support any workload, at any scale, anywhere. The product of this collaboration is the newest ThinkAgile HX series for Nutanix.

To properly illustrate the value of this HCI edge solution, we will discuss: How the edge and cloud work together? How does this dynamic duo drive the industry forward? And where are Lenovo and Nutanix solutions being deployed today?

The Edge-to-Cloud Recipe

Edge and cloud computing were not initially born to require or rely on the other. Each can exist and be leveraged independently. Combined, however, these two technologies offer the flexibility to strategically invest in business functions best handled at the edge and those delivering value by aggregating data and running it through analytics in the cloud. The complementary relationship between edge and cloud creates a perfect synergy of simplified, secure, resilient, efficient, and effective computing for all workloads.

Cloud brings its own set of unique contributions to enterprises and can be leveraged in multiple ways. Private cloud is very secure and perfect for low latency workloads and hybrid cloud can work with multiple clouds to ensure workload flexibility as needed.

Edge computing is well known for rapid data collection and dependable endurance under the harshest conditions. It can also act as an extension of cloud computing and is often a small-sized solution optimized for edge workloads, making it perfect for remote locations. As more and more IoT devices are being introduced to the market, business leaders are starting to discern the limitations of cloud computing. According to Forrester, at the same time, technology advancement has made edge computing cost-effective, accelerating its adoption. Together, edge computing and cloud computing have a natural relationship with each other making edge as an extension of the cloud.

A Multi-faceted Solution for the Modern Enterprise

What makes today’s edge-to-cloud collaboration such a defining business differentiator? At a time when the speed and agility of processes critically impacts daily business operations, customers demand more powerful, secure, and flexible solutions.

Businesses need the freedom and flexibility to work in any type of cloud environment they’ve already invested in, whether it be public, private, or hybrid clouds. In addition, they require systems that can reliably process (compute and store) broad sets of workloads in real-time directly where the data is being generated to inform critical decisions faster and easier. Lastly, as more edge devices come online and workloads expand beyond the limits of existing infrastructure, businesses will need a solution that readily scales to spur ongoing growth.

The Lenovo® and Nutanix® HCI solution is purpose-built to deliver real-time, valuable insights from edge to cloud and optimized to withstand a broad set of workloads. This enables a new era of intelligence where customers can fully realize the potential of data at their disposal, equipped with the right-sized compute and storage where the data is located. ThinkAgile HX makes it possible for businesses to scale up and down with reduced footprint, streamline workload deployments on any cloud environment, simplify and consolidate data management and remotely deliver secure data protection and disaster recovery.

To better understand how this solution addresses today’s most common challenges for enterprises, let us take a tour of three different industries entering their next reality with the help of Lenovo and Nutanix-powered HCI.

ThinkAgile HX in Action

Amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, many in the healthcare industry experienced unprecedented strain on their ability to scale and provide necessary healthcare and emergency response. Fraser Health Authority, one of Canada’s largest health authorities responsible for providing hospital- and community-based health services to over 1.8 million people in British Columbia, identified an opportunity to enhance its operational resilience by enabling clinicians to complete clinical activities remotely. To ensure it can deliver healthcare services in even the most challenging circumstances, Fraser Health deployed a remote desktop solution running on Lenovo ThinkAgile HX hyperconverged infrastructure, enabling it to ramp remote working capabilities.

The Lenovo and Nutanix HCI solution also helps businesses avoid costly downtime and latency by allocating virtualized resources much more efficiently -- especially valuable to those in the manufacturing space. The Wilkins Group, a worldwide retail packaging supplier, operates a state-of-the-art production facility serving packaging solutions to some of the UK’s leading retailers and consumer brands and must maintain 24 hour round-the-clock operations. After deploying a ThinkAgile HX solution pre-integrated with Nutanix Cloud Platform software and combined with Lenovo XClarity and Nutanix Prism, the group is able to pool compute and storage in a single, shared virtual structure to monitor and manage its physical and virtual infrastructure to achieve approximately 100% uptime - with additional room to scale.

Security, resiliency, and regulatory compliance are all crucial goals for companies managing today’s deluge of sensitive data, especially as these data sources continue to increase and expand across numerous devices and locations. Sinolink Securities, a leading financial services company in China, offers its customers the ability to manage their finances anytime and on any digital channel. To help ensure round-the-clock availability for their Yongjinbao platform, a mobile securities trading hub, and protect sensitive customer data, the company aimed to build a new disaster recovery environment. Deploying the Lenovo and Nutanix solution helps protect Sinolink’s mission-critical data and services, organizing all compute and storage resources on a single management console and dramatically reducing manual management tasks, while offering seamless scalability as data volumes increase with business transactions.

The next reality of IT operations

Hyperconverged infrastructure is paving the way for greater utilization of edge-to-cloud technology. Today, we already see the value of such solutions driving business forward for early adopters. As industries continue to operate in this competitive environment governed by data, speed and simplicity, tapping into the right recipe of edge-to-cloud HCI can enable enterprises to actively adapt to and keep pace with changing demands and growth opportunities. Tune into my Nutanix .NEXT session featured in the Lenovo booth to learn how Lenovo, in partnership with AMD, is helping customers implement and manage private and hybrid multi-cloud solutions.

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