Industry Trends for IT at the Edge
IT is fielding ever more calls for resources at the edge, everything from more intelligence, to more compute, data collection and storage, as well as faster decision-making. Digital transformation, competitive pressures, and customer delight initiatives are all contributing factors. Yet most IT departments have their hands full with the datacenter, and have little additional operational capacity for remote offices and branch offices (ROBO) and edge sites. A 2018 Gartner article called out these changing conditions saying, “Around 10% of enterprise-generated data is created and processed outside a traditional centralized data center or cloud. By 2025, Gartner predicts this figure will reach 75%.”1 And more recently in 2020, research from Omdia pointed to server growth at the edge more than doubling from CY18-CY242. Interestingly, this research also showed an increasing percentage of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) controlled servers over this time period.
HCI and ROBO
HCI has proven to be a very good fit for ROBO and edge deployments--the evidence for this can be found among Nutanix customers who are leaders in their industries, such as Bandai Namco, CarMax, or the City of Seattle. Successful organizations that have deployed HCI at the edge cite simplified and remote management, self-healing infrastructure, and data protection and replication. They also see greater flexibility for both scaling and running different workloads and types of data, all without creating silos. As this success has grown and the aforementioned trends increased, there have been demands for more flexibility for the server platforms that can be leveraged at ROBO and edge sites. Nutanix has responded by introducing new ROBO offerings to address a broader spectrum of needs and use cases, this time in small-form factor and ruggedized options.
Expanding the NX Portfolio with the NX-1120S
ROBO sites typically have smaller IT infrastructure real estate, potentially with only short-depth telecom equipment racks. The absence of commonly-sized datacenter racks adds a logistical challenge for what infrastructure can be deployed at ROBO and edge locations.
The NX-1120S is a short-depth HCI appliance that allows for flexibility in various deployment locations. The short-depth fits standard telco racks or can even be placed directly on a table, occupying minimal space. Combined with 1/5th of the typical power requirement of datacenter appliances, the NX-1120S is an easy and cost effective solution for infrastructure deployments at the edge.
The NX-1120S has redundant power supplies and hot swappable drives. It’s also designed without a single point of failure and built for easy maintenance on site without specialized skills.
The addition of the NX-1120S to the portfolio of Nutanix platforms increases choice and flexibility for entry-level and mid-market ROBO use cases. Customers are able to use this as an alternative to the NX-1175S and NX-1065 Nutanix platforms. Go to Nutanix NX portfolio page or read Remote ITOps with the NX-1120S in 30 seconds for more information.
Expanding Choice for ROBO and Edge Sites
Nutanix continues to partner with leading server providers to bring more choice to our joint customers. There are additional options beyond the NX platform specifically designed for remote or harsh environments that are pre-installed with Nutanix software. These include:
- HPE DX8000: The rugged size, weight, and power‑optimized design of the HPE ProLiant DX8000 delivers new efficiency and creates new operational models in domains such as telecommunications, manufacturing, defense, automotive, or energy.
- Lenovo HX1021: Its compact design, low power usage, and high performance are just the right combination for edge locations. The HX1021 can be wall mounted, stacked on a shelf or installed in a rack. Plus, it’s designed to operate in rugged environments, up to 55°C.
Dell EMC XCXR2 The Dell EMC XC Core XCXR2 is a 2-socket 1U short-depth chassis appliance suitable for harsh environments or remote locations with less than ideal conditions.
Simplifying IT Operations for ROBO and edge sites
Another common challenge for IT teams is how to manage IT operations (ITOps) for ROBO and edge sites. As growing businesses try to scale end-to-end IT infrastructure, they often incur rising costs and operational overhead, with too much time wasted on systems and processes that do not create strategic commercial value.
Nutanix overcomes these challenges with natively integrated automation software--Nutanix Foundation Central, Calm, and Life Cycle Manager (LCM), respectively. Together these enable the following hands-free, one-click ROBO and edge site benefits:
- infrastructure imaging and software deployments
- application and infrastructure orchestration via blueprints that can fully integrate into business systems and processes
- automated, non-disruptive software and firmware upgrades with full dependency management
Nutanix brings the power of its software stack to a new generation of edge environments across a variety of use cases and frees you to focus on business logic and applications instead of infrastructure maintenance. The capabilities of your intelligent edge can help you to reduce downtime, increase patient or customer satisfaction, and target new products and services. These new small form-factors and ruggedized options allow you to bring the benefits of the Nutanix Cloud Platform to the far reaches of your organization. You can learn more about the economic advantages of Nutanix at the edge in this ESG Economic Validation White Paper.
Have you deployed Nutanix or are considering deploying it for a ROBO or edge application? We’d love to hear about it in the comments or DM Greg on Twitter @gregrorydwhite. Learn more about all things Nutanix and ROBO at https://www.nutanix.com/solutions/remote-and-branch-office and in the Definitive Guide to Nutanix for ROBO.
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