What’s hot in converged systems? We ask DiData

What converged or hyperconverged infrastructure solutions do you specialise in?

Dimension Data’s focus is on delivering an IT service outcome to our clients. As part of that ambition, we choose market-leading technologies to integrate into our solutions. Vblock by VCE, VSPEX by EMC and NetApp’s FlexPod are the converged systems we chose.

When did your company first get involved in this area?

Dimension Data was an early adopter in converged infrastructure as we saw the undoubted value proposition for our clients. We have been engaged with VCE since its inception and we were one of the first FlexPod partners.

Which credentials do you have that apply to converged or hyperconverged infrastructure?

Dimension Data invests heavily in training and certification for staff as we want to attract and retain the best people to provide the highest level of technology and technical excellence to our clients. We are at the highest possible certifications for EMC and NetApp.

Who are your main distributors for converged or hyperconverged infrastructure?

We use multiple distributors, as well as purchasing direct from
a number of vendors.

Have you heard of any cool or interesting recent developments in this space?

Like most things in IT, the hype cycle on converged infrastructure ebbs and flows. Hyper-converged infrastructure stacks are interesting, as is the move by organisations such as SimpliVity and Nutanix to drive a software-defined approach to hyper-convergence.

Can you tell us about a recent deployment you have done?

ING Direct wanted the ability to develop, test and deploy new online services quickly. Using NetApp’s FlexPod, we built an automated platform in a private cloud that lets ING Direct test banking apps without any downtime.

What is driving customers’ converged or hyperconverged infrastructure projects?

Time-to-value is the key driver behind converged infrastructure projects. As an example, we’re able to deliver a private cloud on a Vblock to a client – up and-running production workloads – in just 90 days. This allows them to move away from managing infrastructure and become a services provider to end users.

Converged / hyperconverged infrastructure is...?

A key building block that enables IT departments to move away from being DIY builders of IT solutions towards becoming true internal services providers.