Many companies and organizations are turning to hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) to modernize their data center. HCI brings together highly virtualized compute, storage, and networking on industry-standard x86 servers and components.
What is Azure Stack HCI
Azure Stack HCI is a new server operating system in the Microsoft portfolio that delivers hyper-converged infrastructure with hybrid cloud built in. It delivers innovation that’s focused on being the best virtualization host and is the future of Hyper-V virtualization, software-defined storage, and networking. It also runs apps inside Windows or Linux virtual machines and runs on HCI-capable hardware from your preferred partner.
Azure Stack HCI is a part of Microsoft’s Azure products and services designed to build your hybrid solutions:
Azure Arc. Seamlessly extend Azure management to any infrastructure. Run Azure data services anywhere in your hybrid environment.
Azure Stack. Build, deploy, and run truly consistent hybrid applications across on-premises, cloud, and the edge in both connected and disconnected scenarios.
Azure Stack Hub. An extension of Azure that provides a way to run apps in an on-premises environment and deliver Azure services in your data center.
Azure IoT. Deploy your workloads from Azure or other clouds to run on Azure IoT edge devices. Operate machine learning models, compute, and IoT workloads at the edge.
Modern Subscription for Familiar, Flexible HCI
Azure Stack HCI is a member of the Azure Stack family. It features the same Hyper-V based software-defined compute, storage, and networking as Azure Stack and shares similar testing and validation criteria.
The new Azure Stack HCI OS will feature a new subscription model that’s paid through an Azure account, and pricing that scales down for edge. It has the same core OS components (kernel, networking stack, etc.), same management track, and the same hardware catalog.
World-class hyper-converged infrastructure stack
Includes Hyper-V for secure, efficient virtualization of Windows and Linux, Storage Spaces Direct for fast enterprise-grade storage, and Azure-inspired software-defined networking.
Delivered as an Azure service with hybrid built in
Always up-to-date subscription for software and support, integrates with Azure Portal, Azure Arc, and Azure Resource Manager (ARM), and natively monitor, secure, and backup to the cloud.
Familiar for Hyper-V and server administrators. Leverage existing virtualization and storage concepts and skills, works with System Center, AD/GPO, and PowerShell, and works with popular third-party backup, security, and monitoring tools.
New product experience.
No more multi-year waiting for new features or painful migrations. Annual feature updates are free, one-click, and non-disruptive.
Flexible hardware choices from your preferred vendor
Choose vendor with the best service and support in your geography. Integrated systems with full-stack updates and joint support. 150+ pre-validated nodes to customize and configure.
When to Use Azure Stack HCI
Use Azure Stack HCI instead of a traditional server infrastructure to run key virtual applications and workloads in a highly available and resilient fashion.
Modernize and secure your data center
Refresh aging virtualization hosts and improve security and scale. Eliminate legacy SAN storage to reduce footprint and TCO. Simplify ops with unified tools and a single point of support
Affordably modernize branch offices. Two-node solutions from under $20k per location
Two-node solutions from under $20k per location. Innovative nested resiliency and cloud quorum technologies. Monitor centrally with a global view in the Azure Portal*.
Industry-best performance for SQL Server databases.
Millions of storage IOPS or database transactions. Consistent low latency with NVMe, RDMA, and persistent memory. Accelerate Azure Data Services and big data clusters at the edge*.
Virtual desktops with edge-local access.
Run desktops on-premises for low latency and data sovereignty. Windows Virtual Desktop for effortless session management. Like-local performance with cutting-edge GPU virtualization technology.
Hybrid cloud ready with Azure services
Azure Stack HCI helps you extend to Azure quickly and easily with simplified access to cloud management and security services, including offsite backup, site recovery, file synchronization, and cloud-based monitoring.
Built-in integration with Azure makes it easy for IT staff to start using Azure for infrastructure management services and start building cloud skills.
With the Azure hybrid services in Windows Admin Center and DataON MUST, customers can easily integrate on-premises workloads with:
Azure Site Recovery and Azure Backup
Protect virtual machines and leverage the cloud for disaster recovery (HA/DR).
Cloud Witness
Use Azure for cluster quorum in failover clustering.
Azure Monitor
Track what’s happening across your applications, network and infrastructure – with advanced analytics powered by AI, as well as Azure Update Management services.
Azure Update
Management
Management
Simplify management of operating system updates in Azure.
Visionary HCI
Microsoft has been named a visionary in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure (November 2019):
“Microsoft provides organizations a comprehensive edge, core data center and cloud portfolio, with many common components and familiar management tools.”
“Organizations have a wide range of platform and acquisition options, as Microsoft’s Azure Stack HCI is supported on more than 2,000 devices and 134 pre-validated Azure Stack HCI SKUs. Microsoft has a rich, global network of reseller and system integrator partners.”
In addition, an Azure Stack HCI and DataON solution was given an Editor’s Choice Award from Storage Review.com:
“Microsoft’s Azure Stack HC solution proved to be both simple to deploy, easy to manage, and exceptionally performance, all things you want.”
“The DataON cluster we’ve been testing has posted tremendous numbers, the faster we’ve seen in a mid-market 4-node cluster. To be fair, we’re not even testing the latest and greatest hardware from DataON either.”
In fact, Microsoft holds the HCI industry record, achieving 13.7M IOPS with Azure Stack HCI and Intel® Optane™ DC persistent memory.
Microsoft’s cloud services are powered by Microsoft Azure, which is used by more than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies across the globe. Azure now has over 30 years of experience serving enterprise customers and boasts a partner network of over 68,000.
Customers who have chosen Azure Stack HCI solutions
Azure Stack HCI for production workloads
Cherokee County School District is a K-12 public school system that chose an Azure Stack HCI solution to replace its iSCSI SAN. The new solution supports HR, payroll, central records, and student registrations systems in a single system, and supports heavy VM usage for 50,000 students and staff.
Azure Stack HCI for production workloads
Bradley is a national law firm that chose Azure Stack HCI to enhance application performance and replace its SAN. Its new hybrid cloud-ready infrastructure means legal and IT users receive fast, reliable service, and the company has a solid foundation to support ongoing business development.
Azure Stack HCI for scale-out storage
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a nonprofit museum that refreshed its on-premises SAN with a hybrid cloud infrastructure to power its 500+ interactive exhibits, website, archival media and surveillance video bulk storage, and data center backup, with integration with Azure Services.
Why choose DataON
DataON is 100% committed to providing Microsoft solutions. In fact, that’s all we do. Our strong relationship with Microsoft reaches back nearly a decade. DataON even delivered the first Windows Server certified platform for Storage Spaces. We offer white glove service to all of our customers and help your team every step of the way to ensure you’re up and running successfully. That’s the DataON difference. Learn more
Extensive
Microsoft
Experience
Microsoft
Experience
Exclusively focused on Microsoft solutions with over 150PB of Storage Spaces Direct deployments.
Turnkey Hybrid
Cloud Solutions
Cloud Solutions
A complete customer experience from certified platforms to design, planning, deployment and warranty support.
Infrastructure
Monitoring and
Extension
Monitoring and
Extension
Have a better HCI and hybrid cloud experience with DataON MUST visibility and management tool.
Enabling Azure
Hybrid Cloud Services
Hybrid Cloud Services
As a cloud service provider (CSP), DataON hybrid cloud solutions and certified Microsoft Azure administrators help customers build and personalize their hybrid cloud deployments.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Model | HCI-108 | HCI-208 | HCI-212 |
| Profile | Slim profile & high performance | Performance & expansion | IOPS & capacity |
| All-NVMe flash | All-NVMe flash | Hybrid | |
| Form Factor | 1U / 1-node rack; 8x 2.5" | 2U / 1-node rack; 8x 2.5” | 2U / 1-node rack; 12x 3.5” |
| Processor | 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable | ||
| Scalability | 2 to 16 nodes per cluster; plus cluster set for multi-cluster support | ||
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|---|---|---|---|
| Model | HCI-216 | HCI-224 | HCI-668 |
| Profile | IOPS & performance | IOPS & performance | Capacity |
| All-NVMe flash | All-NVMe flash | Hybrid | |
| Form Factor | 2U / 1-node rack; 16x 2.5" | 2U / 1-node rack; 24x 2.5” | (6U)2U / 1-node rack; 8x 3.5” + 4U 1-JBOD rack; 60x 3.5" |
| Processor | 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable | ||
| Scalability | 2 to 16 nodes per cluster; plus cluster set for multi-cluster support | ||
