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Any separation between IT infrastructure components is an opportunity for failure. A network link, for instance, that has multiple cables and devices along its path also has multiple points that can compromise the connection. The aim of converging IT components into fewer – or even singular – solutions is to create greater efficiencies by reducing those potential barriers to success.
Convergence is about integrating two or more computing technologies into a unified solution. The trend toward such aggregation has been ongoing for some time. For example, telecom equipment manufacturers found that, by using a modular approach, they could slide function cards into multiservice switches to handle any and every communications technology that came along. With this approach, packet processing could be done across the backplane rather than through a scattered network of cables and devices.
In cloud computing, a unified infrastructure offers many benefits. A single platform that is capable of integrating compute, storage, and networking can greatly reduce the processing workload in comparison to a multi-device environment. As outlined by Techopedia in our definition of a hyper-converged infrastructure, the tight integration of components can result in greater elasticity, data protection, availability, data efficiency, and cost control.
As convergence solutions proliferate throughout the industry, new possibilities become evident. The potential for superconvergence, or the superconverged cloud infrastructure, extends the capabilities with the inclusion of virtualization and management into the mix. The silos of earlier implementations of IT management disappear with the advent of a superconverged cloud, and the possibility of a true single pane of glass management tool moves closer to reality.
There is no magic to the development of IT technologies. Every existing solution builds on what has come before. The move toward convergence in cloud computing takes advantage of advances in data processing, virtualization, software, electronics, and best practices. Convergence is the culmination of a whole host of technical growth across the industry. The use of convergence in cloud computing brings everything together into a nice, tight package.
