How to leverage hyperscale?

The word hyperscalers is rapidly growing in popularity. Meanwhile, for busy executives focused on business, it might be tempting to discard it as the cloud-related buzzword of the month. However, hyperscale is not a complicated concept, and it might be worth spending a couple of minutes learning about it in simple terms.

In this article, you will find simple definitions, browse the list of benefits hyperscaling brings to businesses, acquaint yourself with possible drawbacks, and discover the impact hyperscale computing might have on your business - without being buried in technobabble.

Defining hyperscalers and hyperscale

In the most general terms, companies called hyperscalers provide flexible cloud infrastructure capable of hyperscale computing, which is a method of processing data where the resources are added instantly, even if the increase in demand is monumental.

What are examples of hyperscalers?

Hyperscaler is the term describing very large cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud. These and similar cloud vendors have the ability to provide computing power and remote storage at a scale and speed that is appropriate to support the needs of global enterprises.

While there is no universal standard to assess which major providers fit into this category, to be called a hyperscaler, the cloud vendor should enable companies to utilize hyperscale seamlessly.

What are the features of hyperscale data centers?

Hyperscalers are capable of delivering hyperscale infrastructure to companies because they build and maintain ultramodern hyperscale data centers across the world. These huge data centers are strategically located across different regions to reduce latency, enable rapid scaling anywhere on Earth, and enable companies to comply with local data security and privacy regulations.

While traditional data centers needed to be physically upgraded whenever a client’s demand for processing power or storage went significantly larger, hyperscalers offer uninterrupted service due to the sheer size of their network.

Allocating resources to new, demanding projects and improving performance of existing workloads is done via software. Instead of physically connecting more servers to enterprise data centers, hyperscale providers execute code that connects more resources to that enterprise’s network.

When companies use hyperscale computing?

Distributed computing networks created by hyperscalers are made out of huge and quick servers capable of flexibly powering enterprise applications at a massive scale. To enable a seamless experience for end-users, hyperscale data centers can very quickly add more resources to meet increased demand. Such additional computing power is needed, for example, to analyze an unstructured big data set or enable a complex machine learning project.

Additionally, hyperscale cloud services facilitate making every software easily scalable, which in turn improves overall performance and user experience.

Cloud computing platforms that facilitate the use of hyperscale

Generally speaking, all major public cloud providers have the ability to provide global enterprises with enough resources to facilitate the use of hyperscale technologies at a satisfactory scale.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Oracle’s cloud services aren’t as popular as some alternatives, but their year-to-year IaaS sales rose faster than the industry’s average growth (by 53%). This is because while OCI might be smaller in size, the quality of their cloud solution remains top-notch and fully capable of enabling hyperscale.

IBM Cloud

IBM’s enterprise-ready cloud solutions managed to claim 3% of the public cloud demand in 2022, making the company 5th biggest cloud provider globally. The hyperscale cloud computing IBM provides is designed to facilitate hybrid cloud solutions for global enterprises.

Alibaba Cloud

Alibaba, an e-commerce leader in China, is also the country’s biggest cloud provider, with 37% domestic cloud solutions market share and the 4th cloud infrastructure vendor worldwide with 5%. 23 regions and 76 available zones across Asia make Alibaba’s cloud services a valid choice for organizations focused on eastern markets.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

In 2022, GCP was the 3rd largest cloud provider globally, and for a good reason: the hyperscaler cloud Google offers is distributed into 34 regions and 103 availability zones, making it widely available, dependable, and quick. Additionally, Google Cloud contains a comprehensive array of tools, allowing organizations to easily deploy applications, utilize machine learning, and analyze big data.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure had a 21% share in cloud services in 2022, making Microsoft the 2nd biggest cloud provider in the world. The company’s hyperscale data centers facilitate a broad range of cloud services, and the popularity other Microsoft solutions enjoy in many industries makes it easy for companies to embrace them as cloud service providers as well.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

In 2022, Amazon remained the biggest cloud provider on the planet, with a massive 34% market share. Its cloud computing solution, AWS, is the most popular choice for a number of reasons, including the global distribution of its hyperscale data centers and the extensive scope of its offering.

Want to learn more about the cloud providers listed above? Read our top cloud vendor overview.

Top hyperscale benefits

Hyperscale data centers are extremely cost-efficient compared with traditional enterprise data centers. Instead of maintaining huge servers needed to perform complex calculations, companies can utilize such machines anytime they are required through the cloud and pay only for the time they were really used.

Hyperscale enables unparalleled scalability by seamlessly adding needed resources via software solutions. Hyperscalers enable businesses to say goodbye to downtime and latency issues. Consequently, organizations can offer a smooth experience for their customers.

With hyperscale capabilities, resources are used more efficiently. Companies use only as much as they require and pay only for as much as they use. There is no need to maintain infrastructure just because heightened processing power might be required once a year.

Reduced infrastructure complexity offered by hyperscalers plays an important role for organizations that were struggling with optimizing their servers before. Hyperscale data centers are designed with efficiency in mind and are highly automated to reduce the impact of human errors.

From a client’s perspective, adding resources is as easy as clicking a button. There is no need to physically add new machines to a data center. Instead, a software code redirects needed processors and storage to support the required workloads.

Possible hyperscale drawbacks

As with all cloud computing solutions, hyperscale may result in unpredictable infrastructure bills. Properly optimizing the service for cost is easier with automation and Site Reliability Engineering best practices.

Companies should also try to avoid vendor lock-in (see: Why Should You Choose a Multi-Vendor Model for Your Organization?). Even though downtime is very rare when using any of the hyperscaler cloud providers, it can happen, so being 100% dependent on one vendor is never optimal.

Migrating the data and application from one hyperscaler to another might be more difficult than maintaining a multicloud environment (infrastructure using more than one public hyperscale cloud vendor) right from the start.

Besides usually opting for multi-cloud, top global enterprises also invest in hybrid cloud solutions, where public cloud capabilities are supplemented by private clouds.

Business reasons to choose hyperscale

Greater operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall improved performance gained from hyperscale cloud computing power provide companies with a competitive advantage over market rivals.

• Hyperscale computing increases organizations’ ability to process and analyze large amounts of data quickly and with greater efficiency.
• Hyperscale adoption allows businesses to use optimized big data analytics, gain a better understanding of their customers, and quickly adapt to their changing demands.
• Improved scalability of hyperscale solutions provides support for innovation and automation.
• Using hyperscale solutions speeds up the software development process as a whole, especially when the cloud environment developers use is defined in accordance with Site Reliability (see our Beginner’s Guide to SRE).

Should your organization invest in hyperscale?

Hyperscale computing can be a game-changer for technology-conscious businesses focused on innovation and growth. Hyperscale solutions are excellent tools for staying competitive in the globalized market of today.

However, enabling the benefits of hyperscale calls for expert implementation. Maxima Consulting has supported many organizations in their cutting-edge technology needs since 1993. Unlock the benefits hyperscalers offer easier by contacting us today.