Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Harvester HCI in the Hyperconverged Infrastructure Market

Executive Summary

Harvester HCI is emerging as a noteworthy open-source hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution, built on Kubernetes, that offers a compelling alternative to established proprietary offerings in the market. This report analyzes the cost-effectiveness of Harvester HCI by comparing its features, pricing model, total cost of ownership (TCO), hardware requirements, scalability, and management overhead against key competitors such as VMware vSAN, Nutanix Cloud Platform, Scale Computing Platform, and Microsoft Azure Stack HCI. The findings indicate that Harvester HCI presents a significant advantage in terms of software licensing costs due to its open-source nature, potentially leading to lower overall TCO. While it offers a comprehensive set of features and integrates well with cloud-native environments through Rancher, its relative immaturity compared to market leaders might necessitate careful consideration of support and advanced functionalities. This report provides a detailed evaluation to assist organizations in making informed decisions about adopting Harvester HCI based on their specific cost and operational requirements.

Introduction to Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) and Harvester HCI

Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) represents a transformative approach to IT infrastructure by integrating traditionally separate components—compute, storage, virtualization, and networking—into a unified, software-defined system. This integration simplifies the complexities of traditional data center architectures, offering benefits such as ease of deployment, streamlined management, and enhanced scalability. The software-defined nature of HCI allows for greater flexibility in resource allocation and can potentially lead to lower costs by reducing the need for specialized hardware. By converging these essential components, HCI eliminates the reliance on standalone storage area networks (SANs), which can be complex and expensive to manage. This consolidation not only simplifies the infrastructure but also reduces the operational burden associated with managing disparate systems. The fundamental advantages of HCI, including its potential for cost reduction and simplified operations, provide a crucial backdrop for evaluating the specific value proposition of Harvester HCI.

Harvester HCI is a modern, open, and interoperable hyperconverged infrastructure solution built on the foundation of Kubernetes. It is specifically designed as an open-source alternative for operators seeking a cloud-native HCI solution. Harvester is engineered to run directly on bare metal servers, providing tightly integrated virtualization and distributed storage capabilities. Beyond supporting traditional virtual machines (VMs), Harvester seamlessly integrates with Rancher, enabling the management of containerized environments alongside VMs. This architecture leverages cutting-edge open-source technologies, including a Linux OS, Kubernetes for orchestration, KubeVirt for virtualization management using KVM, and Longhorn for distributed block storage. The primary aim of Harvester is to unify existing virtualized infrastructure while facilitating the adoption of modern cloud-native practices across various deployment environments, from core data centers to edge locations. This foundation on Kubernetes and its commitment to open-source principles are key characteristics that suggest potential cost advantages and a modern approach to infrastructure management.

In-depth Overview of Harvester HCI: Features and Benefits

Harvester HCI boasts a comprehensive suite of features designed to simplify infrastructure management and enhance operational efficiency. Getting started with Harvester is notably easy, as it ships as a bootable appliance image that can be directly installed on bare metal servers using an ISO or through automated iPXE scripts. The platform offers robust VM lifecycle management, allowing users to effortlessly create, edit, clone, and delete VMs, complete with features like SSH-key injection, cloud-init support, and access to graphic and serial port consoles. Ensuring high availability, Harvester supports VM live migration, enabling the movement of VMs between hosts with zero downtime. For data protection, it provides VM backup, snapshot, and restore capabilities, with support for storing backups on NFS, S3 servers, or NAS devices. Storage management is handled through Longhorn, offering distributed block storage and tiering, with easy creation, editing, cloning, and exporting of volumes. Network management features include support for virtual IP (VIP) addresses and multiple Network Interface Cards (NICs), along with the ability to create VLANs or untagged networks for VM connectivity.

A significant benefit of Harvester is its seamless integration with Rancher, providing a unified platform to manage both virtual machine and Kubernetes workloads. Harvester offers a user-friendly web-based interface for visualizing and managing the entire infrastructure. For monitoring and logging, it integrates with Grafana and Prometheus, providing robust observability. Additional features include PXE/iPXE boot support for automated node provisioning, support for raw block devices and backing images to optimize VM image management, and multi-tenancy with Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) provided through Rancher. Harvester also supports integration with NetApp storage appliances via the Astra Trident CSI driver, and offers support for Windows VMs, ARM architecture (as a technical preview), and vGPU support. Recent enhancements include support for two-node clusters with a witness node for improved reliability in edge scenarios and fleet management capabilities through Rancher.

The benefits of using Harvester HCI are manifold, with a primary focus on reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO). As a 100% open-source solution, Harvester eliminates costly license fees associated with proprietary HCI technologies. It is built using cloud-native solutions and utilizes off-the-shelf commodity hardware components, further contributing to cost reduction. By leveraging open-source technologies, Harvester allows organizations to avoid costly SANs and proprietary hardware-centric HCI alternatives. The platform simplifies hardware stacks and helps avoid vendor lock-in. Harvester is designed to modernize infrastructure by seamlessly integrating legacy virtualized environments with modern cloud-native solutions, future-proofing IT stacks. While built on Kubernetes, it provides a familiar HCI experience for operators accustomed to conventional solutions, making it easy to use. Its streamlined, enterprise-grade design emphasizes simplicity and efficiency, facilitating easy installation on bare metal systems. Harvester's efficient resource allocation can further reduce overall hardware costs. The platform's comprehensive feature set, coupled with its open-source nature, positions it as a flexible and affordable solution for a wide range of IT operators.

Identifying Key Competitors in the HCI Market

The hyperconverged infrastructure market is populated by a diverse set of vendors, each offering solutions with varying strengths and focuses. Among the leading competitors of Harvester HCI are established players like VMware with vSAN and Nutanix with their Cloud Platform and AHV hypervisor. Red Hat also competes in this space with OpenShift Virtualization and RHV. Microsoft's Azure Stack HCI is another significant offering, particularly for organizations invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Scale Computing Platform is known for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, often targeting small to medium-sized businesses. Other notable vendors include Dell with VxRail, HPE with SimpliVity, and StarWind with their Virtual SAN and HCA appliances. Additionally, open-source alternatives like Proxmox VE exist. The market also includes vendors such as Sangfor HCI, Huawei FusionCube, Lenovo ThinkAgile VX Series, Cisco HyperFlex, IBM Cloud Pak for Data, Google Anthos, Citrix Hypervisor, NetApp HCI, Pure Storage FlashStack, Cohesity DataPlatform, Commvault HyperScale X, Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer, and Hitachi Vantara UCP HC. Emerging Kubernetes-based HCI solutions like KubeVirt on DIY Kubernetes and Spectro Cloud also represent a segment of the competition. Furthermore, Platform9 and OpenStack are considered in the broader context of infrastructure management and virtualization.

The HCI market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating substantial expansion in the coming years. Market analysis identifies VMware and Nutanix as current leaders in terms of market share and feature breadth. However, there is a clear trend towards the increasing adoption of software-defined infrastructure, which is fundamental to all HCI solutions. Organizations are also increasingly looking to adopt cloud-like infrastructure models within their own data centers. In this evolving landscape, there is a growing interest in open-source alternatives to traditional proprietary solutions, driven by factors such as cost, flexibility, and the desire to avoid vendor lock-in. Harvester HCI, with its open-source foundation and cloud-native architecture, is well-positioned to capitalize on these market trends, offering a potentially cost-effective solution for organizations seeking to modernize their infrastructure.

Comparative Analysis of Pricing Models: Harvester HCI vs. Competitors

Harvester HCI distinguishes itself in the market with its pricing model, which is based on being 100% open source and completely free to use, eliminating the need for software licensing fees. While the core software is free, SUSE, the company behind Harvester, offers paid consulting and technical support for organizations that require enterprise-level assistance. The integration with Rancher, a multi-cluster management platform, is a key feature of Harvester and is included without additional licensing costs. For government entities with specific security and compliance needs, Harvester Government is available through a Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) subscription. Additionally, a Priority Subscription option exists, likely offering enhanced support services. The fundamental advantage of Harvester's pricing is the absence of upfront or recurring licensing fees for the core HCI software, which can lead to significant cost savings compared to proprietary solutions.

VMware vSAN, in contrast, has traditionally employed a licensing model based on the number of CPU sockets in the servers. VMware also offers HCI Kits that bundle vSphere, their virtualization platform, with vSAN, aiming to simplify the purchase process. However, the pricing structure can be intricate, with various editions offering different sets of features. Recently, VMware has shifted towards a core-based licensing model, which mandates a minimum number of cores to be licensed per CPU. Support costs are typically additional to the base licensing fees. Many users have noted that VMware's licensing, especially with the new core-based approach, can be expensive and complex. While VMware offers specific licensing for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments based on concurrent users, vSAN is no longer available as a standalone product and is now integrated as part of VMware Cloud Foundation. The trend of increasing VMware licensing costs makes Harvester's free model a particularly attractive option for organizations seeking to reduce their software expenses.

Nutanix Cloud Platform utilizes a subscription-based licensing model, often priced per CPU core. They offer tiered licensing options such as Starter, Pro, and Ultimate, with increasing levels of features. Nutanix also provides bring-your-own-license (BYOL) capabilities for certain scenarios. While Nutanix's native hypervisor, AHV, is included without any additional cost, the overall subscription fees for the platform can still be substantial, especially as the infrastructure scales. Nutanix has introduced a simplified core-based pricing and metering system and offers per-user licensing for end-user computing solutions. Compared to VMware's traditional socket-based licensing, Nutanix's approach is generally considered more straightforward, but the recurring subscription costs can still represent a significant investment, making Harvester's free offering a compelling alternative for organizations with budget constraints.

Scale Computing Platform employs a tiered pricing model with Standard, Professional, and Professional Essentials editions. The Standard and Professional editions are priced per core per year under a subscription term, while Professional Essentials offers a predictable 3-node configuration with a one-time purchase option. Scale Computing emphasizes transparent pricing without hidden fees and often boasts a lower total cost of ownership compared to Nutanix. They provide a real-time pricing tool on their website for users to get instant quotes. Site licensing is also available for distributed enterprises and managed service providers. While Scale Computing's pricing is generally considered simpler and more transparent than VMware's and potentially more cost-effective than Nutanix's subscriptions, Harvester's zero software cost still presents the lowest initial barrier in terms of software acquisition.

Microsoft Azure Stack HCI is priced based on a monthly fee per physical core on the on-premises servers. A key aspect of Azure Stack HCI's pricing is the inclusion of Windows Server licensing within the HCI subscription, which can be beneficial for organizations that are heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. The Azure Hybrid Benefit program can further reduce costs by waiving the Azure Stack HCI host service fee and the Windows Server guest subscription for eligible customers with existing Windows Server Datacenter licenses and Software Assurance. However, there are additional costs for optional add-on workloads and other Azure services. For certain use cases like Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), vCPU-based charges can also contribute to the overall cost. Azure Stack HCI offers a free trial for the first 60 days of use. While the Azure Hybrid Benefit can make it cost-competitive for some, the ongoing per-core subscription fees differentiate it from Harvester's completely free software model.

Table: Summary of Pricing Models

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis: A Multi-Year Perspective

The total cost of ownership (TCO) for Harvester HCI is significantly influenced by its open-source nature, which eliminates software licensing fees—a major component of TCO for proprietary solutions. Harvester's ability to run on commodity x86_64 servers also helps in keeping upfront hardware costs manageable. The simplified management interface and integration with Rancher can potentially lead to lower operational costs by reducing the time and effort required for administration. Moreover, the efficient allocation of resources inherent in HCI can contribute to savings on hardware investments. By avoiding the need for costly SANs and proprietary HCI appliances, Harvester offers a pathway to a lower overall infrastructure cost. Over a typical 3-5 year deployment lifecycle, the absence of recurring licensing fees for Harvester can result in substantial cumulative savings compared to solutions that require annual subscriptions or per-socket/per-core licensing.

In contrast, VMware vSAN's TCO can be considerably higher due to its licensing model and associated support costs. The recent shift to per-core licensing, especially with minimum core requirements per CPU, has been noted to potentially increase costs for many organizations. Nutanix, while including its AHV hypervisor for free, still incurs subscription costs for its platform, which can accumulate over a multi-year period, impacting the overall TCO. Scale Computing Platform is designed with a focus on lower TCO, offering transparent pricing and efficient resource utilization. Azure Stack HCI, with its per-core subscription fees and potential additional costs for guest operating systems and Azure services, also contributes to its TCO. While the Azure Hybrid Benefit can mitigate some of these costs, it still involves ongoing subscription expenses.

Table: Comparative TCO Analysis (3-5 Year Projection)

Hardware Requirements and Cost Efficiency

Harvester HCI is designed to run on commodity x86_64 or ARM64 servers, offering flexibility in hardware selection and potentially reducing costs associated with vendor-specific appliances. For development and testing environments, the minimum hardware requirements include an 8-core CPU, 32 GB of RAM, and 200-250 GB of disk capacity, preferably on SSD or NVMe drives, along with a 1 Gbps network interface. For production deployments, the recommended and sometimes required specifications increase to a 16-core CPU, 64 GB of RAM, and 500 GB or more of disk space on high-performance SSD or NVMe drives, along with a 10 Gbps network interface. Harvester supports local disks and hardware RAID configurations and necessitates a network switch that supports port trunking for VLAN functionality. While a single node can be used for testing, a three-node cluster is recommended to fully leverage Harvester's multi-node features and ensure high availability. These hardware requirements are generally considered reasonable and allow organizations to utilize standard server hardware, which can contribute to overall cost efficiency.

In comparison, VMware vSAN has stricter hardware requirements, often necessitating certified hardware listed in their Compatibility Guide. Specific guidelines exist for the cache tier (requiring SSDs) and the capacity tier (supporting both HDDs and SSDs), as well as for networking (minimum 1 Gbps for hybrid, 10 Gbps for all-flash) and storage controllers. A minimum of three hosts is required for vSAN, with four being the recommended configuration. The Express Storage Architecture (ESA) in newer vSAN versions mandates the use of NVMe drives. Nutanix recommends specific Intel or AMD CPUs, a minimum of 32-64 GB of RAM, and particular network interface cards and host bus adapters. They also have recommendations for SSDs for the hot tier and HDDs or SSDs for the cold tier, with a minimum of 3-4 nodes suggested for a cluster. Production environments for Nutanix often have more stringent hardware demands. Scale Computing offers integrated hardware appliances, which simplifies the selection process but might limit the flexibility to use existing hardware. Their architecture is lightweight, often requiring less RAM compared to other solutions, and they support various network speeds, recommending at least three nodes for high availability. Microsoft Azure Stack HCI requires validated hardware from a specific catalog. It has minimum requirements of two servers for a standard cluster and four for a stretched cluster, along with specific CPU, RAM (minimum 32 GB per node), and storage requirements. A high-bandwidth, low-latency network connection (10 Gbps or higher recommended) and support for RDMA are also typically required.

Table: Comparison of Minimum and Recommended Hardware Specifications

Scalability and Management Cost Implications

Harvester HCI demonstrates robust scalability through its scale-out architecture, allowing for capacity and performance to be increased by adding more nodes to the cluster. The integrated storage provided by Longhorn scales seamlessly with the compute resources as new nodes are added. This flexibility enables organizations to adjust their infrastructure based on evolving demands, scaling up or down as required. Harvester is also designed with edge scalability in mind, making it suitable for distributed environments. Similarly, VMware vSAN is highly scalable, supporting both scaling up by adding disks to existing hosts and scaling out by incorporating more hosts into the cluster, with support for large clusters of up to 64 hosts. Nutanix also offers excellent scalability with its scale-out architecture, allowing for the independent scaling of compute and storage resources. Scale Computing's platform scales out by adding appliances to the cluster, and it offers the unique ability to mix and match different generations of hardware within the same cluster. Microsoft Azure Stack HCI supports scaling up to 16 servers within a single cluster, providing ample capacity for demanding workloads.

In terms of management overhead and associated costs, Harvester HCI benefits from its simplified management interface accessible through a web UI and its deep integration with Rancher. It includes built-in monitoring tools based on Grafana and Prometheus and supports Infrastructure as Code through its Terraform provider. VMware vSAN's management is primarily integrated into vCenter, which offers a centralized view but can be complex to manage, especially for larger environments. Nutanix is known for its simplified management via the Prism interface, offering one-click upgrades, although some users report a steep initial learning curve. Scale Computing is often praised for its ease of use and simplified management, which can lead to lower operational costs. The platform also features automated management capabilities, reducing IT overhead. Azure Stack HCI leverages familiar Microsoft management tools like Windows Admin Center and integrates with the Azure portal for hybrid operations.

The Role of Open Source in Harvester HCI's Cost-Effectiveness

A fundamental aspect of Harvester HCI's cost-effectiveness is its foundation as a 100% open-source project. This open-source nature directly translates to the absence of software licensing fees, a significant cost saving compared to proprietary HCI solutions. By being open source, Harvester also helps organizations avoid vendor lock-in, providing greater flexibility in their infrastructure choices. Harvester is built upon a robust ecosystem of established open-source technologies, including Linux, Kubernetes, KubeVirt, and Longhorn, leveraging the maturity and reliability of these components. The open-source model also fosters community support and development, which can be a valuable resource for users. Furthermore, the open nature of the platform allows for extensive customization and the ability to extend its capabilities to meet specific environmental needs. This combination of no licensing costs, flexibility, and community support makes open source a key factor in Harvester HCI's overall cost-effectiveness.

Analysis of Independent Reviews and Cost-Effectiveness Reports

Independent user reviews often highlight Harvester's ease of use, the speed of virtual machine creation, and its overall stability and cost-effectiveness. Comparisons with other HCI solutions suggest that Harvester can be a more affordable option, particularly in scenarios where immediate commercial support is not a primary concern. Some users have noted that, as a relatively new product in the HCI space, Harvester might not yet possess the full breadth of advanced features found in more mature solutions and that setting it up for production environments might require a degree of expertise. Harvester has been recognized as a modern and cost-effective alternative to solutions like Proxmox and has been favorably compared to VMware vSAN in terms of cost and management simplicity. For government entities, Harvester Government is positioned as a more affordable and modern alternative to legacy IT infrastructure. Overall, Harvester is often viewed as a solution that offers good value for its capabilities, especially considering its zero licensing cost.

Conclusion: Key Findings on Harvester HCI's Cost-Effectiveness

Harvester HCI presents a compelling case for cost-effectiveness in the hyperconverged infrastructure market. Its most significant advantage lies in its open-source nature, which eliminates software licensing fees, leading to substantial savings in the total cost of ownership over time. The platform's compatibility with commodity hardware further contributes to reducing upfront capital expenditure. While Harvester offers a rich set of features and integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes and Rancher, its relative immaturity compared to market leaders like VMware and Nutanix might mean that some advanced functionalities or extensive enterprise support options are still evolving. However, for organizations prioritizing cost savings, particularly those with a cloud-native focus or a willingness to leverage community support, Harvester HCI stands out as a highly attractive option. Its ease of use and comprehensive feature set make it a viable alternative for a range of deployment scenarios, from edge computing to core data centers.

Recommendations

For small to medium-sized businesses and organizations with a strong emphasis on open-source solutions and cloud-native technologies, Harvester HCI offers a particularly compelling value proposition due to its zero licensing cost and integration with Kubernetes and Rancher. Enterprises should carefully evaluate their specific requirements for advanced features and the level of commercial support needed. If these are critical, a comparison with more mature solutions like VMware or Nutanix, considering their respective licensing costs, would be prudent. Organizations already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem might find Azure Stack HCI's integration and hybrid benefits attractive, but should weigh the ongoing subscription costs against Harvester's free model. For those seeking extreme simplicity and potentially lower management overhead, Scale Computing is worth considering. It is recommended that organizations considering Harvester HCI conduct thorough testing in their own environment to ensure it meets their performance and stability requirements. Consulting with SUSE for information on their support offerings and roadmap can also provide valuable insights into Harvester's suitability for production deployments. Ultimately, Harvester HCI's open-source foundation and comprehensive feature set make it a strong contender for organizations looking to optimize their HCI infrastructure costs.

Comparing Harvester HCI in the Context of Cloud Deployment Models

When evaluating Harvester HCI as a cost-effective alternative to proprietary HCI solutions, organizations should also consider how it fits within their broader cloud strategy. For mid-market companies weighing private versus public cloud deployments, the decision factors mirror many of the same considerations discussed in this Harvester analysis. Our comprehensive guide to private vs. public cloud for mid-market companies examines which option is safer, faster, and more cost-effective based on company size and workload patterns. This analysis reveals that private cloud deployments—which Harvester HCI can help power—often provide significant cost advantages for organizations with steady, predictable workloads, potentially saving over $200,000 annually for medium-sized deployments compared to public cloud alternatives.

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About the Author

Bryan Reynolds is an accomplished technology executive with more than 25 years of experience leading innovation in the software industry. As the CEO and founder of Baytech Consulting, he has built a reputation for delivering custom software solutions that help businesses streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth.

Bryan’s expertise spans custom software development, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and strategic business consulting, making him a trusted advisor and thought leader across a wide range of industries.