The holistic, cyber-resilient, multi-tenant infrastructure platform
Infrastructure plus “Network as a Service” (NaaS) for sites
Hyperconverged platform for compute, storage, networking and private cloud
A scalable, highly available operating platform instead of separate IT silos.
The sayFUSE hyperconverged infrastructure (sayFUSE HCI) consists of at least three sayFUSE all-in-one nodes, which provide the entire server, storage and network infrastructure, and includes a sayFUSE Backup appliance that serves as a backup and restore platform for archiving, data protection and offsite storage. The integrated sayTRUST Post Zero Trust technology enables highly secure communication between the client and the infrastructure.
The holistic, resilient IT infrastructure brings together the core functions of modern IT operating environments in a scalable, highly available architecture. Instead of running virtualisation, compute, storage, networking, backup and recovery as separate systems, these systems are merged into one end-to-end operating platform.
Among other things, the platform combines virtualisation, compute, storage, high availability, live migration, live synchronisation, backup, offsite storage and disaster recovery in a single software-defined system that can be managed and controlled across the nodes. It is fault-tolerant even against complete failures. In addition, physical and virtual workstations can be provisioned centrally and automatically equipped with the required applications and software components.
A key objective is to reduce technical complexity. Fewer interdependent individual solutions mean fewer interfaces, lower administrative effort and a clearer, more controllable operating environment. Security and resilience are not added afterwards through additional components, but are built into the underlying architecture from the outset, following the principle of security by design.
The sayFUSE HCI platform forms the basis for genuine business continuity that can be scaled as required. It reduces the complexity of the entire IT infrastructure and minimises hardware and software requirements. Installation, migration and operating effort are greatly reduced.
Hardware replacement cycles are significantly extended, and electricity costs and CO₂ emissions are significantly reduced.
The integrated hypervisor builds coherent storage, compute and networking across the individual nodes and provides all infrastructure components as a multi-tenant service.
It can provide other sites or tenants with complete network infrastructures as a service, so that in future no additional on-site investment is needed for servers, storage, load balancers and so on.
A site or tenant receives an isolated infrastructure as a service, which is provided by the central administration and can be managed by the respective site or tenant. It can include the following infrastructure components as a service:
- Router
- Load balancer
- Firewall
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Personal Key Identification (PKI)
- Zero Trust access
- VPN
- NFS, iSCSI and S3 storage
- Server
- Virtual client PC
- Backup (multi-stage, with migration, air gap and offsite storage)
The individual IaaS environments are isolated from one another, from the insecure internet and from the internal network, and are not visible. Users can access individual applications, services, networks or their own virtual PC via sayTRUST UZE technology, after their identity has been verified by “Personal Key Identification (PKI)”, through a multi-stage “Defence in Depth” security procedure.
The flexibility of the HCI platform offers the advantages of software-defined storage and allows performance and capacity to be scaled according to needs and requirements. It can be expanded modularly, building-block style, as far as required.
The basic principles of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) are almost identical across many manufacturers; they differ in their focus and performance. SAYTEC, by contrast, takes a holistic approach that makes it unique. One important differentiator is “Made in Germany”.
Comparison with leading HCI providers (Nutanix, VMware vSAN, Dell EMC VxRail, HPE SimpliVity, Cisco HyperFlex):
Core features: SAYTEC’s holistic IT infrastructure
- Storage performance: 150 GB/s read/write performance
- Backup performance: 12 TB/h backup and offsite storage
- Integrated security: sayTRUST UZE technology (Post-Zero-Trust, “Made in Germany”)
- Proven fields of application: successfully used for big data analytics (45 PB), in ministries and in SMEs.
- Multi-tenancy for NaaS: provision of complete, highly secure networks as a service (incl. virtualisation, VDI, load balancers, Zero Trust, backup, firewall, S3, NFS, iSCSI, etc.) for the sites of large organisations, without additional on-site investment.
1. Storage performance (150 GB/s read/write)
A read/write performance of 150 GB/s is extremely high. The fact that we have successfully demonstrated this performance in big data analytics with 45 PB is a game changer for many. This is not a theoretical laboratory figure, but proof of the real-world scalability and performance of the SAYTEC solution under extreme conditions. 45 PB is an immense volume of data, and big data analytics require massive throughput and low latency. This shows that our solution is also suitable for hyperscaler-like requirements in private environments.
2. Multi-tenancy and “Network as a Service” (NaaS) for sites
This is a differentiator of great strategic importance. The ability to provide complete networks as a service to decentralised sites – covering virtualisation, VDI, load balancers, Zero Trust, backup, firewall, S3, NFS, iSCSI and more – is a cloud-like delivery model for on-premises or edge sites.
- It enables large organisations to control and standardise IT centrally across all sites.
- Reduces local investment and expertise: sites need no complex IT installations or highly qualified IT staff on site.
- Maximum security: thanks to central provisioning with integrated Zero Trust and firewall functionality.
- Agility: faster provisioning of new sites or services.
3. Backup performance (12 TB/h backup and offsite storage)
12 TB/h (approx. 3.3 GB/s) is very good performance for fast backups and restores of large data volumes. Combined with the big data experience, this is a strong argument for the ability to back up and manage huge volumes of data efficiently.
4. Integrated security (sayTRUST UZE technology)
Its use by ministries is strong proof of the trustworthiness and security of sayTRUST UZE technology. Ministries have extremely high security requirements. The ability to offer Zero Trust as a core component of “Network as a Service” for distributed sites makes SAYTEC an industry leader in integrated, decentralised security. This is a decisive component for modern, distributed working environments and against the growing threat of cyberattacks.
Leading HCI providers do not offer their own proprietary Zero Trust engine like sayTRUST UZE as an integral part of the base HCI. Customers would have to purchase and integrate separate Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) or micro-segmentation solutions from third parties. This leads to:
- Greater complexity: more vendors, more interfaces, more configuration effort.
- Potential security gaps: integrating different systems can create gaps.
- Additional costs: for licences and management of the separate security products.
SAYTEC’s positioning
SAYTEC positions itself as a high-performance, extremely secure and flexible provider of “edge-to-core” IT infrastructure that is particularly suitable for organisations with distributed sites and high security requirements.
- For big data and high-performance computing: the 150 GB/s and the 45 PB reference show that SAYTEC can deliver solutions not only for mid-sized companies but also in the top performance segment.
- For security-sensitive environments (ministries, critical infrastructure – KRITIS): sayTRUST UZE and “Made in Germany” are decisive differentiators here, offering a level of trust that international providers find hard to match.
- For large organisations with distributed sites: multi-tenancy for NaaS is a disruptive feature that radically simplifies the provisioning and management of IT infrastructure at decentralised sites and makes it more secure, with considerable cost savings (no additional on-site investment).
The leading HCI providers are generalists who deliver the foundations for a modern, software-defined infrastructure. Their strength lies in broad applicability, an extensive ecosystem and global scalability.
SAYTEC, by contrast, is a specialist that uses HCI technology to achieve greater fault tolerance and a higher level of integration, particularly in Zero Trust security and “as a service” provisioning for distributed networks. Its “Made in Germany” approach and proven suitability for security-sensitive environments give it a unique positioning that is extremely attractive to certain customer groups and offers clear added value over the large global players, whose core products do not offer this degree of vertical integration and specific focus on decentralised “Network as a Service” security as standard.
Download Whitepaper – sayFUSE HCI, PDF in German (opens in a new tab)