How to Keep Edge Sites Running When Hardware Is Hard to Get
DataCore Software, Monday, June 1st, 2026
Organizations can extend edge infrastructure lifespan by deploying software-defined hyperconverged infrastructure on existing servers instead of waiting for expensive hardware refreshes.
The AI infrastructure boom has created a severe hardware shortage, with server lead times stretching to six months and costs doubling, hitting distributed enterprises particularly hard. Traditional hardware refresh cycles no longer work when costs have tripled due to hypervisor repricing and doubled for server hardware, forcing a rethinking of edge IT strategy.
Rather than waiting for new hardware, organizations should maximize existing infrastructure through software-defined hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) that runs on commodity x86 servers already in place. DataCore's StarWind offerings provide two paths: a software-defined storage layer or a complete pre-configured HCI stack that enables high availability, automatic failover, and hypervisor flexibility without external SAN hardware.
This approach turns expensive, slow hardware procurement into a capital allocation decision while maintaining production-grade reliability at edge and remote office locations.