At no point in time has IT architecture and data storage been as complex, diverse and dynamic as it is today. In addition, skyrocketing growth of data that comes from multiple sources is putting enterprise storage under pressure – data that now lives in a cloud environment, made up of on-premise, public and hybrid clouds.
And, while rapidly growing storage capacity needs are top of mind for all CIOs, this isn’t the only storage challenge they are facing. All this data must be identified, analysed and accessed by the appropriate users when they need it, however, legacy storage systems often stifle, instead of promote the ability to achieve this goal. The bottom line is that all businesses need to redefine the way data storage serves their needs.
“Today’s organisations need a modern approach to storage that guarantees that the business has better control over where their data is, how it is used, and how it can deliver value to the business,” says Karabo Masilela, business development Manager for HPE at Axiz.
According to him, the era we live in is experiencing massive shifts due to digital transformation, multi-cloud, Internet of Things and edge computing, and this is driving the need for a more agile and intelligent way of fulfilling storage needs.
“Enterprises need a framework that can actively prioritise availability, and make decisions regarding technology resources. They need ‘intelligent’ storage, that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to actively manage and respond to its environment both on-premise and in the cloud, ensuring that resources are available when needed, optimising performance, and reducing costs.”
Moreover, Masilela says it eliminates the hassle of managing infrastructure and enables a basis for context-aware intelligence on the best way for the organisation to manage its data. “Today’s world is an instant and on-demand one, driven by the cloud and everything ‘as-a-service’. It’s no surprise then that storage too has to be delivered in a similar, service-based model to bring the flexibility in terms of storage consumption and investment that businesses need.”
He says recent research conducted by HPE and TechTarget, revealed that the sheer volume of data within organisations today, as well as its diversity in format and location, makes it particularly difficult to move and manage data between on-premises and the public cloud. In addition, while accurately measuring the exact amount of data that is stored in various cloud environments is impossible, the typical enterprise has unprecedented storage needs.
“And there are other concerns that plague organisations today. Seventy-one percent of those surveyed claimed that their businesses are either highly or moderately concerned about cloud lock-in when it comes to cloud storage. Another concern for 82%, is cost, particularly when it comes to the cost of guaranteeing sufficient data transfer rates and adequate data egress,” he explains.
The research also showed that yet another 58% claimed that their companies have not felt the effects of inadequate storage capacity, but upon further scrutiny, these companies were all found to dramatically over-provision the amount of storage they require for future growth, by at least 37%.
“This is where intelligent storage from HPE comes in. If we examine all the challenges and concerns enterprises have around data storage, one thing is clear – more than at any time in the past, enterprises need their storage to work harder for them in driving real value from their data stored both on-premise and across a variety of cloud environments.”
Masilela says that to achieve this aim, forward-thinking businesses are moving in the direction of intelligent storage, in which data is found, moved, surfaced, analysed and reported in a way that enables rapid, actionable insights, irrespective of where that data comes from, or in fact where it resides. “In today’s hybrid environments, businesses insist that their storage is able to automatically and intelligently understand workload needs, adjust and adapt in real time, and optimise data for the duration of its lifecycle,” he explains.
“In addition, it must be able to migrate data to where it needs to be or to its optimal location for speed, efficiency and economy, as well as align costs with business usage, and at the same time, pinpoint and remove security risks.”