Transition from block to flexible consumption

Primary storage refers to the technologies and methods used to permanently store data in a computing system. Traditionally, mission-critical business functions in large enterprises have been concentrated in a few monolithic applications. To that end, primary storage was synonymous with block storage better suited to the relational databases they depended on.

Ideas about core storage, data, and workloads have changed radically in recent years. Data is no longer roughly classified as structured or unstructured, but by the applications and business processes that access it. Meanwhile, technologies, architectures, and deployment models have evolved to support this expanding range of scenarios.

While block storage remains the core element of core storage, file storage and object storage have different characteristics. Data agility, flexibility, and mobility are key aspects of enterprise infrastructure strategies, including storage systems. Vendors are working to make their storage systems more open and easier to integrate and work across environments.

The link between storage, processing, and the broader architecture has also evolved across enterprises. The latest protocols and technologies, such as NVM Express (NVMe) over Fabric (NVMe-oF), make access methods thinner. While Fiber Channel (FC) networks remain commonplace, converged Ethernet (supporting both storage protocols and IP protocols) is becoming the standard for new deployments.

Enterprises want to align storage with the rest of their infrastructure strategy based on immediate requirements such as:

• flexible and efficient infrastructure that can quickly respond to business needs
• improved data mobility and cloud integration
• support for more applications and workloads
• cloud consumption models.

So how can they choose between options and provide core storage capabilities that suit their needs? We address these issues in our report on key criteria for core storage; the maintainer of the Radar Report evaluates vendors in this space.

When evaluating vendors, we found that many of the “core” storage features became the subject of discussion, such as scaling or scaling, software-defined configuration and operation, availability, and resiliency. However, a few additional capabilities distinguish vendor solutions such as AI-based analytics that can be linked to threat management, offline storage, better automation, and deeper integration with Kubernetes.

You can choose a provider that meets most of your basic storage needs, but can also offer the flexibility and compatibility you need in today’s dynamic environments. End user organizations can benefit from end-to-end solutions that work seamlessly across on-premises and cloud infrastructures.

However, there is no universal solution. Traditional high and mid-range storage arrays have been joined by software-defined and purpose-built solutions, not least to address cost optimization, storage as a service (STaaS) and cloud computing usage models that are in increasing demand. . Even if STaaS is in its infancy, some vendors have created compelling offerings that could change the way storage is used.

For this reason, organizations should determine the architecture that is right for them, based on common and expected scenarios, and continue to respond to the needs of their legacy applications with resiliency and availability without unnecessary overhead. They also need to consider operational overheads, especially in light of STaaS.

Among other differentiators, businesses can turn to vendors that offer end-to-end management capabilities that take advantage of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Such solutions should not only provide predictive analytics and proactive remediation capabilities, but also self-manage storage to increase the capacity that can be managed by a single administrator.

In addition, like the entire tech industry, the primary storage sector is being affected by the volatile global environment causing supply chain issues and impacting the availability of key resources. Meanwhile, rising energy costs and the impact of climate change are forcing organizations to reevaluate the efficiency of their primary storage solutions in terms of energy consumption and carbon footprint.

In conclusion, while the primary storage market remains a very mature space, we are not yet at the end of the game. Enterprises must partner with vendors with a clear vision of dynamic, agile delivery of (structured and unstructured) data at scale, offering licensing and financing models to support organizations as they increasingly move from capital cost models to service-based approaches.

Message Not your father’s main vault first appeared on GigaOm.