technologyreseller.co.uk 31 Deep Dive: Data Storage Tim Klein Paul Speciale software-defined storage was the ability to deliver enterprise levels of data durability and high availability, but way below the multi-million-dollar price points required for custom-built legacy systems. This made it possible to deploy systems at cloud-scale that could be trusted with enterprise and user data.” While cost-savings are clearly a factor, Pure Storage’s Lherault points out that users shouldn’t ignore innovation in hardware: “All storage needs the ability to work in a hybrid and multi-cloud manner. For vendors, this allows them to release new software faster and adopt new generations of hardware faster. It’s important to make the distinction that software defined doesn’t necessarily mean software just with commodity hardware. Modern storage arrays are defined and driven by their software capabilities but leverage hardware innovation to enhance the software and deliver greater efficiency.” Sergei Serdyuk, VP of Product Management at NAKIVO, picks out software’s potential to enhance performance: “The most ground-breaking capability is perhaps the ability to optimise performance by using a logical layer for inter-operable hardware for data movement and processing and an additional ‘intelligent abstraction’ of AI-managed storage provisioning and management. In combination, these two capabilities show the greatest potential for enabling costefficient operations.” Serdyuk is not the only expert to highlight the additional value that software brings. Cubbit’s Signoretti cites the benefit of having “visibility across environments with a single domain approach” (adding: “On the other hand, you want flexibility – multiple tiers – for better data placement and cost optimisation.”). Shawn Meyers, Field CTO at Tintri, points to software’s ability to gather data insights: “A softwareled approach can provide valuable insight into each managed object and each I/O to help determine the best way to service these with the available hardware.” Despite these benefits, Roy Illsley, Chief Analyst at Omdia, reminds us that when it comes to software’s potential in data storage, there is still much more to be explored and realised: “In a softwaredefined world the potential is for storage to be deployed where it is needed to meet the customer demand. The real ‘game changer’ would be if this was universal and could support any technology and include with it the ability to find and secure all data.” What does ‘software-defined’ really mean? The term ‘software-defined’ is used to describe so many storage solutions with (generally) some aspect of commodity hardware at the platform level that it can be difficult for customers to navigate their way through the different options. So, how are vendors differentiating their solutions? “This is the million-dollar question,” says Omdia’s Illsley. “If it is done correctly and is truly agnostic then it is differentiated. Too many software defined solutions are only able to work with a sub-set of infrastructure and are not universal.” He suggests the way to gauge how differentiated a solution is is to ask: “How easy is it to extend its capabilities by the customer to meet their specific needs?” NAKIVO’s Serdyuk advises customers to analyse approaches and outcomes: “Offerings can look similar as they address the same pain points. However, the solutions themselves use different approaches, which might be a good starting point. For example, storage virtualisation and ML-powered storage provisioning are both defined as part of the software-defined storage concept or SDS. Focusing on the outcomes of specific solutions could help differentiate between vendors and their solutions.” David Norfolk, Practice Leader, Development and Governance at Bloor, adopts a similar position: “The only sensible way to differentiate is by capability (performance, functionality, security etc). It doesn’t matter much what you call it, it is what it does that matters. Even if it has a flashy new acronym, you have to evaluate its actual capabilities and whether they are fit for your purposes.” Jeff Whitaker, VP of Product Strategy and Marketing at Panasas, cautions that businesses may need to be realistic about what is achievable: “Software defined is a very nebulous term…Customers often ask for three things: flexibility to choose the best-in-class solution, with the highest reliability and at the best price point. But these three elements don’t always work together.” While buyers clearly have a responsibility, Tintri’s Meyers suggests there is much more vendors can do in this area: “Vendors need to differentiate by reducing complexity and lowering labour costs for their customers. This is done through ease of use, automation and leveraging AI and ML to automatically tune IT infrastructure based on active usage patterns.” What is software’s impact on the data storage industry As the transition from hardware to software continues to evolve and accelerate, what impact is it having on the data storage industry as a whole? Deanna Hoover, Director of Product Marketing at Spectra Logic, suggests it is ushering in a new era of competition and innovation: “Prior to the adoption of software-defined storage, we saw fewer new vendors entering the market. The engineering and development of storage hardware is more complex and costly than that of software-defined storage…The shift has motivated many hardware-centric vendors to modernise their offerings by Sergei Serdyuk Shawn Meyers
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