Flash storage and solid-state drives (SSDs)
Find the latest information on flash storage and solid-state drive (SSD) technology options and learn strategies for successfully implementing flash and SSDs.
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News
30 Oct 2024
Scality Ring XP to offer object storage at scale with rapid access
Lightweight S3 API trades storage features for microsecond access. Scality pairs it with all-NVMe flash in Ring XP, aimed at AI use cases for small object data in PB-scale datasets Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2024
Western Digital boosts HDD capacity with 32TB shingled drives
An 11th platter gives extra capacity, while shingled (overlapped) writes – best suited to sequential recording use cases – allow for greater density and big gains in thoughput Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2024
Synology takes aim at enterprise customers and flash storage
Best known as an SME and consumer brand, Synology claims multiple enterprise customers especially in backup and storage of infrequently accessed data, but has plans for flash, too Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Oct 2024
What are tensor processing units and what is their role in AI?
We look at Google’s TPUs – tensor processing units – and ask what makes them different to CPUs, GPUs and DPUs, as well as how you can take advantage of them in AI processing Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2024
Google launches Parallelstore file storage at cloud AI training
Originally driven by Intel’s now-defunct Optane storage class memory, Parallelstore offers massive parallel file storage targeted at artificial intelligence training use cases on Google Cloud Continue Reading
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E-Zine
01 Oct 2024
AI advances in cancer care
In this week’s Computer Weekly, medtech startups are showing how AI can offer dramatic advances in cancer care – we talk to one such firm to find out more. Every CIO is used to delivering rapid response times for users, but not many target latency of eight nanoseconds – we find out how it’s done. And we examine the latest trends on datacentre cooling in the light of advances in energy efficiency. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Sep 2024
What is wear leveling?
Wear leveling is a process that is designed to extend the life of solid-state storage devices. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2024
Auckland museum enhances digitisation efforts with storage upgrade
A major storage upgrade is enabling the Auckland War Memorial Museum to safeguard its vast collection, ensure digital sovereignty and enhance visitor experiences using AI Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2024
NetApp E-series: Not part of the big message, but here to stay, says CEO
We asked NetApp about its high-performance computing-focused E-series block storage arrays and found inconsistent messaging but ultimately a commitment from CEO George Kurian to retain it Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2024
Pure punts raft of unifying features in FlashBlade file and object
Features are aimed at Pure’s file and object architecture with functionality based on software that aids management at system level Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2024
NetApp maintains push to data management for AI
From data storage to intelligent data infrastructure – that’s the plan from NetApp, which has announced data curation for artificial intelligence as well as additions to its ASA and FAS storage arrays Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Sep 2024
An intro to CAMM memory and how it compares with DIMMs
Compression attached memory modules, or CAMMs, are making news as a potential replacement for DRAM DIMMs. How big of a future do they have? Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Sep 2024
Compare 3 differences in self-managed and Open-Channel SSDs
Open-Channel SSDs can be beneficial but only in the right uses. There are three key differences to analyze with their management as compared to self-managed SSDs. Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2024
Toshiba follows the pack with launch of 24TB and 28TB HDDs
Several months behind Seagate and Western Digital, Toshiba achieves the maximum possible in commercial HDDs and benefits from a speed boost over its rivals Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Sep 2024
Storage technology explained: Vector databases at the core of AI
We look at the use of vector data in AI and how vector databases work, plus vector embedding, the challenges for storage of vector data and the key suppliers of vector database products Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Sep 2024
Key-value flash targets more efficient data storage
We look at key-value storage, which promises much greater I/O efficiency and longer flash drive lifespans, but may be constrained by limited use cases and lukewarm productisation efforts Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2024
Flash prices drop as drive production increases but demand lags
Flash prices were high in the early part of this year as a result of manufacturer production squeezes but have since dropped because demand has been slack, with flash now costing just under 10 cents per gigabyte Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2024
QiStor flashes key-value storage software for hardware acceleration
US-based startup will develop storage software allied with FPGA chips to allow data storage to bypass spinning disk era block addressing to speed performance and cut energy use Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2024
Oracle Exadata Exascale: Big architecture shift for small workloads
Exascale is multitenant architecture for Oracle Database that promises performance equal to dedicated infrastructure and savings compared with existing products, with AI workloads in mind Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Aug 2024
Kubernetes at 10: CRDs at core of extensible, modular storage in K8s
We talk to VMware engineer Xing Yang, who saw Kubernetes storage evolve from the early days where its modular, extensible origins translated to Operators for storage and backup Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Aug 2024
How the key-value SSD promises to outperform block storage
Key-value SSDs show potential in performance and storage management, but how would they be implemented? What other advantages do they offer over block storage? Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jul 2024
What is an embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC)?
An embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) is a small storage device made up of NAND flash memory and a storage controller. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jul 2024
What is an NVDIMM (non-volatile dual in-line memory module)?
An NVDIMM (non-volatile dual in-line memory module) is hybrid computer memory that retains data during a service outage. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Jul 2024
What is SSD RAID (solid-state drive RAID)?
SSD RAID (solid-state drive RAID) is a methodology commonly used to protect data by distributing redundant data blocks across multiple SSDs. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Jul 2024
Interview: Nvidia on AI workload demands and storage performance
We talk to Charlie Boyle of Nvidia about AI impacts on storage I/O, key performance metrics for storage for AI, and storage attributes required across differing AI workloads Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Jul 2024
What is a CompactFlash card (CF card)?
A CompactFlash card (CF card) is a memory card format developed by SanDisk in 1994 that uses flash memory technology to store data on a very small portable device. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Jul 2024
JEDEC
JEDEC is a global industry group that develops open standards for microelectronics. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Jul 2024
Cloud repatriation: What it is and when you can benefit
We look at the growing trend of cloud repatriation, why organisations repatriate data, the pros and cons, who can most benefit, and how to decide which data to move Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Jul 2024
SSD caching
SSD caching, also known as 'flash caching' or 'flash memory caching,' is the temporary storage of frequently-accessed data on NAND flash memory chips in a solid-state drive (SSD) to improve the drive's input/output (I/O) performance and allow data requests to be met with improved speed. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Jul 2024
SSD TRIM
SSD TRIM is a command for the Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) interface that enables an operating system (OS) to inform a NAND flash solid-state drive (SSD) which data blocks it can erase because they are no longer in use. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Jul 2024
RRAM or ReRAM (resistive random access memory)
RRAM, also known as resistive random access memory or ReRAM, is a form of non-volatile storage that operates by changing the resistance of a specially formulated solid dielectric material. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Jul 2024
Deep dive: How Pure Fusion plans to implement storage classes
We spoke to Pure Storage founder John ‘Coz’ Colgrove about how Pure Storage’s Fusion control plane will make its capacity available to applications via pre-defined storage classes Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2024
Interview: Nvidia on AI workloads and their impacts on data storage
We talk to Charlie Boyle of Nvidia about data challenges in artificial intelligence, key practical tips for AI projects, and demands on storage of training, inferencing, RAG and checkpointing Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2024
Pure’s storage as a service: We can offer what others can’t
All-flash storage vendor Pure makes bold claims about subscription pricing for storage, stating that the competition can’t offer what it can because its arrays are built for non-disruptive upgrades Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Jun 2024
SATA Express (SATAe)
SATA Express (SATAe or Serial ATA Express) is a bus interface to connect storage devices to a computer motherboard, supporting SATA and PCI Express protocols simultaneously. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2024
Pure CEO: AI needs write speed and storage in place
We spoke to Pure Storage CEO Charlie Giancarlo about why write speed is key for artificial intelligence workloads, accessible storage for AI data, and his prediction of the death of spinning disk Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2024
Pure deepens Fusion as reorientation to storage for AI continues
Pure Storage launches Fusion ‘storage classes’ across its arrays as a pool of storage for AI-centric workloads, plus AI Copilot and Evergreen//One for AI storage-as-a-service Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2024
Nuclear waste body cuts energy use by 20% as Pure replaces HPE
French nuclear waste agency Andra has cut storage energy use by 20% and strengthened its disaster recovery capabilities by deploying Pure Storage and 10-year controller upgrades Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Jun 2024
3D XPoint
3D XPoint is memory storage technology that was jointly developed by Intel and Micron Technology. The two vendors intended for the technology to fill a gap in the storage market between dynamic RAM (DRAM) and NAND flash. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Jun 2024
hybrid hard drive (HHD)
A hybrid hard drive (HHD), sometimes known as a solid-state hybrid drive (SSHD), is a mass storage device that combines a conventional hard disk drive (HDD) and a NAND flash memory module. Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2024
Mad Max production company gets Dell PowerScale to leverage generative AI
One supplier enters, one supplier leaves: Australian film production company replaces HPE with Dell storage and compute as it leverages GenAI Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2024
Dell launches PowerStore Prime and hints at PowerScale AI boost
Array range launched at Dell World 2024 in Las Vegas as PowerScale gets OS upgrade and new Intel Xeon CPUs, while Dell CEO hints at acceleration for PowerScale NAS Continue Reading
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Definition
28 May 2024
SAS SSD (Serial-Attached SCSI solid-state drive)
A SAS SSD (Serial-Attached SCSI solid-state drive) is a NAND flash memory-based storage or caching device designed to fit in the same slot as a hard disk drive (HDD) and use the SAS interface to connect to the host computer. Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2024
Nutanix beefs up AHV hypervisor, doubles down on AI
Nutanix takes aim at VMware with enhancements to its AHV hypervisor along with tighter integrations with Nvidia and Hugging Face to simplify AI deployments Continue Reading
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Definition
23 May 2024
TLC flash (triple-level cell flash)
TLC flash (triple-level cell flash) is a type of NAND flash memory that stores three bits of data per cell. Continue Reading
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Podcast
22 May 2024
Podcast: AI and its impact on data storage
We talk to Shawn Rosemarin, vice-president for R&D at Pure Storage, about the requirements of AI workloads, and what data storage needs to cope with AI Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2024
Infinidat adds smaller footprint G4 arrays with claimed 2x performance
Purveyor of triple-controller all-flash and hybrid flash arrays aimed at high-end customers tails and tops InfiniBox and InfiniBox SSA ranges, and adds Azure cloud storage to AWS Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
Toshiba shows 32TB HDDs with heat-assisted and shingled drives
Drive maker demonstrates 32TB and 31TB capacity hard drives that boost write density by use of heat and microwave assistance plus shingled – overlapped – drive tracks Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2024
NetApp upgrades AFF all-flash as it targets AI storage
New AFF arrays offer performance boost for artificial intelligence, while NetApp trumpets its advantages as a provider of sustainable and intelligent infrastructure for all kinds of workloads Continue Reading
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Definition
09 May 2024
nanosecond (ns or nsec)
A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one-billionth (10-9) of a second. A nanosecond is a measure of time that has many practical applications, particularly in computer science and IT. Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2024
Huawei launches exabyte-scale OceanStor A800 at AI workloads
Chinese storage array maker announces high-performance NAS that can build out to clusters in excess of 1 exabyte, plus NVMe flash drives of 128TB coming to market next year Continue Reading
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Podcast
01 May 2024
Podcast: 32TB HDDs by 2029, but how much bigger can they get?
We talk to Rainer Kaese of Toshiba about the roadmap for conventional magnetic recording on hard disk drives, the roadmap to 32TB, and what it would take to get to 100TB or 200TB Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2024
Arcitecta offers file and object storage with huge transfer rates
Australian startup offers single namespace file and object storage with rapid access via a metadata database that puts the right data in the right place according to recent use Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2024
AI firm saves a million in shift to Pure FlashBlade shared storage
AI consultancy Crater Labs spent vast amounts of time managing server-attached drives to ensure GPUs were saturated. A shift to all-flash Pure Storage slashed that to almost zero Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Apr 2024
Storage technology explained: AI and data storage
In this guide, we examine the data storage needs of artificial intelligence, the demands it places on data storage, the suitability of cloud and object storage for AI, and key AI storage products Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Apr 2024
Storage technology explained: Flash vs HDD
In this guide, we examine the differences between flash storage and HDD, the rise of NVMe and much denser formats such as QLC, and whether or not flash will vanquish HDD in the all-flash datacentre Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2024
Flash storage prices rise by 25% as manufacturers chase profitability
Analysis of 30,000-plus drive prices shows cost of flash drives per gigabyte rose sharply since October 2023, as memory manufacturers limit supplies and increase prices Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Mar 2024
How Software-Enabled Flash could aid SSD management
A new development in flash storage could be a flexible option for any large-scale installation, as well as systems with custom software that's tuned for optimum performance. Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
Alletra MP hardware changes see HPE orient arrays towards AI
HPE doubles controller nodes, boosts capacity with denser drives, cuts caches and builds in 100Gbps links to bring denser, faster storage aimed at all parts of the AI/ML pipeline Continue Reading
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News
19 Mar 2024
Vast targets AI checkpointing write performance with distributed RAID
AI checkpointing operations targeted by Vast Data as it touts QLC-based storage for AI workloads Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Mar 2024
Pseudo-SLC flash storage: What is it, what’s it good for and what does it cost?
Pseudo-SLC takes MLC, TLC flash and changes data storage at cell level to get better endurance and performance, but it’s mostly aimed at edge applications and is costly Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2024
Storage and backup spend in 2024 targets risk and resilience
The TechTarget and ESG spending intentions survey finds big bias towards averting risk and building organisational resilience, but on-premise storage a significant planned outlay Continue Reading
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News
19 Feb 2024
Music agency halves space and energy costs with switch to Pure
SUISA handles billions of royalty payments, but had capacity and storage admin nightmares with its EMC hardware. It cued up Pure Storage for simple admin, space and cost savings Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Feb 2024
7 causes of SSD failure and how to deal with them
Although SSDs are a reliable storage technology, they are still prone to occasional failure. Here are some best practices to keep your SSDs humming along. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Feb 2024
How to employ conventional SSD management
In the conventional style, admins manage SSDs within the SSD. Best practices include using the trim command and occasionally checking the SSD's SMART attributes. Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2024
Inside NetApp’s cloud and AI strategy
NetApp’s senior executives talk up the company’s efforts to support AI initiatives and deliver first-party storage services on public cloud platforms Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2024
Seagate uses HAMR to hit 30TB in Exos hard drives
HDD giant Seagate unveils 30TB Exos drives with higher areal density, aimed at hyperscaler customers, with products at 50TB promised for 2028 in its roadmap Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jan 2024
French TV giant sticks with Dell NAS for channel upgrade
TF1 has the biggest market share in French TV, but plans for more. It has upgraded from Isilon to PowerScale scale-out NAS and saved 42% in energy costs, halving rackspace use Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jan 2024
A pseudo-SLC flash primer: Benefits and drawbacks
Regardless of its use, pseudo-SLC represents a credible option for organizations considering multibit flash over SLC flash. The technology makes MLC and TLC function like SLC. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
NVM Express boosts computational storage standards
New command sets allow for computational storage with NVMe flash and includes frameworks to allow local memory usage in processing workloads on storage hardware Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Jan 2024
Storage technology explained: Replication vs snapshots and backup
Are replication and snapshots the same? Can you replace backup with replication or snapshots? We look into the key planks of data protection strategy, including in cloud storage Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
Data on Kubernetes Community aims at K8S storage scaling solution
DoKC works on community solutions for Kubernetes. It aims to develop storage scaling automation for the containerised platform outside the orbit of the big vendors Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2024
QLC made gains but storage innovation focus was on software in 2023
Storage hardware innovation has taken a back seat – QLC flash excepted – as the big storage suppliers build around software-based variants and optimisation on modular product sets Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2023
Top 10 storage stories of 2023
In this 2023 review, we consider if flash will thrash disk, what the Toyota outage shows about capacity planning, how to achieve green storage, the backup and compliance risks of AI, the lowdown on DPUs, and more Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2023
Top 10 storage supplier strategy stories of 2023
In 2023, we looked at the top storage suppliers, their market share and how they set themselves for a future of hybrid cloud, containerisation and consumption models of purchasing Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Dec 2023
Storage suppliers’ market share and strategy 2023
We look at the top suppliers in data storage by market share and run the rule over their storage offer, strategies for hybrid cloud, containerisation and as-you-go purchasing Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Dec 2023
On-prem vs cloud storage: Four decisions about data location
Hybrid cloud is now a reality. But how to decide what data goes where? We highlight four key decision points to evaluate whether data should be stored on-premise or in the cloud Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Dec 2023
Pure Storage: Flash ‘startup’ that brings late entrant advantage
Storage profile: We look at Pure Storage, the youngest of the array makers, which comes to market with well-developed flash, hybrid cloud and consumption purchasing models Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2023
Panasas set for Mach.2 throughput with multi-actuator HDDs
Scale-out NAS maker claims to be the first enterprise array maker to use multi-actuator HDDs designed for hyperscaler architectures and which double throughput Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Dec 2023
ERP’s storage requirements and options in the cloud
We look under the hood at enterprise resource planning and its databases, the storage needed to support ERP’s I/O requirements, block, file and object storage, and ERP in an era of hybrid cloud Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Dec 2023
Dell EMC: Storage giant shifts gear to cloud operating models
Storage profile: We look at Dell EMC, the result of the biggest tech acquisition ever, and find a company well set for ubiquitous cloud operating models and as-a-service Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Nov 2023
The all-flash datacentre: Mirage or imminent reality?
Some say disk is dead and we’re on the cusp of the all-flash datacentre. But when will flash capacity and cost hit a point where it is suited to more than just high-tier storage? Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2023
Nebulon upgrades SPU to Medusa2 with Nvidia DPU hardware
Nebulon aims to replace HCI with its OS on an offload card that it claims reduces server resource use by 25%. Medusa2 uses Nvidia DPU hardware and its own cloud control plane Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2023
IT not ready for AI, Pure Storage survey finds
Storage, compute and networking hardware won’t cope without upgrades, and that often means total IT infrastructure overhaul Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Nov 2023
DPU 101: What are DPUs, what do they do, and who supplies them?
We look at data processing units, the latest in a line of hardware offload devices that emerged in the era of composable infrastructure. They come as hardware and even in the cloud Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2023
NetApp ‘unified storage’ adds new ASA block storage at Insight
Las Vegas event sees NetApp continue its evolution to hybrid cloud and data management player announce ASA C-series and Keystone and Kubernetes storage enhancements Continue Reading
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News
23 Oct 2023
Dell updates PowerStore, PowerMax and PowerFlex storage
Dell storage upgrades include improved AIOps, lower energy usage, real-time HA failover, seamless hardware replacement, and enhancements to take advantage of DPU acceleration Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Oct 2023
NetApp: NAS pioneer well set for the cloud revolution
In this storage profile, we look at NetApp, which built a reputation in file access storage but seems to be set fair to navigate a future of hybrid cloud, cloud-native and containerisation Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2023
Flash prices drop towards spinning disk levels in 2023
Number-crunching data on 17,000-plus drive prices shows cost of flash drives per gigabyte fell by around 10% in past six months while hard disk drive per-gigabyte prices stood still Continue Reading
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News
11 Oct 2023
Pure offers Evergreen energy and rackspace cost guarantees
Pure Storage will take upfront payments for power and rackspace and guarantee those for product lifecycles in its Evergreen One, Flex and Forever consumption purchasing models Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Oct 2023
Will computational storage meet data processing demands?
Computational storage promises performance for workloads that can benefit from dedicated oomph, but it’s not a cure-all. It may come at a cost, and with added application complexity Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2023
How Pure Storage is supporting AI workloads
Pure Storage’s cloud-compatible and energy-efficient modular flash storage architecture is well-poised to address the data storage demands of artificial intelligence workloads Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Sep 2023
Cloud NAS, what is it good for?
We look at NAS file access storage, how it works, what it’s good for and the possibilities to access storage for files and unstructured data in the public cloud Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Sep 2023
IBM reorients to offset historic storage hardware decline
Storage profile: We look at IBM and the strategic shifts it has made towards the cloud, cloud-native and as-a-service offerings that aim to reverse a long-term decline in revenues Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2023
Huawei launches OceanStor Pacific 9920 entry-level NAS
Huawei adds to its OceanStor Pacific NAS family, offering entry-level 9920 with up to 92TB per node which can be combined into clusters and also used as a SAN device Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Sep 2023
CXL in the datacentre: Boosting memory for hungry workloads
We look at CXL, how it revolutionises connectivity between memory components, potentially saves energy, and adds oomph to heavily memory-dependent workloads such as AI analytics Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Sep 2023
HPE storage comes with full IT stack, hybrid cloud and as a service
Storage profile: We look at HPE, its Alletra storage refresh, and Greenlake and the ways the company is re-branding as a full-stack provider across on-prem and hybrid cloud Continue Reading
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News
05 Sep 2023
VMware builds vSAN Max, consolidates multicloud and online deployment
VMware launches new iteration of vSAN Max with up to 8.6PB of independently scalable storage, NSX gets a “+” as it unifies networks and Ransomware Recovery ups efficiency Continue Reading
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E-Zine
05 Sep 2023
Met Police data platform goes £64m over budget
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal a £64m cost over-run for the Metropolitan Police’s new record management system – and the thousands of support requests it’s caused. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at the issues around integrating software-as-a-service applications. And a leading flash storage firm says the age of spinning disk drives is almost over – are they right? Read the issue now Continue Reading
- 01 Sep 2023
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News
21 Aug 2023
Simplyblock targets ‘complex’ Ceph with software-defined NVMe
German startup Simplyblock aims to deliver low-cost high-performance flash and NVMe-over-TCP storage for service provider customers, and has Ceph deployments in its sights Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Aug 2023
Huawei a big storage hitter despite international troubles
Huawei is a leading storage player with an enterprise product offer across file, block and object storage, and the cloud, despite controversy and trading difficulties Continue Reading
