IBM today announced new storage products — part of its 2010 lineup of workload-optimized systems — that are designed to reduce the cost and complexity of storing vast amounts of data while making it easier for clients to apply analytics and gain insight from the data.
Driven by a rapidly growing pool of sensors and gadgets that are digitizing information, the world’s data already vastly exceeds available storage space — yet enterprise demand for storage capacity worldwide continues to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 43% from 2008-2013 (1). Companies and governments need to better prioritize and classify their data so they can analyze and extract intelligence from it, but at the same time need to reduce the complexity and cost of storing and protecting vital information.
This is driving spending for storage to the fastest growth in the technology hardware segment in the U.S. in 2010 (2). Clients are looking for storage technology that will improve efficiency and reduce costs, increase capacity, and better categorize data for workloads like real-time analytics. IBM is today introducing new storage systems designed to meet these client imperatives.
These new products ride a wave of growth for IBM. Driven by two years of strategic acquisitions and billions of dollars spent on product investments, IBM’s storage business achieved 11% revenue growth in the first quarter of 2010 (3). IBM retained its #1 position for Archiving Software with over 23% share in 2009, according to IDC (4).
New Technology Automatically Prioritizes Data for Workloads Like Analytics:
Clients are looking for tiered storage systems that help them prioritize critical data — like purchasing trends or energy use data that feed analytics engines — and manage it differently than secondary data that isn’t likely to be needed right away, like data that needs to be stored due to government regulations such as HIPAA, for example.
IBM’s DS8700 disk storage system will now include a new technology invented by IBM Research that can make it easier and more economical to manage data in tiers. IBM’s System Storage Easy Tier® feature uses ongoing performance monitoring to move only the most active data to faster solid-state drives (SSDs), which can eliminate the need for manual storage tier policies and help reduce costs. By automatically placing clients’ most critical data on SSDs, Easy Tier provides quick access to data so it can be analyzed for insight as needed to provide competitive advantage.
Increase Capacity for Unstructured Data
Companies are investing in storage solutions to manage unstructured data like Web-based video and images, which will grow at a more than 47% compound annual rate from 2009 to 2013 (5). IBM is today introducing new solutions ideal for storing unstructured retention data — the IBM Long Term File System and LTO Ultrium Generation 5 tape drive offerings.
The LTO (Linear Tape-Open) Ultrium format is an open tape storage technology that can help dramatically lower energy consumption and potentially reduce storage media costs up to 10 times (6). The IBM Long Term File System uses LTO-5 technology for a simpler, less expensive way to provide file system access to the very large data archives created by unstructured data. The Long Term File System is designed to address the growing storage needs of industries that generate digital media such as Media and Entertainment, Medical and Digital Surveillance.
Thought Equity Motion — the world leader in digitizing, delivering and monetizing high-quality video content — beta tested the IBM Long Term File System and found that it could lower the company’s storage costs significantly.
“Thought Equity Motion drives monetization for its media partners by making their news, sports, entertainment and creative footage accessible to content producers and digital channels. This type of footage has a tremendous storage footprint and we are seeking new ways to affordably and securely store our client’s content,” said Mark Lemmons, CTO, Thought Equity Motion. “The IBM Long Term File System proved itself to be a simpler, less expensive way to handle the unique needs and exponential growth of digital media.”
For more information on IBM, visit www.ibm.com. For more information on IBM Storage, go to www.ibm.com/systems/storage/.
