IBM Delivers New Storage Solutions in a Flash

By Paula Bernier
Executive Editor, TMC

IBM (News - Alert) today announced hybrid cloud all-flash storage solutions that address cognitive applications.

That’s noteworthy, the company said, because the cloud lowers costs, flash increases performance, and software-defined storage adds flexibility. IBM said it also adds data management and security to the mix. The company’s solutions on this front also enable hybrid cloud and cognitive applications to be tested at no charge, which reduces costs by up to 40 percent, according to IBM.

“Hybrid Cloud enablement, as a standard feature for new and existing users of Spectrum (News - Alert) Virtualize gives our clients more control to store their data where it can have the most impact to its business,” said Ed Walsh, general manager, IBM Storage and Software Defined Infrastructure.

New today are hybrid cloud capabilities for block storage to the IBM FlashSystem V9000, IBM SAN Volumne Controller, IBM Storwize family, VersaStack, and other storage systems from IBM and a wide array of others. IBM Spectrum Scale also now syncs file and object data across cloud storage and on-premises deployments to connect cloud native applications. IBM now offers high density expansion enclosures and new 7TB and 15TB flash drives, meaning its Storwize solutions can get eight times larger. The company has a new DeepFlash Elastic Storage Server, which IBM says provides up to eight times the performance of HDD-based solutions. And it’s added a high-performance flash capability to the DS8880 storage system, which doubles the performance and makes it three times more efficient in terms of footprint.

“We differentiate our enterprise cloud service by providing demanding performance and uptime Service Level Agreements. IBM's flash, software, and hybrid cloud solutions help us meet these requirements through achieving the right balance of our client's performance and cost needs,” said Steve O'Brien, Chief Architect, Enterprise Storage Services, Unisys (News - Alert) Federal. “In systems running IBM Spectrum Virtualize software, we are able to deliver a workable conduit to hybrid cloud for enterprise block storage.”