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IBM FlashSystem 9100 – The core of the data-driven multi-cloud enterprise

09 July, 2018
Eric Herzog
IBM

IBM believes that today there is only one kind of successful enterprise – the data-driven multi-cloud organization.[1]

We can see the needs of data-driven businesses reflected in some of the most powerful trends currently driving enterprise data storage: Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe), artificial intelligence, multi-cloud, containers and more.[2]

The question becomes: “Is there a storage solution available today, built on a mature, proven technology platform, that addresses today’s storage, data center, and cloud trends within a single platform; with an extensive AI and cloud-centric software portfolio, that supports both traditional and modern data centers?”

ibm flashsystem 9100The answer is yes – IBM FlashSystem 9100.

The newly-announced FlashSystem 9100 all-flash arrays are flexible, modern, agile, and NVMe-optimized storage systems built with IBM Spectrum Virtualize and IBM FlashCore technologies. They are coupled with several members of IBM’s award-winning Spectrum family of modern data protection, software-defined storage and multi-cloud enabled storage software.

“The new IBM FlashSystem 9100 storage systems from IBM are what the marketplace has been waiting for,” states Ed Walsh, General Manager, IBM Storage and Software-Defined Infrastructure. “They have NVMe-inside, dedupe and hardware-accelerated compression, 3D-TLC density, all of the advantages that IBM FlashCore technology brings, plus a long list of software[3]-defined and modern data protection Spectrum Storage solutions for today’s data driven multi-cloud enterprise. What an enterprise data storage system should be has just been redefined.”

IBM FlashSystem 9100 offers the combined advantages of FlashCore technology, deeply integrated with the multi-cloud-centric software-defined capabilities of IBM Spectrum Storage solutions. The NVMe-optimized all-flash arrays provide up to 2 petabytes (PB) of effective storage in only 2RU and up to a whopping 32PB of all flash in a single industry standard 42RU rack. FlashCore technology innovations deliver consistent microsecond latency, extreme reliability, unmatched availability, and a wide range of operational and cost efficiencies. A key innovation involves the introduction of FlashCore modules with NVMe interfaces that can be deployed with any combination of industry-standard NVMe flash drives to provide tailored, flexible, unmatched mid-range all-flash performance storage.

IBM Spectrum Virtualize provides the enterprise-class data services foundation for IBM FlashSystem 9100 solutions. Its industry-leading capabilities enable NVMe-optimized arrays to function as IT infrastructure and multi-cloud modernization and transformation engines, thanks to the wide range of data services that can be extended to over 440 IBM and non-IBM heterogeneous storage systems, helping to reduce both capital and operational expenses while increasing ROI in legacy infrastructure.

“We are a long-time client of IBM’s FlashSystem solutions and have found them to be outstanding for delivering real value in our data driven enterprise,” said Nader El-Ramly, Chief Product Officer at ZE PowerGroup Inc. “We are very excited about the new FlashSystem 9100 not only because of its blazing application performance, but also its panoply of included multi-cloud enabled storage software, which will provide even more business benefits.”

IBM FlashSystem 9100 capabilities can easily be extended by adding IBM Spectrum Storage components in three pre-validated, cloud-focused solution blue prints:

  • The Data Reuse, Protection and Efficiency solution leverages the capabilities of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management (CDM) to provide enhanced data protection features for virtual applications with powerful data copy management and reuse functionality both on premises and in the cloud.
  • The Business Continuity and Data Reuse solution leverages IBM Spectrum Virtualize for Public Cloud to extend data protection and disaster recovery capabilities into the IBM Cloud, as well as all the copy management and data reuse features of IBM Spectrum CDM.
  • The Private Cloud Flexibility and Data Protection solution enables simplified deployment of private clouds, provides the technology needed to implement container environments, and includes all of the capabilities of IBM Spectrum CDM to manage copy sprawl and provide data protection for containerized applications.

All three extended solutions for IBM FlashSystem 9100 come with detailed blueprints designed to help lower risks, speed deployment and increase return on investment.

ibm storage insightsAll IBM Storage solutions, including the new IBM FlashSystem 9100 arrays, now come with Storage Insights, IBM’s enterprise-proven, AI-based predictive analytics, storage resource management, and support platform delivered over the cloud. Storage Insights monitors the health, capacity and performance for all IBM block storage and external storage under management on a single screen, helping you to understand and plan storage capacity and performance. The solution provides proactive best practices and uses AI-based analytics to help identify potential issues before they become problems. Storage Insights helps you to enjoy faster resolution of issues, an enhanced user experience, higher systems availability and the confidence of services delivered from one of the world’s leading cloud environments.

Thanks to the capabilities of the entire award-winning IBM Storage portfolio – now including IBM FlashSystem 9100 – IBM is well-positioned to support our clients’ journeys to becoming data-driven, multi-cloud organizations.

“Every IT group must provide business continuity and data copy provisioning and management solutions to the larger enterprise. These two related challenges can divert substantial resources and focus from other business-critical pursuits,” said Eric Burgener, research vice president of Storage at IDC. “Highly flash-optimized storage arrays that offer a full complement of enterprise-class data services and support for the latest NVMe technologies, like the IBM FlashSystem 9100, provide the performance, scalability and functionality to address these challenges for the data-driven, multi-cloud enterprise.”

In addition to this blog post, see our other articles about the new IBM FlashSystem 9100, covering topics such as:

Please spend a few minutes reading these posts to learn more about the new IBM FlashSystem 9100. Once you do, you may join other IBM customers who are already imagining how this new NVMe-powered, AI-enhanced solution can move your data-driven, multi-cloud business ahead of the crowd.

Watch our on-demand announcement webcast.

[1] Ed Walsh, General Manager, IBM Storage and Software-defined Infrastructure – presentation: Driven by Data: Connecting your business to your customers, March 2018

[2] IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Enterprise Infrastructure 2018 Predictions, October 2017, IDC #US43137417

[3] 2IDC Worldwide Storage Software and Cloud Services QView, 4Q17 (8 March 2018). Dell Inc. and IBM were statistically tied in worldwide storage software market share due to a difference of one percent or less in the share of revenue for calendar 2017.

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