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These days, the business world is changing rapidly. Data-driven enterprises need IT solutions that are evolving and improving as quickly as the companies themselves. Recent announcements from IBM Storage demonstrate that IBM is continuing to provide leading-edge data management and storage innovation across the entire information lifecycle, from creation to archive.

IBM Spectrum Scale, a member of the market-leading[1] IBM Spectrum Storage family of software-defined storage solutions, provides a superb example of this accelerating cadence of IBM innovation. IBM Spectrum Scale is a highly scalable, high-performance data and file management solution that can provide simplified data management and integrated information lifecycle tools capable of managing billions of files and petabytes of unstructured data… and unstructured data is growing explosively, in both volume and value.[2]

IBM Spectrum Scale is rapidly innovating to meet the needs of new workloads to manage and gain insight from all this data. Today it delivers a comprehensive set of file data management tools including advanced storage virtualization, multicloud capabilities, automated tiered storage management, and performance enhancements to help manage the many types of data being used today. IBM Spectrum Scale and IBM Cloud Object Storage integrate with new IBM Spectrum Discover to make identifying data for analysis easier than ever. Recently, IBM announced IBM Spectrum Scale Data Access Edition to replace the previous IBM Spectrum Scale Standard Edition. The new edition provides a more straightforward and predictable cost structure, with pricing per terabyte instead of per socket, making it much simpler to understand and plan for future growth.

Because it’s a true software-defined storage solution, IBM Spectrum Scale can be deployed in countless ways, but one of the most powerful and flexible is in an IBM Elastic Storage Server (ESS) configuration. IBM has just announced the latest ESS version, which offers improved storage capacity and economy, upgrades without disruptions and even higher performance connectivity. New ESS GLxC models improve efficiency by using denser enclosures to provide up to 26 percent more capacity in 17 percent less rack space.[3] In addition, non-disruptive upgrade capability eases adding storage capacity to installed systems. And a new integrated 100Gbps Ethernet switch provides a high-performance industry standard interconnect alternative to InfiniBand.

IBM Storage Solutions

IBM Storage Solutions for IBM Cloud Private bring together the elements needed for building powerful and agile private cloud environments. Each combines IBM storage systems; IBM Cloud Private software and a pre-tested, easily deployed and blueprint. IBM Storage Solutions for IBM Cloud Private are designed to help enterprises leverage the benefits and advantages of private cloud while helping reduce complexity, deployment errors and cost.

There’s a new IBM Storage Solution for IBM Cloud Private that enables usage of IBM block storage for objects with the Minio object storage server. This solution supports application development and testing or other elastic workloads with IBM Cloud Private.

IBM Storage Solution for SAP is designed specifically to provide enhanced data protection for SAP Hana environments leveraging the capabilities of IBM Storage, IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management. This solution is enhanced with SAP TDI certification of FlashSystem 9100, new IBM Storwize V7000 and ESS.

IBM and SAP have been working closely together for many years. In fact, earlier this year SAP selected IBM for the prestigious SAP Global Partner of the Year – Infrastructure award, which recognizes the SAP partner “who has demonstrated a commitment to deliver innovative solutions that meet a multitude of customer deployment scenarios, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid, as well as virtualized architectures.”^[4]

IBM Storage Solutions for Healthcare are enhanced with IBM FlashSystem 9100 certification for electronic healthcare records with Epic software. A similar certification is in progress for Meditech software, planned to be available in 2019.[5]

To help organizations which are developing, monitoring and delivering autonomous vehicles, IBM Storage has outlined best practices for data management in our IBM Storage Solutions for ADAS and Autonomous Driving. The solution has been developed with multiple organizations tackling the unique data and performance requirements required to develop the next generation of vehicles.

Supporting our clients’ adoption of blockchain, IBM plans to extend IBM Storage Solutions to include solutions supporting blockchain in 2019.⁵

For more complete information about IBM’s latest storage enhancements, read our blog post or view our webcast.

[1] IBM Press Release: IBM Ranked # 1 in Worldwide Software-Defined Storage Software Market, April 2017 (https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/52189.wss)

[2] Forbes: The Big (Unstructured) Data Problem, June 2017 (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/06/05/the-big-unstructured-data-problem/#4f589aea493a), IDC White Paper: Using Tape to Optimize Data Protection Costs and Mitigate the Risk of Ransomware for Data-Centric Organizations, April 2018 IDC #US43710518

[3] Model GL6C compared to GL6S; varies by model

[4] SAP Partners: SAP Pinnacle Awards 2018: Winners and Finalists (https://www.sap.com/partner/find.awardwinning.html)

[5] Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only.

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