The Internet has evolved from a virtual buffet of content to a hyper-connected network of people and things creating massive amounts of information. Businesses continue to struggle finding ways to store all this data in a way that makes it available anywhere and anytime it’s needed.
Historically, adding storage space was measured in the number of devices and the capacity of the media. From tape, to floppies, to optical media, to hard drives, to USB drives… storage technology continues to improve and the prices continue to drop. The market for storage is expected to rise to $37.3 billion by 2015, according to forecasts by analyst firm IDC. But there never seems to be enough.
The modern trend of what IDC calls the “slow and deliberate,” use of cloud-based storage has created a different paradigm – one that challenges those managing information on the Internet. People around the world create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. And the company estimates that 90% of all data in the world was created in the last two years.
To keep up, businesses have been forced to act like squirrels preparing for winter, putting bits of personal and public customer information hither and thither, loosely tied together as a patchwork of devices and services. Too often, companies complain that storing information online is limited by the boundaries between providers, an inability to react to growing demands and services that are complex to manage and slow to install.
This is why companies like Hewlett-Packard have adopted a multi-layered approach that simplifies the process of storage for business. HP’s Converged Storage Systems and Services takes advantage of the trends of storage technologies to provide an easy method for application integration, virtualized infrastructure and cloud services.
The suite’s current lineup includes
- HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage
- HP StoreOnce Backup with StoreOnce Catalyst
- HP StoreAll Storage
- HP StoreVirtual Storage
- HP StoreEasy Storage
- HP StoreVirtual VSA
HP Storage Addresses Big Data
Even before the inclusion of magnetic-card storage in the HP 9100A desktop calculator (personal computer) in 1968, Hewlett-Packard used storage media to address the data being created by its business customers. The latest technology trend of so-called Big Sata has put unprecedented pressure on storage strategies and technologies. It’s also delivering unprecedented benefits to the companies of all sizes that are able to leverage Big Data with systems on site or in the cloud.
For example, the HoneyBaked Ham company uses a consolidated suite of HP storage systems to track customer data and transactions. The company reports improved performance in creating reports and providing information to executives.
Other sectors taking advantage of HP’s storage suite include healthcare, media and entertainment, financial services and public sector industries.
HP Storage Taps Into The Cloud
As cloud computing has emerged as a basic networking practice, more and more content is stored in virtualized, interconnected storage devices. Not only does this make it possible to access massive files from anywhere at any time, it also makes storage more affordable, efficient and easier to manage.
One customer that knows about accessing massive files is Hostworks, which used HP’s cloud computing storage products to assist Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) in its tracking of fan traffic during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Using HP’s cloud service, Hostworks recorded 1.5 million unique visitors, more than 25 million page impressions and two million video views as well as tracking matches and featuring up-to-the-minute information on the competition.
HP Storage Empowers The Datacenter
Converged storage systems don’t sit under the desktop, they support large data centers, storage arrays, and dedicated data stores. Providing timely access to information has become paramount for companies and storage service providers alike. One of the latest trends is to use solid-state devices to supplement datacenter storage to speed up all applications by replacing or augmenting memory caches. HP is no stranger here, having championed solid-state drives since 1993 with the advent of the HP Omnibook 300.
More recent implementations of SSD drives have helped companies maximize the effectiveness of their existing datacenters. For example, Priceline.com – one of the world’s largest online hotel reservation and travel services – doubled its datacenter capacity and service speeds with HP’s converged storage products. More compact HP hardware with solid-state storage and HP software to manage the systems was installed, resulting in a 65% decrease in the space needed to run the storage array.
As trends go, storage has never been sexy, even by enterprise IT standards. But it’s importance in handling new technology trends such as Big Data, cloud computing and virtualization – as well as its ability to make datacenters more efficient – cannot be ignored. Hewlett-Packard’s Converged Storage Systems and Services has helped thousands of enterprise IT leaders make their companies leaner, more agile and more efficient. Enterprise storage needs are unlikely to become smaller, or less important, so it’s important to know that companies like HP are already working to meet those requirements.
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