FEATURE : DATA STORAGE
“ Companies are also more cautious of the environmental impact that the implementation of new technologies can have when upgrading existing hardware and infrastructures . By proactively addressing these challenges , enterprises can maximise the benefits of innovation and drive sustainable growth in the digital era ,” adds Harb .
Skills for success
With data growing exponentially in complexity , extracting meaningful insights becomes paramount . Innovation is crucial across all levels of the IT storage stack , requiring constant evolution and creativity .
“ As every company transitions into a data-driven organisation , the competition intensifies to get the full value from all data , structured and unstructured ,” says VAST Data ’ s Aziz .
“ In order to be successful , organisations require the right infrastructure in place that can manage rigorous applications , like AI , LLM model training and deep learning ,” continues Aziz .
AI and HPC systems are complex to manage , but the VAST Data Platform addresses this challenge by enabling seamless data utilisation across platforms with enterprise features that make it performant but efficient and simple yet secure . The industry ’ s future involves discussions on the business value of enterprise data management , extracting insights while prioritising governance and compliance .
IT professionals need a deep understanding of the latest computing technologies , including hardware components such as the latest generation of CPUs , platforms , memory and data storage device and the impact that they have on new applications , AI , ML , big data analytics and IoT .
“ IT professionals also need to have the capability to evaluate benefits of adopting innovative technologies on employees ’ efficiencies and performance gains . They need to have business-oriented skills to justify the investments and improve the work experience for employees from various departments ,” says Kingston Technology ’ s Harb .
Organisations that want to get the most from their data resources , need powerful yet cost-efficient solutions that can help to simplify data management , reduce latency , enable stronger data protection , and make data continuously available .
On the IT front , expertise in data management , including storage provisioning , data migration , and performance optimisation , are important . Proficiency in deploying and managing storage solutions , such as cloud storage , hyper-converged infrastructure , and software-defined storage , is also essential . Additionally , skills in data protection , encryption , and disaster recovery are vital for safeguarding valuable data assets .
“ From a business perspective , understanding the organisation ’ s data needs and aligning storage solutions with business objectives is key . Taking these elements into consideration , organisations can create a success story from storage applications by striving for optimised data storage environments that meet evolving demands while aligning with business objectives ,” says Dell Technologies ’ ElZomor .
The short and medium term future looks positive and inspirational for the regional data storage sector in 2024 . p
Mohamed ElZomor , Senior Director Storage Platform Solutions CEEMETA , Dell Technologies
Antoine Harb , Team Leader Middle East , Kingston Technology
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