Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 94 | Page 42

FEATURE : DATA STORAGE SYSTEMS
mathematics . The convergence of structured and unstructured data within a unified global data platform empowers organisations to unlock the full potential of AI-driven discovery .

INSTEAD OF THE CLOUD FIRST , WE ARE NOW IN THE WORKLOAD-FIRST ERA . WORKLOAD ANALYTICS CAN HELP DETERMINE IF A WORKLOAD IS MORE SUITABLE FOR AN ON- PREMISES OR PUBLIC CLOUD ENVIRONMENT .

66 % of IT decision-makers in the Middle East agree that having data across different cloud and onpremises environments makes extracting value from all the data in their organisation complex .
“ Siloed data prevents organisations from making fast decisions , so they need the capability to securely extract value from their data , regardless of where it resides , says Cloudera ’ s Azar .
With the emergence of modern data architectures , organisations can optimise their cloud costs and drive more value from their data . At the same time , the data is AI-ready for enterprises to benefit from current and future developments in AI .
As AI takes on an increasingly pivotal role in daily business processes , enterprises require streamlined and consolidated solutions . These solutions must provide the requisite usability and reliability to seamlessly integrate AI ’ s evolving functions , addressing the growing demands of contemporary data storage and processing needs .
Hardware and cloud
“ NetApp is at the forefront of revolutionising data storage systems . Its solutions include the integration of NVMe and storage-class memory , resulting in improved performance and reduced latency . The vendor has embraced software-defined storage to enable seamless data management across hybrid cloud environments , ensuring data mobility , flexibility , and scalability ,” says Walid Issa , Senior Manager Solutions Engineering MEA , NetApp .
NetApp ’ s data fabric solutions facilitate unified data management , enabling enterprises to effortlessly move and manage data across diverse platforms . By incorporating AI and analytics , NetApp offers predictive insights for proactive maintenance , ensuring high availability and reducing operational disruptions .
NetApp is taking concrete steps within its storage portfolio to drive sustainability goals . It has worked to design and develop products that are more energyefficient and have a lower environmental impact .
Enterprises adopting NetApp ’ s innovations can expect multifaceted business benefits . The integration of NVMe and storage-class memory optimises application performance , resulting in faster data processing and improved user experiences .
The agility of software-defined storage empowers organisations to rapidly adapt to changing business requirements and efficiently allocate resources .
NetApp ’ s data fabric solutions foster collaboration and data mobility across on-premises and the Hybrid Cloud and MultiCloud environment , accelerating time-to-market . AI-driven insights minimise downtime through predictive maintenance , translating to enhanced operational efficiency and cost savings .
NetApp provides a dashboard that help customers understand their datacentre ’ s carbon footprint across their environments where not only they can see their energy usage and associated carbon footprint , but also identify opportunities to move their data to less energyintensive or less carbon-intensive environments .
Legacy challenges
“ Legacy data storage solutions introduce limitations , notably constrained scalability that drives data silos and replication . The intricate process of adapting research-oriented systems hinders user-friendliness for enterprises . Traditional methods lack the essential features , reliability , and intuitive interfaces necessary for accommodating AI workflows , says VAST Data ’ s Aziz .
Legacy data storage solutions have cast a shadow of challenges upon enterprises . These outdated systems grapple with limited scalability and inefficient resource allocation , hindering agility in a rapidly evolving digital landscape . Data silos , a common artifact of legacy setups , obstruct data accessibility and hamper informed decision-making .
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