FINAL WORD
Right storage strategy as
critical as data strategy
D
ata storage is as old as written
language itself. We may use
silicon microchips now, but
once upon a time, data storage meant
writing information by hand onto scrolls
of parchment. Floppy disks and hard disk
drives are more recent examples, but they
too were usurped once a better alternative
came along.
This progress was driven by new
technology and the need for extra security.
Today, data has emerged as the world’s
newest resource for competitive advantage.
Big data is vital for all enterprises, and it is
much more than a passing trend.
Organisations of any size can harness
the power of data by analysing information
from social platforms, business
applications, and Internet of Thingsenabled devices for better decisions.
This new world of data analysis has
changed the way organisations operate,
but because it is open to all, businesses are
in competition with each other to extract
every drop of value. They are constantly
looking at new ways to use data to save
costs, improve efficiency, and open new
revenue streams. And so they should,
because the potential for data cannot be
underestimated.
Organisations in the Middle East know
this, despite the fact that big data adoption
is yet to reach the levels seen in North
America and Western Europe. However,
by adopting smart city initiatives in UAE,
it became clear that the government
is realising the value of data and its
implications on business decisions. More
and more businesses will now follow.
The challenge then is to find out how
you can outperform your rivals using data,
Miguel Vega is Vice President Systems
Hardware at IBM Middle East and Africa
If you have not made
data a part of your
business model you
are taking a big risk
because they will be aiming to do the same.
Your mind may instantly jump to the
latest analytical tools, but when you step
back and look at big data in its entirety,
you can see where other, less exploited
opportunities lie.
Data storage is one of these
opportunities. In the march towards the
summit of data, I wonder if data storage
and its true impact has been overshadowed
by the cooler analytical tools that seem
more closely aligned with business value.
Either way, the systems you use to store
data can be just as vital as the tools you
use to analyse it.
Data storage is the backbone that
you use for the cool analytical tools to
drive faster business value from big
data. This will ultimately give you the
edge to outthink and outperform your
competition and win in the cognitive era.
Storage is also cool for various
reasons. Firstly, storage resources are
pooled together in one single place,
making them far easier to manage.
Secondly, flash storage solutions
provide scalable performance and
operational efficiency needed to unlock
insights from massive volumes of data.
Thirdly and arguably most importantly,
all-flash, virtualised, enterprise-class
storage systems have been designed to
deliver high performance combined with
advanced management functions and
competitive pricing.
I am pleased to say these benefits
are within the reach of any business,
no matter their size, and you can thank
competition for that too. With so many
enterprises looking to take advantage of
data and its treasures, IT vendors knew
they had to offer something for every layer
of the market.
If you have not made data a part of
your business model, you are taking a
big risk. The pool of information to take
advantage of is growing deeper every day,
and if you do not find clever ways to use
it, your competitors will. Efficient, highperformance data storage could become
your secret weapon.
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