Enterprises are at a tipping point. Traditional storage applications, built decades ago, are not meeting the demand for unified, instant data access.
It's essential, however, to acknowledge that past infrastructure decisions were the right ones at the time—but AI has changed the requirements.
Michael Leworthy, senior director of Platform Marketing at Pure Storage®, noted, “What worked before may now slow progress, increase your risk, and leave innovation on the table. Storage was the ‘last wild west of the cloud,’ but with EDC, it’s been solved.”
The good news: CIOs don’t need to rip and replace. EDC supports a phased approach that lets organizations adopt where it matters most, build confidence, and modernize at their own pace.
“That’s how you bring the cloud model on-premises—start with storage and build step by step,” added Leworthy.
Real-world success shows the way
The journey toward EDC rarely begins all at once. Most organizations start by addressing a pressing challenge, and each step moves them closer to a more unified model.
For example, one of the first focus areas is often provisioning. Manual processes can slow projects and drive up costs—like at Hopps Group, a leading distribution company. By automating allocation with Pure Storage, Hopps cut the process from days to minutes—transforming a source of delay into a routine task and moving closer to the agility a data cloud model provides.
Performance is another critical barrier, especially in AI. Training AI models requires organizations to feed GPUs with massive datasets at high speed, and fragmented infrastructure often leaves them waiting on data. Man AHL, a quantitative investment firm, faced exactly this challenge. By unifying high-throughput access with Pure Storage, the firm achieved 10–20× faster performance. That leap meant more experiments, faster iteration, and greater capacity for innovation—demonstrating how a unified data approach directly accelerates AI adoption.
For others, the priority is modernization without disruption. Traditional refresh cycles can be costly and risky, yet delaying upgrades only compounds the problem. Dentons UKIME, one of the world’s largest law firms, needed a way to stay current while maintaining continuity for its clients. By adopting the Evergreen subscription, Dentons avoided downtime and costly migrations while keeping data protected and always available.
From priorities to blueprint
The lesson from these examples is clear: modernization doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By starting with the most urgent pain points and expanding over time, CIOs can modernize without disruption while steadily moving toward a unified model.
It helps to have a blueprint—a process that Pure Storage simplifies for enterprises. Leworthy says, "Our customers build their own enterprise data cloud through our platform—it’s their blueprint, delivered step by step with proven practices.”
The best practice approach includes:
- Assessment. Begin with a clear view of the current state. Workshops and diagnostics uncover pain points across the five operational areas: provisioning, performance, upgrades, lifecycle and mobility.
- Prioritization. Not every issue needs to be solved at once. By analyzing impact and timelines, leaders can identify opportunities for quick wins.
- Roadmap. With priorities set, teams can build a phased plan that balances immediate relief with long-term transformation. The roadmap lays out the sequence for adoption, ensuring momentum without disruption.
- Execution. Guided by proven practices, deeper assessments and a migration blueprint, organizations can move forward without unknowns.
This approach provides clarity and confidence. With every step, organizations move closer to an environment where:
- Data is unified into a single cloud across on-premises, cloud and edge.
- Applications—from AI models to transactional systems—draw from a consistent, real-time source of truth.
- Governance, protection and performance are embedded, not bolted on.
- Innovation accelerates because IT is focused on enabling outcomes, not managing infrastructure.
This is the blueprint for change for IT leaders facing mounting AI demands: start where it matters most, build momentum with quick wins, and scale confidently into the future.
Ready to chart your own path? Explore the EDC Guide to see how enterprises are modernizing step by step—tackling immediate priorities while building a foundation for AI-ready infrastructure.
Is your data ready for the speed and scale of AI?
AI is shifting the ground under everyone’s feet. The tools that worked well in the past now struggle to keep pace. The cost of standing still is rising, and innovation can’t afford to wait.
The good news is that modernization doesn’t have to mean disruption. With Pure Storage as a partner, CIOs can unlock the unified approach required for the pace of AI.
To learn more, visit PureStorage.com or schedule time to talk to Pure Storage advisor.
