Primary storage devices
Primary storage devices refer to storage hardware for data in active use, in contrast to storage used for backup purposes. They include SAN and NAS primary storage devices, non-volatile flash storage and other types of storage media. Find resources about primary storage and storage hardware, including RAID arrays and storage arrays, on this topic page.
Top Stories
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News
17 Apr 2025
Google Cloud storage offerings bolstered for AI apps
Storage for Google Cloud now supports many features akin to AWS' catalog for AI app development, but could lead to cloud lock-in as best practices and strategies emerge. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
Dell storage lines get refresh for AI workloads
Dell Technologies rolls out PowerEdge, ObjectScale and PowerScale hardware updates, alongside new capabilities for the PowerProtect and PowerStore software. Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Jul 2021
Next-generation PCIe key to composable infrastructure progress
High-performance computing and AI environments are just two strong uses for composable architecture. Explore benefits and drawbacks of PCIe in composable systems. Continue Reading
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Definition
08 Jul 2021
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA)
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). Continue Reading
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News
24 Jun 2021
New Seagate Exos storage uses self-healing drive technology
Seagate's Exos Corvault petabyte-scale storage array introduces self-healing HDD capabilities to ease maintenance and adds erasure coding to protect data at lower overhead. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 May 2021
Build a cloud-ready, global distributed file system
Organizations that want to extend traditional network file shares across data centers, branch offices and public cloud infrastructure have many options. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Apr 2021
A primer on DNA data storage and its potential uses
DNA storage isn't just a futuristic concept -- many companies are actively involved in its development and promotion. There's a major use case in data archiving. Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2021
Quantum updates StorNext architecture and appliance lineup
Quantum distilled its StorNext file system down to a single 2U appliance. The new H4000 promises easier deployment without losing StorNext's speed or data management capabilities. Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2021
Dell EMC speeds up PowerStore array, debuts lower-cost model
Dell Technologies launches new lower-cost PowerStore entry model and PowerStore software updates to enhance performance, automation, NVMe over Fibre Channel and Optane support. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Apr 2021
Quobyte CEO says customers need a scale-out mindset
In order to tackle AI, machine learning and other demanding workloads, enterprises need to break out of their appliance-centric approach to storage, according to Quobyte's CEO. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Apr 2021
8 best practices for SAN deployment within SMBs
SMBs face a number of challenges when planning and performing a SAN implementation. Get out in front of an often intricate process with these best practices. Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2021
Iridia CEO sees data storage future written in DNA
As investors show interest in Iridia's DNA chip technology, its CEO believes using synthetic DNA for data storage will be the way to tackle a yottabyte future. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Mar 2021
7 signs a small business should shift from NAS to SAN
Take a deep dive into seven reasons, including performance issues and scalability demands, an SMB would want to ditch NAS in favor of entry-level SAN. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Feb 2021
Compare entry-level SAN arrays for the SMB market
Performance, capacity and data protection features are a few of the many factors SMB organizations should consider in their comparisons of entry-level SANs. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Feb 2021
The best enterprise storage arrays of 2020
Vast Data, Dell EMC and Infinidat show that flash storage rules the data center in the 'Storage' magazine and SearchStorage Products of the Year 2020 disk and disk subsystems category. Continue Reading
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Infographic
14 Feb 2021
Efficient data storage tips to achieve a green data center
This illustrated guide to energy-efficient data storage offers tips on offloading data to the cloud and areas to review when estimating storage costs. Continue Reading
- 14 Feb 2021
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Opinion
14 Feb 2021
Pay-per-use pricing model can boost digital initiatives
Consumption IT shifts the burden of infrastructure support to vendors and expenditures from Capex to Opex. Can pay-per-use pricing keep pace with your digital business roadmap? Continue Reading
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News
12 Feb 2021
IBM, LucidLink the latest to tackle cloud file storage
Startup LucidLink has bundled its Filespaces file system with IBM's Cloud Object Storage offerings. Distributed work teams can access shared data as network-attached storage. Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2021
Panasas storage yearns for expanded enterprise presence
After six years as chief operating officer, Panasas CEO Tom Shea took the helm last year to pilot the company's storage roadmap. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2021
Storage as a service trending in 2021
Questions for 2021: Can Dell reach the Apex? How green is HPE's GreenLake? Large vendors highlight storage as a service as a hot area, but mass acceptance could take years. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Jan 2021
Hyperscale shift to 18 TB, SMR HDDs top '21 hard disk trends
New 20 TB energy-assisted and SMR hard disk options are starting to ship, but experts predict the top 2021 trend in data center hard drives will be the transition to 18 TB HDDs. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2021
Hitachi Vantara follows the herd on Kubernetes storage
HKS allows Hitachi Unified Compute Systems systems to directly manage file volumes and objects on clustered Kubernetes nodes. Hitachi acquired the software code from Containership. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jan 2021
Calculate HPC storage costs based on these 8 factors
IT teams that want an accurate estimate of HPC storage costs must account not only for the technology itself, but for staffing, support and ongoing operational expenses. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2021
Services, cloud dominated data storage news in 2020
Storage as a service, hybrid cloud, Kubernetes storage, economic fallout from COVID-19, and backup mergers and acquisitions dominated data storage news in 2020. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2021
Enterprise data storage startups to watch in 2021
Launching a data storage startup is always challenging, and the pandemic made it even tougher in 2020. Here are six startups that can change the way enterprises buy storage. Continue Reading
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News
31 Dec 2020
30 TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs, 20 TB HDDs push storage limits in 2020
Enterprise storage drives continued to push the limits of performance and capacity in 2020, with fast new PCIe Gen4 SSDs at 30 TB and energy-assisted HDDs at 20 TB. Continue Reading
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News
28 Dec 2020
Zadara VPSAs help power Pratum security services
Security services firm Pratum was ahead of the curve in adopting Zadara Virtual Private Storage Array (VSPA) storage as a service to quickly scale capacity and performance. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Dec 2020
How the computational storage drive is changing computing
Take a closer look at computational storage technology and products, and how localized computation is changing storage architecture and the compute-storage dynamic. Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2020
Seagate, Western Digital outline progress on RISC-V designs
Seagate and Western Digital provide updates on their RISC-V-enabled processor designs that can drive advances in data storage and security at the network's edge. Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2020
Qumulo storage adds NVMe cache to NAS stash
The Qumulo storage software code was written to operate in containers in microservices environments. The vendor swapped SATA SSDs for NVMe to cache data in front of capacity disk. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Nov 2020
3 ways to ease the green data storage transition
Energy-efficient storage promises several benefits. Finding the right approach requires carefully assessing available technology, where you keep your data and costs. Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2020
IBM Spectrum protects OpenShift container data
IBM seeks to outdo Tanzu; Spectrum Protect for Red Hat OpenShift launches as new containers are spun into operation, and protects OpenShift Container Storage with snapshots. Continue Reading
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Opinion
21 Oct 2020
Project Apex brings Dell into battle to control IT services
If you were looking for new products at Dell Tech World 2020, you went to the wrong place. It's all about Dell's Project Apex initiative for selling infrastructure as a service. Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2020
Dell cloud shoots high with Project Apex initiative
Dell's cloud focus culminates in launch of Project Apex, which allows data centers to flexibly consume IT and storage infrastructure as a cloud-delivered service on premises. Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2020
DDN storage unifies IntelliFlash, Nexenta, Tintri pickups
DDN launches IntelliFlash H-Series and Tintri VMstore T7000 hybrid arrays. The new NVMe-based systems incorporate technology from recent DDN storage acquisitions. Continue Reading
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News
13 Oct 2020
File system software startup Quobyte chases IT, developers
Quobyte tempts developers and app owners with a free version of its distributed parallel file system software, hoping they will convince their IT admins to buy fully supported editions. Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2020
Dell EMC, Pure embrace VMware storage innovations
VMware Site Recovery Manager for Virtual Volumes lets customers replicate VMs with Dell EMC PowerMax snapshots. VMware storage management includes Tanzu for Kubernetes clusters. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Sep 2020
7 steps to retiring storage hardware safely and efficiently
Organizations put a lot of thought into the storage equipment they purchase. The decision to retire that same hardware should get just as much consideration. Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2020
Seagate's open source Cortx object store targets HAMR HDDs
Seagate launched new open source object storage software that is designed to exploit its highest capacity hard disk drives in supported Lyve Drive converged infrastructure racks. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Sep 2020
Managed SAN services aim to ease storage chores
Offloading SAN management to an MSP partner could free IT admins from an infrastructure component that sometimes gets short shrift among other data center priorities. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Sep 2020
How to deal with the challenges of cloud storage vs. SAN
Whether you're managing cloud storage or a local SAN, both have issues. Compare 13 areas where SAN and cloud storage challenges can arise and find out how to deal with them. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2020
SAN management best practices for optimizing performance
SANs consolidate resources and provide a high-speed network for storage traffic, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook when it comes to performance management. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2020
Advantages and disadvantages of using a SAN
SAN benefits include speed, scalability and fault tolerance, but the technology isn't without its drawbacks. Cost and complexity are big concerns for smaller organizations. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Sep 2020
7 leading storage area network products and vendors
Before selecting a SAN product, learn which features seven market-leading storage vendors provide organizations of all sizes and how they distinguish their products. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Sep 2020
5 ways hybrid cloud storage is changing SAN management
Increasing reliance on cloud storage is changing the way storage area networks are managed and the challenges that SAN admins face in responding to business requirements. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Sep 2020
Troubleshoot SAN issues to improve performance
Common SAN problems include compatibility issues, hardware failures and sluggish storage response times, but a few proven strategies can easily resolve these issues. Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2020
Dell EMC storage revenue slides as IT spending contracts
The Dell storage subsidiary reported a revenue decline last quarter. PowerMax and VxRail were the bright spots in Dell EMC storage. New PowerStore is expected to ramp sales in 2022. Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
TrueNAS Enterprise, TrueNAS Core merge as single storage OS
Established as a systems integrator, iXsystems sells open source NAS appliances. A single software code now unifies the TrueNAS Enterprise and TrueNAS Core versions. Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2020
NetApp Data Fabric aids manufacturer's gene-sequencing gear
Pacific Biosciences makes equipment and systems for gene sequencing and life sciences. The company uses NetApp Data Fabric to scale capacity and performance for shared storage. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Aug 2020
Data center storage adoption reacts to pandemic pressures
Read on to learn how data center and storage administrators use cloud services, remote management and automation to overcome today's COVID-19 challenges. Continue Reading
- 10 Aug 2020
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Feature
10 Aug 2020
On-premises STaaS shifts storage buying to Opex model
Storage as a service enables organizations to access on-premises storage in various ways, such as pay as you go, subscription buying and metered payments. Learn the pros and cons. Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
Panasas storage revs up parallelization for HPC workloads
Panasas storage software focuses on novel method to boost capacity and efficiency. Dynamic Data Acceleration in PanFS shuttles data to disk or flash based on file size. Continue Reading
- E-Zine 05 Aug 2020
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News
03 Aug 2020
Qumulo cloud approach gang-tackles file-to-object conversion
Qumulo grabs $125 million in funding as the file storage world shifts to the cloud; CEO Bill Richter says unstructured data growth presents an opportunity that could lead to IPO. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jul 2020
Modern HDD technologies that are bringing hard disks back
Don't write off HDDs just yet. Energy-assisted technologies such as MAMR and HAMR may keep hard disk drives competitive in an evolving secondary storage market. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jul 2020
HAMR vs. MAMR, and the future of high-capacity hard drives
Energy-assisted hard drive technology is here, and heat-assisted and microwave-assisted magnetic recording technologies are about to bring even more changes to the HDD market. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jul 2020
5 consumption models help simplify storage buying options
Consumption-based pricing offers organizations flexible options to purchase storage and other infrastructure on-premises, just like they would cloud services. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
Hitachi Content Platform integrates WekaIO file storage
Hitachi Content Platform G-11 object storage nodes get refreshed with startup WekaIO's parallel file system. The WekaFS is optimized for Hitachi VSP all-flash arrays. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Jul 2020
5 signs it's time for a NAS or SAN upgrade
It's easy to tell when it's time to modernize your storage infrastructure if you know the warning signs. Find out what they are and how Liberty Mutual Insurance handled its upgrade. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
IBM stretches its Elastic Storage line to speed AI, big data
New IBM storage will help to optimize AI software used to analyze data and inference results. The disk-based Elastic Storage System 5000 scales to yottabyte capacities. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jun 2020
6 basics of storage automation, predictive analytics and AI
AI and predictive analytics are included in many storage offerings. See how this functionality helps automate storage, which features are useful and which products have them. Continue Reading
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News
26 Jun 2020
Qumulo cloud upgrade transforms files to Amazon object format
Qumulo Shift for Amazon Web Services S3 copies data directly to Amazon Simple Storage Service, without mount points or application rewrites, to enable file sharing directly in AWS. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2020
Startup StorOne incorporates Intel Optane
StorOne claims it will show the storage giants how to get the most out of Intel Optane drives, incorporating them alongside cheaper QLC SSDs in an all-flash array. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2020
Pros and cons of composable architecture vs. traditional storage
If traditional storage isn't meeting your organization's needs, composable infrastructure may be the answer. Get to know the pros and cons of both approaches. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jun 2020
Computational storage fundamentals explained
Computational storage is an emerging technology, but it isn't too soon to develop an understanding of how it can be used to address storage latency and performance issues. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jun 2020
SNIA's NVM Programming Model and how it works
The Storage Networking Industry Association spec provides a standardized approach to building a non-volatile memory-based storage system architecture. We take an in-depth look. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2020
Dell EMC turns Isilon NAS into PowerScale, adds objects
Dell EMC PowerScale combines a modified version of the Isilon OneFS software tuned for Dell PowerEdge servers. The systems provide unified access to files and unstructured data. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Jun 2020
What is the difference between memory and storage?
Storage and memory, while connected, fulfill separate roles in a computer. Memory meets temporary data access needs and storage retains data and other files over the long term. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
Pure Storage FlashArray gets file support, meatier DR
Pure Storage Purity FA 6.0 OS continuously replicates production data between FlashArray nodes. Pure FlashArray File services allow file and block storage to share flash. Continue Reading
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Infographic
27 May 2020
HCI vs. SAN: How to choose between them
There are many factors to consider when deciding between a SAN and hyper-converged system. Learn how they differ, which might be best for your organization and more. Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2020
Nimbus, StorOne try to disrupt enterprise storage pricing
Enterprise storage pricing is often shrouded in mystery, but Nimbus Data and StorOne are attempting to shake up the status quo with new tools that give buyers discounted prices on the spot. Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2020
Dell EMC Isilon file storage floats into Google public cloud
Storage vendor claims Dell EMC Isilon OneFS scale-out file system pairs with rapid compute to deliver high-performance analytics in Google Cloud Platform. Continue Reading
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Opinion
07 May 2020
SMR, HAMR and other HDD technologies you can build on
Hard disk drives could make a comeback in 2020, as new technologies such as SMR, HAMR, MAMR and dual actuators provide more capacity and speed for secondary storage. Continue Reading
- 07 May 2020
- E-Zine 07 May 2020
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Tip
28 Apr 2020
5 areas to assess when rethinking storage at the edge
Does your organization have the right edge storage resources? Here's what you need to focus on to ensure your organization keeps pace with changes at the edge. Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2020
Coronavirus decks storage and server enterprise spending
Revised IDC market forecast predicts a rise in cloud and infrastructure as a service, as organizations reallocate budgets from physical servers and storage hardware. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Apr 2020
Make remote SAN management work in the age of coronavirus
SANs usually aren't configured to allow remote management. Find out what storage admins can do during the COVID-19 crisis to ensure their organization's SAN can be managed remotely. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Apr 2020
Open Compute Project influence, open source hardware gain momentum
With open source hardware more feasible than ever, catch up on how Open Compute Project consortium uses open source to develop more efficient server and infrastructure designs. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Mar 2020
Computational storage terminology explained
Computational and edge storage are changing the way we manage data at the network edge. Understanding the terminology around this technology can help clarify how it works. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Mar 2020
SAN vs. HCI: 5 questions to ask
SAN or hyper-converged infrastructure? Which one will become your organization's on-premises technology choice? Discover which approach may ease complexity and control costs. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2020
Dell EMC midrange storage launch put on hold
Dell COO Jeff Clarke says he's to blame for delays in shipping the Dell EMC midrange storage array, claiming he pushed the launch so the vendor's sales force can get up to speed. Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2020
Coronavirus impact: Dell, Nutanix flag Q1 revenue estimates
Storage vendors with operations and suppliers in Asia are keeping close tabs on the coronavirus outbreak and possible impact on supply chains. Some vendors expect sales to suffer. Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2020
Qumulo NAS file system adds encryption, security
Qumulo juices its file system with encryption, real-time security audits and other capabilities designed to position the scale-out NAS for denser, more complex workloads. Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2020
CEO cites NetApp cloud storage as key to turnaround
NetApp CEO says cloud storage presents 'exceptional opportunity,' but he expects revenue declines to continue for the foreseeable future as new sales reps learn the ropes. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Feb 2020
Top 2019 enterprise storage arrays win Products of the Year
Winners of the 2019 Products of the Year signal a shift from disk to flash storage arrays. Vast Data takes gold, NGD Systems wins silver and DataDirect Networks captures bronze. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Feb 2020
Choose the right storage management interface for you
While older storage interfaces were created to meet international standards at the time, storage has evolved, and updated interfaces may be required to manage your infrastructure. Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2020
Enterprise HDDs hit 20 TB, boost throughput in 2020
While waiting for HAMR to drop, we have more immediate spinning disk developments to watch out for in 2020, such as dual-actuator and shingled drives. Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2020
IBM Storage folds Storwize arrays into FlashSystem line
IBM merges Storwize and FlashSystem platforms to simplify its storage portfolio on updated Spectrum Virtualize software; adds Optane and Samsung Z-SSD options. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Feb 2020
Using on-premises object storage beyond secondary storage
On-premises object-based storage is replacing traditional storage in areas such as streaming, big data and IoT. Get the latest on how this technology is being used. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2020
Quantum StorNext is next challenge, following relisting
Quantum StorNext storage will be available as a software-only license for any server hardware this year, targeted at companies that create large volumes of rich media. Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2020
Dell EMC Isilon tackles high-performance cloud workloads
Dell EMC Isilon release clarifies the vendor's cloud direction. OneFS 8.2 supports files up to 16 TB and Kubernetes deployments for extracting data for real-time analytics. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jan 2020
Top 5 storage area network applications for the enterprise
Find out why a SAN makes sense for enterprise applications such as databases, server virtualization, business applications, VDI, and development and testing. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jan 2020
5 tips to drive edge computing storage success
Ready to boost your edge computing environment's storage? Find out some best practices to follow, including how to integrate with multi-cloud environments and NVMe-oF. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2020
Quantum F-Series line expands with entry-level NVMe flash
New Quantum F-Series model is aimed at media customers who need NVMe in a smaller footprint. F-1000 server scales to 77 TB of useable capacity with Quantum StorNext file system. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Dec 2019
Slowdown, cloud, as-a-service products top 2019 storage news
Find out what storage industry news resonated with readers this year, including signs of a slowdown, cloud and consumption-based products, new storage arrays and technologies. Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2019
Quobyte storage brings satellite imagery down to Earth
Quobyte storage customer 3vGeomatics produces analytical data on ground deformities that are potential environmental hazards. The distributed file storage replaces NFS. Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2019
HCI storage adoption rises as array sales slip
Dell goes against the grain by increasing storage sales, but much of its gains came from hyper-converged and data protection products rather than traditional primary storage arrays. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Nov 2019
Computational storage for IoT and other potential use cases
IoT is the main application for computational storage. Another potential use case is inside scale-out server architecture, but those applications are still under development. Continue Reading
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Quiz
26 Nov 2019
NAS, SAN, or DAS? Quiz yourself on these 3 types of storage
It's not easy to choose and deploy a data storage infrastructure system. Take this test to find out if you're ready to assess whether DAS, NAS or SAN is right for your business. Continue Reading
