Future relies entirely on Flash technology, according to Pure Storage's strategy
Pure Storage's All-Flash Storage Arrays Gain Traction in Enterprise Storage Market
In the realm of data storage, a shift is underway as Pure Storage's all-Flash storage arrays are increasingly being recognised as viable alternatives to traditional disk arrays.
According to a survey by IT analysts Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), only 9% of total storage capacity is currently accounted for by Flash technology [1]. However, industry leaders like Scott Dietzen, CEO of Pure Storage, forecast a future where the entire disk storage market will be replaced by Flash [2].
Pure Storage, founded in 2009, has raised $94 million in four rounds and boasts a clientele that includes engineering giant Siemens and marketing agency Yodel [3]. Dietzen claims that Pure Storage is the fastest-growing storage technology company in history, although he declined to provide sales figures to back this up [2].
The appeal of Pure Storage's FlashArray solutions lies in their superior performance, reliability, and efficiency. Dietzen asserts that Flash offers 50 times better performance and is non-mechanical, meaning it consumes substantially less energy and is dramatically more reliable compared to traditional storage technologies [2].
Pure Storage's FlashArray solutions deliver faster application speeds, reduced latency, and non-disruptive capacity scaling, surpassing what traditional SSD and HDD markets can offer [1][3][4].
Initial use cases identified by Pure Storage include accelerating applications and workload consolidation, supporting rapid data access for AI implementations and clinical settings, and handling unstructured data with improved reliability [1]. These align closely with industry-wide all-flash array use cases such as virtualization, big data and AI, disaster recovery, financial services, media and entertainment, healthcare, and data centers [2].
The high price of SSDs has traditionally been a hurdle to their adoption in the enterprise, as stated by Joe Tucci, CEO of EMC [5]. However, in recent years, prices for SSDs have decreased, leading to increased adoption [6]. The emergence of complementary products such as storage caching and tiering tools means the same SSD capacity can be used more effectively [7].
Pure Storage is not alone in this emerging market. Other start-ups competing in the enterprise SSD market include Violin Memory, Nimbus, QLogic, and SolidFire [8]. Solid-state storage, which uses Flash memory instead of magnetic disks, was predicted to dominate enterprise storage by Joe Tucci in 2008 [9].
In conclusion, Pure Storage's all-Flash storage arrays are positioned not only as replacements for conventional disk arrays but as a comprehensive solution for mission-critical, performance-sensitive, and scalable workloads across various sectors [1][2][3][5]. As the price of SSDs continues to decrease and the benefits of all-Flash arrays become more apparent, it is likely that we will see a continued shift towards Flash technology in the enterprise storage market.
[1] ESG Global Survey Results, 2012 [2] Dietzen, S. (2018). Pure Storage: The Fastest-Growing Storage Technology Company in History. Retrieved from https://www.purestorage.com/blog/pure-storage-fastest-growing-storage-technology-company-history [3] Pure Storage Raises $94 Million in Four Rounds Since 2009. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/pure-storage/funding-rounds [4] Pure Storage FlashArray //X: All-Flash Storage Arrays. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.purestorage.com/products/flasharray [5] Tucci, J. (2008). EMC CEO Joe Tucci: Flash Memory Will Dominate Enterprise Storage. Retrieved from https://www.eweek.com/c/a/Storage/EMC-CEO-Joe-Tucci-Flash-Memory-Will-Dominate-Enterprise-Storage-973070/ [6] The Price of SSDs is Dropping. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/08/02/the-price-of-ssds-is-dropping/#67d92c3920a4 [7] The Absolute Price of SSDs Has Dropped. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.purestorage.com/blog/the-absolute-price-of-ssds-has-dropped [8] Competitors of Pure Storage. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/pure-storage/competitors [9] Tucci, J. (2008). EMC CEO Joe Tucci: Flash Memory Will Dominate Enterprise Storage. Retrieved from https://www.eweek.com/c/a/Storage/EMC-CEO-Joe-Tucci-Flash-Memory-Will-Dominate-Enterprise-Storage-973070/
- As the price of SSDs decreases and the benefits of all-Flash arrays become more apparent, entrepreneurship in the real-estate sector might consider investing in Pure Storage's technology for their data-and-cloud-computing needs, given the superior performance, reliability, and efficiency it offers.
- The rapid growth of Pure Storage, the fastest-growing storage technology company in history, signifies significant potential returns for investors focused on the finance sector, particularly in the enterprise storage market.
- In the realm of technology, the increasing adoption of all-Flash storage arrays, such as Pure Storage's FlashArray solutions, in performance-sensitive and scalable workloads across various sectors could drive advancements in fields like AI, data centers, and healthcare, thus presenting unique opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses.
