Today IBM introduced a new FlashSystem Family with the idea of keeping things simple while meeting the storage needs for entry-level to high-end systems. The new family leverages a common software platform that is said to work across all deployment types (bare metal, virtualized, container, and hybrid multicloud) and will support customers’ existing storage devices even if they are not IBM.
Making off the shelf storage doesn’t make the same sense it made years ago. Now the needs of customers vary wildly. Not even just from customer to customer, within the same organization applications may have several different needs such as entry point, performance, scalability, data services, functionality, and availability. Vendors need to respond to various needs, though at times this can lead to added complexity or higher costs and cause a new set of issues. IBM is looking to address the above as well as the compatibility between differing existing gear.
The new IBM FlashSystem Family looks to address all the above while being extremely simple to use. The family leverages IBM FlashCore Modules (FCMs) that are said to deliver data compression and FIPS 140-2 data-at-rest encryption without penalizing performance. The new FCMs have usable capacities up to 38.4TB or a maximum of 4PB in only 2U of space. The FCMs can be used in older FlashSystem models as well including FlashSystem 9100 and Storwize V5100 and V7000 Gen3. Also, on the storage side, IBM is leveraging storage-class memory drives from Intel and Samsung as a tier for the new FlashSystem family for an added level of performance. As the FCMs, the storage-class memory can be used as an upgrade in the same systems listed above.
With management, IBM uses its Spectrum Virtualize software foundation to work with the storage options above as well as over 500 other heterogeneous storage systems. IBM is also leveraging AI-driven software in its IBM EasyTier that automatically places data on the appropriate tier when it needs to be there. As with most tiering, hot data is moved to faster media tiers while cooler and cold data is moved off to more cost-effective media. Other AI-based software including IBM Storage Insights for monitoring, alerting, reporting, and support.
Benefits include:
From a new storage solution standpoint, the new IBM FlashSystem family adds four new enterprise-class systems that deliver the benefits of IBM FlashCore Modules, storage-class memory, and the enterprise-class data services of IBM Spectrum Virtualize. These systems including the entry enterprise FlashSystem 5010, 5030, and 5100. IBM does offer higher end capacity in the form of the following:
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