IBM is looking to focus on the introduction of 'smarter computing' technologies for the more effective management of big data issues.
Mid-range disk storage product manager for IBM in SA, Bevan Lock, says: “The old ways of buying and managing storage have become less effective.
“Due to resource constraints - both physical storage resources and human resources - IT organisations must act quickly to optimise and simplify their infrastructure. Unchecked complexity and growth will only become bigger problems over time.”
As a result, IBM has introduced Storwize V7000 Unified, a virtualised storage system to complement virtualised server environments.
“Customers usually have existing disk [space], so this lets us take control of that and manage the disk from disparate vendors, taking the existing capacity and presenting it as virtual disk.”
The IBM Storwize V7000 system simplifies storage management with a single interface that is said to help improve storage performance, efficiency, and utilisation rates, while improving storage administrator productivity.
“Greater efficiency translates into reduced energy costs, reduced administrative costs and less storage sprawl,” says IBM.
Getting smart
“That's fantastic if you're looking at just the machine itself and not the effect the machine has on its surrounding environment. The dumbness of a machine comes from its inability to read what is happening in its environment and to react to it.”
Wanduragala says simple feedback loops can change the way things work. “For example, simply switching off a server that is not in use has a bigger impact than running a smaller server. Whether you're using 30% or 100% of capacity, you're still paying the full bill.
“Another element of smarter computing is using existing technology in a different way, which can lead to really big leapfrogs in development,” says Wanduragala, using the iPod as an example.
“The iPod was an absolute game changer, but it was built on absolutely reliable technology that already existed and that was already understood.”
All about waste
Applying this type of thinking to servers and processors, Wanduragala says: “Making them faster is neither here nor there.
“By using a percentage of the unused processing power for feedback and analysis, they can make smarter management decisions, and become completely different types of machines.
Automation can have a dramatic impact on cost.
“After the first step of using excess processing power to give more management capability, the next step is to view the data centre as a single computer rather than a room with lots of computers,” says Wanduragala.
“Smarter computing is all about waste. Only 15% of the average server is actually utilised, and there is a massive amount of replicated data being stored. The hottest product next year will be that which addresses the biggest waste areas.”
Evolution
Lock says there are three tools needed to help handle increasing data. “Firstly, we need to stop storing so much, through compression and de-duplication.
“Secondly, data needs to be moved to the right place through storage tiering. Finally, we need to store more with what's on the floor, through storage virtualisation and thin provisioning.”
Wanduragala adds: “We're in a time period right now where the environment has changed considerably. And like Darwin's theory, when the environment changes, one has to evolve very quickly to survive.
“Because of the changes in the economic environment, we are seeing the rapid evolution of technologies.”
Related story:
IBM unveils storage cloud
Share