IDC recently released their 2008 Top 10 Storage Predictions (Doc #209796, Worldwide Storage 2008 Top 10 Predictions: New Paradigms.) In my previous post I listed our Top 10 predictions, let's look at IDC's take...
IDC's 2008 Storage Predictions:
1. Storage as a Service (SaaS): See our Trend #10, looks like this may be the year for SaaS. The best thing that SaaS does is this: It lowers the barrier of entry for start ups. Want a perfect example? SmugMug.com stores approx. 205,000,000 photos for its customers using Amazon S3 and estimates they will save around $2M in storage costs just this year.
2. Ro le-based Storage Systems: I had to read deeper into the report to see what IDC is talking about here. Their summary describes it as storage solutions that will target a specific issue (backup/restore, archive, etc.) and one that will leverage "standard server architectures" and add value through "advanced software." Hmmm, sounds an awful lot like Sun's Open Storage Platform (see trend #1) - Standard server architecture: check. Advanced software features: ZFS? - check. Role-based: well, add VTL software to Sun's X4500 and you have a backup/restore device, add IPconfigure software and you have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), add Greenplum software and you have a Data Warehouse application - check!
3. Object -based Storage Systems: See our trend #7. IDC makes an excellent distinction in their report that I must highlight...a lot of storage applications classify data (moving it to the appropriate storage tier) by looking at data workloads. But several different types of workloads can be used by a single application. The type of data + the application it is tied to may be a better way to classify it.
4. Solid-State Disk (SSD): See our trend #9. IDC states that SSD will enter into the data center as storage tier 0 and I agree. Flash promoters and disk vendors are already starting to pull up benchmarks against each other, but an integrated approach will probably prevail. For a fun SSD RAID implementation see the "Battleship Mtron." StorageMojo has a balanced take on SSD.
5. Virtual Servers (e.g. VMware) will be killer app for iSCSI: IDC predicts that just under half of virtualized servers connected to SANs will be connected to iSCSI. They state that manufactures selling iSCSI systems will find the servers they are connected to will be running server virtualization. (As virtual server admins are more comfortable with IP & Ethernet technology).
6. Value-Added Storage Services Will Begin to Be Divorced from Storage Subsystems, Resulting in Further Commoditization of Storage Subsystems: Quite a mouthful - but if you want an example, check out Sun's ZFS and its point-in-time-copy, volume management, administration, Copy-on-write and RAID Storage Services!
7. Disk Encryption: See our trend #5. We did it for tape, disk is a logical next step. Key Management continues to be the key part of encryption solutions, whether they are tape or disk based...
8. Vendors Will Create More Attractive "All In One" Solutions Using an Integrated Storage and Server Approach: Look no further than the SunFire X4500 (aka "Thumper")
9. "Green" Initiatives Will Spark Some Hardware Refreshes: IDC predicts that Eco messaging will evolve to vendors helping users connect business practices to green storage, as well as IT focusing on how to address the environmental impacts of manufacturing and disposing of older storage equipment.
10. De-Dup, VTL & Thin Provisioning become standard options: See our #3 and #4 trends. What were emerging technologies in 2007, will become "rights to play" in 2008 …
