The digital data landscape is expanding rapidly, fueled by the surge in video content, social media, IoT devices, scientific research, medical records, life sciences, and artificial intelligence. The growth is staggering, with projections indicating that active installed enterprise storage will soar from 4.3 ZB in 2022 to over 40 ZB by 2035.
However, 60% to 80% of this data is infrequently accessed. Yet, it predominantly resides on SSDs or HDDs, driving up storage costs, power consumption, and carbon emissions. It is well-known that tape storage is significantly more cost-effective than disk or flash storage. Despite this, organizations persist in using more expensive storage solutions for their rarely accessed data.
One of the major barriers to adopting tape storage has been the need for specialized storage management skills to install and maintain a tape infrastructure. IBM’s new S3 Storage Deep Archive product addresses this challenge head-on.
This announcement is pivotal as it leverages the industry-standard S3 Glacier Archive interface for all read and write operations to the S3 Glacier Archive appliance. This innovative approach means that organizations can now utilize low-cost, sustainable tape storage without the need for unique software or specialized storage management skills.
The new IBM offering allows for seamless integration into existing application infrastructures. This integration facilitates the efficient use of tape for infrequently accessed data, significantly reducing costs, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions.
IBM’s S3 Storage Deep Archive stands as a crucial development in the realm of data storage, offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution for managing the ever-growing expanse of digital data. It is a compelling option for organizations looking to optimize their storage strategies while also committing to environmental sustainability. I discussed the announcement in a video call with John Monroe of Furthur Market Research, Rich Gadomski of Fujifilm and Shawn Brume of IBM. Here is the link
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