The State of Software- Defined Storage - SUSE Linux · The Promise of Software Defined Storage...

The Stateof Software-

Defined StorageResearch Report

suse.com

February 2017

2

ExecutiveSummary

Data, data everywhere. This sums up the view of organisations across the world today. On the one hand, the wealth of

information now created by people and devices in our super-connected world offers massive opportunities for businesses

to unlock new sources of economic value and provide fresh insights. On the other hand, such data abundance also

presents significant problems for business – where do they keep all this data and what do they do with it? To better

understand how businesses across the globe are managing and storing data and addressing these challenges, SUSE

commissioned Loudhouse, an independent market research agency, to explore these issues in more depth.

The research finds that businesses are struggling with the complexity of short-term capacity add-ons. IT leaders need

greater simplicity to become more agile in how they serve the wider business.

Some of the key stats from the research are as follows:

The Infra-Struggle and the Need for Simplification

• The top two challenges in data management today

are security and governance (56%) alongside the

increasing volume of data (54%)

• Other issues are around back-up, disaster recovery

and archiving (46%) as well as performance and

availability (46%)

• More than two-thirds of businesses (68%) say that

demands from the business for IT to be more agile

have increased in the last two years - 63% say that

their business really struggles to make the link

between storage and agility

• The main data management priority for businesses

over the next 12 months is to simplify storage (54%).

Lower down the list, businesses are also focused on

reducing operating expenses on storage (48%) and

facilitating collaboration and innovation (45%)

The Great Storage Rethink

• Currently, the most used storage systems are hybrid

flash and disk (62%), followed by disk-based storage

(61%) and flash (39%). 11% currently use Software

Defined Storage (SDS)

• 82% say organisations in their sector need to rethink

their approach to storage given the growth in data

volumes to avoid their business being compromised

• The main frustrations with existing storage solutions

are overall cost (80%), performance concerns (74%)

and complexity (71%)

• 70% say they have reviewed their approach and

strategy for data storage in the last 12 months

and 83% say their organisation is receptive to new

approaches to storage

• Almost all businesses are concerned about data

growth and its implications for storage slowing down

digital transformation initiatives (92%)

• Furthermore, 92% are generally concerned about

how they manage growing storage costs as capacity

requirements increase (41% say “to a great extent”).

60% say that scrutiny from the wider business on

storage spend has increased over the last two years

Sample breakdown by country

Number of Interviews

US 200

Canada 100

UK 101

Germany 101

France 100

Italy 100

Nordics 100

China 100

Japan 100

Australia 100

India 100

3

Research Methodology

1202 senior IT decision makers across 11 countries completed an online survey in over eight weeks in late 2016. Respondents were screened to ensure they had some level of knowledge and understanding of SDS / other IT terms. Research was conducted by Loudhouse, an independent market research consultancy based in London.

The Promise of Software Defined Storage (SDS)

• The biggest benefits that businesses associate with

SDS are improved system performance, facilitation

of web, mobile and big data apps and services and

reduced support / maintenance costs

• 95% express some level of interest in SDS (38% are

very interested, 57% are quite interested) and almost

two-thirds of businesses (63%) say their organisation

will realistically begin to adopt an SDS approach in

the next 12 months

• The main concern about transitioning to SDS is

integration with existing systems (53%). Other

concerns are management challenges in defining the

scope of control (37%) and queries about pricing (33%)

• 72% say they are increasingly evaluating storage on

the basis of total cost of ownership

• Over 90% of businesses are considering / would

consider an open source approach to SDS

The report highlights the drivers for SDS and a considerable

appetite for evolving the storage business model in

organisations today. Data pressures have created a storage

tipping point for businesses who recognise an opportunity

to simplify their storage estate and embrace storage as an

enabler for digital transformation and agility.

Sample breakdown by company size

5000+Employees

15%

250-999Employees

44%

1000-4999Employees

41%

Sample breakdown by industry sector

Professional Services

Financial Services

Media / Broadcast

Retail / Distribution

Manufacturing / Construction

IT / Telecoms

Utilities / Energy

Consumer Products

Transport / Logistics

Healthcare

Government / Public Sector

Other

10%

10%

10%

10%

9%

9%

9%

9%

8%

7%

7%

2%

4

56%

54%

46%

46%

45%

39%

35%

26%

3%

Security and data governance (56%) emerge as the

biggest challenges alongside the increasing volume

of data (54%), as shown in Figure 1. As platforms and

communications tools proliferate and we enter an age

of increased regulatory scrutiny, problems of data

fragmentation become more keenly felt and effective

data management takes on a new level of urgency in

organisations. Issues around back up, disaster recovery

and archiving (46%) and performance / availability (46%)

simply add to the rather painful list of challenges in data

management today. The cost of storage (45%) and

storage capacity planning (39%) are challenges likely to

intensify with increasing data volumes.

Many would argue that data is the lifeblood of any digital

organisation. The integrity, availability and protection

of data are vital to business productivity and success.

Focusing on what to do with data is only one part of

the equation – deciding where to keep data is another

important consideration. Indeed, 73% agree that every

business is a storage business. This increases to 83% in

the US and 82% in China. Where there is data, so too there

must be storage. Most see volumes of data increasing in

their business each year, by up to 30% in some cases, as

shown in Figure 2. Worries about what this means in terms

of data management, storage and costs are inevitable.

One of the biggest pressures for IT teams is to be highly

agile, to move at lightning speed, adapting to market

conditions and business requirements in near real-time.

More than two thirds of businesses (68%) say demands

from the business for IT to be more agile have increased

in the last two years. A similar proportion (63%) say their

business struggles to make the link between storage

and agility, increasing to 76% in the US. Enterprise IT

departments, not always synonymous with rapid response

times and high levels of flexibility, through their storage

choices and provision, must now support this data

deluge. And they must continue to provide the high

level of performance users expect, all in a cost-effective

and scalable manner. Security and data governance and

agility, although seemingly at odds, are not mutually

exclusive. Both have the best interests of the business

at their heart and in this era of cloud, the idea of agile

storage, capable of easier deployment without lots of

steps to provision capacity and services to workload is a

natural evolution.

Data Management Challengesand the Infra-Struggle

Everyday, a massive 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is created. And 90% of the data in the world today was created in the last two years. Managing this data, let alone trying to extract any value from it, is creating some serious headaches for organisations.

Figure 1: Key data management challenges

No change

19%

Decreasing

13%Up to 10%

19%

11%-30%

54%

51%-70%

7%

31%-50%

19%

By more than 70%

1%

Increasing

68%

Figure 2: Changing data volumes in business

Service and Data Governance

Iincreasing Volumes of Data

Challenges with Backup, Disaster Recovery and Archiving

Performance / Availability

Cosst of Storage

Storage Capacity Planning

Complex Administration

Silos of Storage

None of the Above

Change in volume of data each year

% increase indata growth

5

54%

48%

45%

43%

40%

37%

31%

3%

Figure 3: Data management priorities for the next 12 months

Simplifying Storage

Reducing Operating Expenses on Storage

Facilitation of Collaboration / Innovation / Flexibility

Addressing Performance Concerns

Increasing Resilience

Reducing Capital Expenditure on Storage

Addressing Scaliability Concerns

None of the Above

Against this backdrop of agility and cost pressures,

enterprise IT is focused on several storage priorities

over the next 12 months, as shown in Figure 3. At the

top of the to-do list is simplifying storage (54%). This is

particularly evident in India (67%) and Italy (60%).

Arguably, the single biggest enemy of agility is complexity.

Complexity occurs when technologies overlap one

another, when systems are modified, adapted and added

to in order to do things they were never intended to

do. Such “patchwork” infrastructure is now a reality for

many organisations and IT departments are left grappling

with increasingly sprawling IT estates that are difficult to

govern and manage.

ackling complexity is another top data management

priority. Organisations are focused on reducing operating

expenses on storage (48%), facilitating collaboration

and innovation (45%) and addressing issues around

performance (43%) and resilience (40%).

As French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery puts it

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to

add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” This is

simplification in a nutshell and with the rate of change and

growth of data, the need to tackle complexity is evident

on many different levels.

The SimplificationImperative

6

The GreatStorage Rethink

Figure 4: Types of storage systems currently in place

Figure 5: Frustrations with existing storage systems

Storage is top of mind for many organisations. 70% say

they have reviewed their approach and strategy for data

storage in the last 12 months. This is most likely to be the

case in China (84%) and the US (77%). Currently, the most

used storage systems are hybrid flash and disk (62%) and

disk based storage (61%). 39% currently use flash and 11%

use Software Defined Storage (see Figure 4).

Businesses, however, are seeing shortcomings in their

current approaches to storage. Given growth in data

volumes, 82% think they, and other businesses in their

sector, need to rethink their approach to storage to avoid

their business being compromised. The only market

not seeing this as a particularly pressing requirement is

Australia, although two-thirds (66%) of companies here

still say this is the case.

The biggest frustrations with current storage solutions

relate to the very issues that enterprise IT is focused on

resolving this year – namely around cost, complexity,

performance concerns and difficulties supporting

innovation and agility efforts (see Figure 5).

Organisations typically spend about 70 to 80% of their

annual IT budgets on items that just keep their systems

running (according to market intelligence firm IDC) and

are scrambling to keep up with the speed of technology

changes. Getting to grips with the Internet of Things

and the fragmentation of device usage on their networks

is intensifying the need for flexible, agile storage and

those businesses that cling to the traditional three-

tier data center architecture may find themselves at

a disadvantage. 78% of businesses admit they need a

flexible storage solution that can keep up with the ever-

changing demands of their data centre.

Encouragingly, as the digital economy disrupts traditional

business models, so IT departments are willing to embrace

new ways of doing things. 83% say that their organisation

is receptive to new approaches to storage. It could be

argued that this is business simply saying “enough is

enough” or the start of a storage revolution. Either way,

change is certainly afoot where storage is concerned.

62%

61%

39%

11%

Hybrid (flash & disk)

Disk Based

Flash

Software-defined Storage (SDS)

Overall Cost

Performance Concerns

Complex / Highly Fragmented

Inability to Support Innovation / Drive Value

Lack of Agility - Can’t Support Changes in the Business Environment

Lack of Scalibility - Can’t Effectively Grow with the Business

Being Tied into Legacy Vendors

Difficult to Manage

80%

74%

71%

68%

68%

66%

66%

66%

20%

26%

29%

32%

32%

34%

34%

35%

45%

46%

44%

49%

46%

45%

46%

43%

36%

28%

27%

19%

22%

20%

19%

22%

%Frustration

Not a FrustrationModerate FrustrationSignificant Frustration

7

According to market intelligence firm IDC, digital

transformation will drive “everything that matters in IT”

over the next few years and the “disruptive impact of

digital transformation is about to be felt in every industry”.

Nearly every business is undergoing some form of digital

transformation. This can range from mobilising the

workforce to creating online customer experiences, from

enabling electronic supply chains to offering real-time

access to financial statements.

In 2017, digital transformation has created a storage

tipping point. Almost all businesses (92%) are

concerned about data growth and its implications for

storage slowing down digital transformation initiatives

(see Figure 6). With so much hinging on digital

transformation, this seems a key catalyst in a storage

rethink across industries as businesses grapple to get the

digital edge on competitors.

Another factor that is driving businesses to review their

storage options is how they manage growing storage

costs as capacity requirements increase. Dealing with the

burden of big data by purchasing new storage systems

as current systems reach capacity can end up being

inefficient, costly as well as creating further complexity

and bottlenecks in the business. This is a concern for 92%

of businesses today (35% say “to a great extent”, 57% say

“to some extent”). Scrutiny from the wider business on

storage spend has increased in the last two years for 60%

of businesses, and will no doubt continue to increase as

data volumes further increase. This is particularly the case

in India (74%).

Digital Transformation and Storage

Figure 6: Worries about data growth and implications for storage slowing down digital transformation initiatives

Figure 7: Change in scrutiny on storage spend in last 2 years

Not At All

8%IncreasedSignificantly

19%

DecreasedSignificantly

10%DecreasedModerately

11%

No Change

19%

IncreasedModerately

41%

To a GreatExtent

35%

To SomeExtent

57%

8

The Promise ofSoftware Defined Storage

Figure 9: Timeframe in which organisation will realistically begin to adopt an SDS approach

Analysts predict that the global Software Defined

Storage (SDS) market will surpass $7 billion by 2020

(Technavio, August 2016). There are several key market

trends that businesses recognise as accelerating SDS

adoption – most notably, cloud adoption (54%), big data

(50%), mobility (47%) and Internet of Things (46%), as

shown in Figure 8. More than one in three organisations

(35%) attributes growing SDS adoption with industry

appetite for open source.

Unstructured data is a big issue for businesses today and

analytics solutions, when integrated with SDS solutions

for big data management can streamline the management

of unstructured data for business intelligence, reducing

costs and boosting business agility. As cloud becomes

mainstream, businesses have realised its potential

in addressing critical pain points such as scalability,

availability, flexibility and cost and are now looking to SDS

to mirror these benefits by building scalable, reliable, full

features and high performance storage infrastructure.

SDS is certainly poised to disrupt the traditional enterprise

IT infrastructure model and we’ve already seen that

companies are under immense pressure to replace legacy

IT infrastructure with simpler, innovative models that can

cut costs and drive agility. 81% of businesses say that the

business case for SDS is compelling. The top five benefits

that businesses expect to see from adopting an SDS

approach are:

1) Improved system performance

2) Facilitates the development and deployment of

modern web, mobile and big data applications

and services

3) Reduced support / maintenance costs

4) Supports innovation / open business model

5) Ease of deployment

Other benefits expected include transparency and

control with the ability to monitor and manage storage

consumption, reduced capex and and improved scalability.

Against this backdrop, there certainly seems to be market

momentum in the direction of SDS with 95% expressing

some level of interest in SDS (38% are very interested, 58%

are quite interested). Almost two-thirds of businesses

saying their organisation will realistically begin to adopt an

SDS approach in the next 12 months (see Figure 9). The

form that this transition and approach takes will no doubt

vary in every business, in much the same way that each

vendor has a slightly different pitch about SDS.

Figure 8: Industry trends seen to be accelerating SDS adoption

54%

50%

47%

46%

35%

29%

25%

4%

Cloud Adoption

Big Data Analytics Deep Learning

Mobility

The Internet of Things

Appetite for open source

Flash Everywhere

Convergence

None of the Above

Within the Next 6 Months

23%

In More Than 3 Years’ Time / Not in the Foreseeable Future

10%

In the Next2-3 Years

3%

In the Next1-2 Years

29%

In the Next 6-12 Months

40%

9

Whilst enthusiasm is evident, businesses are quick to

highlight several challenges they see in transitioning

to SDS as shown in Figure 10. Solutions that separate

storage software from hardware can often place the

burden of integration on the customer and it is this

integration with existing systems that emerges as the

biggest single concern for companies (53%). A true

SDS approach does deliver proven interoperability with

unified management between storage software and

certified hardware platforms from a common interface,

thereby providing seamless integration into many existing

IT environments but it seems customers need more

convincing that integration will be easy.

Further concerns are around management challenges in

defining the scope of control (37%). A core objective of

SDS is to make it much easier to provision and use storage

resources but this does require organisations to change

their operating model first and to consider standardised

environments that they can manage and upgrade using

the appropriate change management processes.

Queries around pricing (33%) are another potential

barrier to SDS adoption. The cost argument is compelling

as capacity needs grow and the end user can tailor

the best possible configuration at the minimum price

and operational costs. As an extension to pricing and

reflecting industry debates about storage capex and

opex, almost three-quarters (72%) of businesses say that

they are increasingly evaluating storage on total cost of

ownership. One third of businesses see a challenge in the

lack of consistency of definition of SDS in the industry.

This is likely created as any number of vendors shape

the definition to fit with their offerings and will result in

confusion about pricing and standards. This will likely

reflect itself in queries around pricing, among other things.

As the market is evolving, however, there does seem to be

more consistency around the definition and the interplay

between different flavours of SDS becomes clearer.

Whilst there is certainly some level of confusion in the

market about the options available, with 70% admitting

that their business needs advice as to how to best manage

their storage needs, many of these barriers will recede as

use cases become more widely available, vendors work

to educate customers and customers can more readily

separate myth from reality.

Perceived Challenges withSoftware Defined Storage

Figure 10: Potential challenges in transitioning to SDS

53%

37%

33%

32%

25%

23%

16%

7%

Integration with Existing Systems

Management Challenges in Defining Scope of Control

Queries Around Pricing

Lack of Consistency of Definition in Industry

Too Many Vendors

Business Does Not See the Case for Change

Many Vendors Do Not Have An Offer / Appealing Offer

None of the Above

10

Appetite forOpen Source

The open source community is very healthy, active, and

collaborative and can potentially play a significant role in

how the SDS market evolves. Along with cloud, big data

analytics, mobility and Internet of Things, the appetite for

open source is seen by over a third of businesses (35%) as

an industry trend that is accelerating the adoption of SDS.

Over 90% of businesses are considering / would consider

an open source approach to SDS (see Figure 11).

Those who would not consider an open source approach

are concerned that it is too risky, there are unclear cost

benefits or a lack of use cases to relate to. These are very

common concerns in any evolving technology space but

with the majority enthusiastic about open source, it seems

the notion of freedom of choice and lower costs is too

compelling to ignore.

Figure 11: Views on an open source approach to SDS

We Would Not Consider This

7%

We WouldConsider This

51%

We Are Considering This

42%

11

Businesses are craving simplification with their storage.

Complexity is thwarting agility, innovation and the ability

to add value at a strategic level for IT leaders. With digital

transformation, a key focus for most organisations over

the next couple of years, businesses can no longer afford

for their storage systems to be holding back their digital

plans. As such, storage has reached a tipping point

and businesses recognise that the next 12 months is the

window to change their approach to storage to avoid their

business activities being compromised. Many anticipate

moving towards SDS by 2018 and also considering an

open source approach.

No two businesses are the same. Storage priorities and

transitional challenges will vary depending on current set

ups, attitudes to risk and appetite for transformation. It

is clear, however, that businesses are largely united in

their desire to stamp out complexity and to find a better

way of doing things when it comes to storage. Against

this backdrop, SDS certainly holds a lot of promise. Add

to this, an open source approach and SDS is a very

compelling option for businesses today.

Conclusion

2017 looks set to be a pivotal year for businesses as they review and begin to overhaul their storage infrastructure. Years of quick fix solutions in response to growing data volumes have resulted in messy patchwork or “accidental” storage architectures which are now proving both ineffective and inefficient.

12

APPENDIXRegional Summaries

13

The US is feeling the impact of growing data volumes particularly keenly and businesses are feeling the pressure to be agile whilst drowning in data more strongly than in other regions. Simplification of storage is the focus of US companies and with many still running disk-based storage, there is widespread recognition that rethinking storage is required to avoid business being compromised. US companies are also having their storage costs heavily scrutinised. As with other regions, there are high levels of interest in SDS. There are concerns about vendors causing confusion around SDS. This lack of common definition and use cases are potentially slowing otherwise significant SDS momentum in the US.

Current Approaches to Storage• The top two challenges in data management today in

US companies are the same as the global average –

namely security and governance (65%) alongside the


• 76% are seeing the volume of data increasing each

year, higher than the global average and this is

typically increasing at a rate of 32% per year, again

higher than the global average

• US companies are the most likely to consider that

every business is a storage business (83%)

• 75% say demands from the business for IT to be more

agile have increased in the last two years, higher than

the global average of 68%. Yet, 76% say that their

business really struggles to make the link between

storage and agility, higher than in other regions

• The main data management priority for businesses

over the next 12 months is to simplify storage (50%),

followed by reducing operating expenses on storage

(44%)

• Currently, the most used storage systems are disk-

based storage (66%), hybrid flash and disk (61%),

followed by flash (47%). 18% say they currently use

Software Defined Storage (SDS), the highest of all

regions in the research study

• 85% think organisations in their sector need to rethink

their approach to storage to avoid their business

being compromised


are performance concerns (77%), complexity / high

levels of fragmentation (74%) and overall cost (72%)

Future Approaches to Storage• 77% say they have reviewed their approach and

strategy for data storage in the last 12 months and

80% say their organisation is receptive to new





• Furthermore, 93% are worried about how they

manage growing storage costs as capacity

requirements increase. 67% of US companies say that

scrutiny from the wider business on storage spend

has increased in the last two years

• The biggest benefits that businesses associate

with SDS are improved system performance and

supporting innovation

• 98% say that they are either quite or very interested

in SDS. The main concern about transitioning to SDS

is integration with existing systems (56%) and a lack

of consistency in the definition of SDS (33%). 75% say

that vendors are causing a lot of confusion around

SDS and 65% think there is not enough data about

real world usage of SDS

• Over 90% of businesses would consider an open

source approach to SDS

Research Summary

United States

14

Businesses in Canada are struggling with two sometimes conflicting data management challenges –performance and availability, and security and data governance. Against this backdrop, the pressure for IT to be more agile is keenly felt and a lack of agility is seen to be a particular gripe with existing storage systems. Businesses, however, do not easily make the link between storage and agility and are heavily focused on reducing operational costs on storage. Although less likely to have reviewed their storage in the last year than other regions, Canadian companies readily articulate storage pain-points and see SDS as a compelling proposition that offers a different approach to managing data.

Current Approaches to Storage• In Canada, the biggest two challenges with data

management today are performance and availability

(52%) alongside security and data governance (47%)

• 70% say that they are facing increased demands from

the business for IT to be more agile compared to two

years ago. However, 69% say their business struggles

to make the link between storage and agility (only the

US is higher in this regard)

• As with many other regions in the study, the main

data management priority for businesses over the

next 12 months is to simplify storage (61%). This is

followed by a focus on reducing operating expenses

on storage (50%)

• In Canada, the most used storage systems are hybrid

flash and disk (65%), followed by disk-based storage


Defined Storage (SDS), compared to an 11% global

average


their approach to storage in the next 12 months to

avoid their business being compromised

• The three biggest frustrations with existing storage

solutions are overall cost (84%), being tied into legacy

vendors (75%) and a lack of agility (73%)


strategy for data storage in the last 12 months (lower

than the global average of 70%). Despite this, 87%

say their organisation is receptive to new approaches

to storage






requirements increase. 69% say that scrutiny from the

wider business on storage spend has increased in the

last two years (only India is higher in this regard)

• The biggest benefits that businesses in Canada

associate with SDS are improved system performance

and supporting innovation

• 88% agree that the business case for SDS is

compelling and they see industry trends like big data

(54%), cloud adoption (50%) and mobility (46%)

accelerating adoption of SDS

• As with other regions, the main concern about

transitioning to SDS is integration with existing

systems (56%). This is followed by queries about

pricing (39%)



Research Summary

Canada

15

UK companies see increasing volumes of data as a key challenge and are also concerned about the data governance and security issues that this brings. UK companies are less likely than other regions to find it difficult to make the link between storage and agility but are troubled by storage slowing down digital transformation efforts. Indeed, UK companies see “supporting innovation” as a key benefit of SDS and recognise the need to rethink their storage approach to keep their business plans on track. Future-proofed solutions, as well as open source approaches to SDS, are attractive to UK businesses as there are significant concerns about rising storage costs as capacity requirements increase.

Current Approaches to Storage• The top two challenges in data management today

for UK companies are security and governance (58%)

alongside the increasing volume of data (56%)

• Two-thirds of UK businesses (66%) say that


have increased in the last two years. Over half of

businesses (58%) say they struggle to make the link


• 71% of UK businesses are seeing the volume of data

in their organisation increasing each year. Along

with most regions in the study, UK companies are

particularly focused on the simplification of storage

(58%) over the next 12 months as well as reducing the

operating expenses on storage (55%)

• In the UK, the most used storage systems are hybrid

flash and disk (65%), followed by disk storage (63%)

and flash (39%). 9% currently use Software Defined

Storage (SDS) – 11% being the global average in this

study



avoid business being compromised



and an inability to support innovation (74%)

Future Approaches to Storage• Two thirds (66%) of UK companies say they have

reviewed their approach and strategy for data storage

in the last 12 months and 87% say their organisation is

receptive to new approaches to storage




• Half (51%) say that scrutiny from the wider business

on storage spend has increased in the last two years.

91% are generally concerned about how they manage

growing storage costs as capacity requirements

increase.


SDS are improved system performance and ease of

deployment


in SDS


integration with existing systems (59%) and a lack of

consistency in definition (34%). 78% of UK companies

think that vendors are causing a lot of confusion

around SDS and 60% think there is not enough data

around real world usage of SDS



Research Summary

United Kingdom

16

Current Approaches to Storage• For Germany, increasing volumes of data (61%) and

security and data governance (59%) are the top two

challenges in data management today. 77% agree that

every business is a storage business to some degree.

• 73% of businesses say that demands from the

business for IT to be more agile have increased in the

last two years (only the US is higher in this regard) yet

63% say that their business finds it difficult to make

the link between storage and agility

• The main data management priorities for German

businesses over the next 12 months are to increase

resilience (62%) and facilitate collaboration and

innovation (45%)

• Currently, the most used storage systems in German

companies are hybrid flash and disk (71%), followed

by disk-based storage (56%) and flash (44%). 12%

currently use Software Defined Storage (SDS)

• 85% think they need to rethink their approach to

storage in the next year to avoid their business being

compromised


are lack of scalability (75%), overall cost (74%) and

performance concerns (65%)

Future Approaches to Storage• 75% of companies in Germany have reviewed their

approach and strategy for data storage in the last 12

months and 89% say their organisation is receptive

to new approaches to storage. 78% of German

businesses think they need a flexible storage solution

to keep up with changing demands of their data centre

• As with other regions, almost all German businesses

are concerned about data growth and its implications

for storage slowing down digital transformation

initiatives (94%)





last two years

• The biggest benefits that German businesses


and ease of deployment

• 76% think the business case for SDS is compelling

and almost all say that they are either quite or very

interested in SDS (97%)

• In Germany, the main concerns about transitioning

to SDS is integration with existing systems (58%)

and management challenges in defining the scope of

control (48%)



Research SummaryResearch Summary

German companies like those in other regions are juggling requirements to be increasingly agile and flexible in their storage provision with the need for data governance and high levels of security. Increasing resilience and facilitating innovation and collaboration are the data management focus areas for the next 12 months. Frustrations around the lack of scalability of existing storage systems are felt acutely by German businesses, who like other regions, see this as a barrier to digital transformation efforts and general system performance levels in the business. German companies are very receptive to new storage approaches, particularly where these can effectively marry agility, data governance and scalability.

Germany

17

Companies in France are looking for simplicity when it comes to storage. Complexity and data fragmentation are key frustrations with existing storage systems and data governance is seen as a particular challenge as data volumes increase. Whilst there is a high level of interest in SDS, the biggest concern about transitioning to a new storage approach is around the process itself and how SDS integrates with existing systems, without adding yet more complexity. Ease of deployment is something that companies in France are likely to see as a core benefit of SDS and one that needs to be highlighted and validated to facilitate adoption.

Current Approaches to Storage• In France, the top two challenges in data management

are security and data governance (51%) alongside the


• 72% of French businesses say that demands from

the business for IT to be more agile have increased in

the last two years - 61% say that their business really

struggles to make the link between storage and agility

• For France, the top two data management priorities

for businesses over the next 12 months are to facilitate

collaboration / innovation (56%) and to simplify

storage (53%)


based storage (62%), followed by hybrid flash

and disk (58%) and flash (30%). 8% currently use

Software Defined Storage (SDS)

• 80% think organisations in their sector they need

to rethink their approach to storage in the next 12

months to avoid business being compromised













requirements increase. Around half of French

businesses (52%) say that scrutiny from the wider

business on storage spend has increased in the last

two years


with SDS are ease of deployment and reduced

maintenance costs


in SDS with cloud usage (54%), mobility (45%) and

IoT (38%) seen as key accelerators in the market for

SDS adoption

• As with other regions, the biggest concern about

transitioning to SDS is integration with existing

systems (45%). Queries about pricing (38%) are also

an issue in France

• 87% of businesses in France would consider an open


Research Summary

France

18

In Italy, businesses are focused on simplification and addressing performance concerns as systems creak under growing volumes of data. Problems with existing systems include cost, scalability and performance issues. In particular, Italian companies are highly concerned about how they manage increasing storage costs as capacity requirements increase. Against this backdrop, Italian companies are particularly receptive to new approaches to storage, such as SDS, and recognise the urgency with which they need to address shortcomings with current systems as data volumes grow.

Current Approaches to Storage• As with other regions, companies in Italy see the

top two challenges in data management today as

increasing volumes of data (56%) and security and

data governance (51%)



have increased in the last two years. More than half

(58%) say that their business struggles to make the

link between storage and agility

• The main data management priority for Italian

businesses over the next 12 months is to simplify

storage (60%), followed by addressing performance

concerns (57%)




Storage (SDS), the lowest use of all the regions

together with India

• There is a high recognition that organisations in their

sector need to rethink their approach to storage to

avoid business being compromised (85%)


are overall cost (88%), lack of scalability (75%) and

performance concerns (73%)





• As in other markets, almost all businesses in Italy are

concerned about data growth and its implications

for storage slowing down digital transformation

initiatives (95%)



requirements increase, the highest of all regions in

the study

• The biggest benefits that Italian businesses associate


facilitation of the development of web, mobile and big

data apps and services

• 97% of companies in Italy say that they are either

quite or very interested in SDS, with 80% saying the

business case for SDS is compelling



concerns are around management challenges in

defining the scope of control (42%)



Research Summary

Italy

19

Companies in the Nordics, compared to other regions in the study, are less pressured by growing data volumes and demands from the business to be more agile. Along with security and data governance, they see the cost of storage as a key challenge for them in terms of data management. As relatively high users of disk-based storage, their main frustrations with current storage systems are cost, complexity and the ability to support innovation. Simplifying storage and facilitating collaboration and innovation are storage priorities this year and Nordic businesses, whilst less urgent in their need to rethink storage are receptive to new approaches and open minded about SDS and open source.

Current Approaches to Storage• For the Nordics, the top two challenges in data

management today are security and data governance

(49%) and the cost of storage (41%)

• More than half of Nordic businesses (52%) say that


have increased in the last two years

• The main data management priority for Nordic


storage (50%). This is followed by facilitating

collaboration and innovation (43%)


based storage (62%) followed by hybrid flash and disk



• 80% of Nordic companies think organisations in their

sector need to rethink their approach to storage to



are overall cost (84%), complexity / high levels of

fragmentation (74%) and the inability to support

innovation (70%)


strategy for data storage in the last 12 months,

the lowest of all the regions in the study. Despite

this, 78% say their organisation is receptive to new


• 87% of Nordic companies are concerned about data


digital transformation initiatives



requirements increase


SDS are improved system performance and reduced

maintenance costs

• 87% show some level of interest in SDS whilst 63%

consider the business case for SDS to be compelling.

Over 90% of businesses would consider an open


• The main concerns about transitioning to SDS

is integration with existing systems (39%) and

management challenges in defining the scope of

control (29%) These are lower than other regions but

reflect the fact that relatively few have reviewed their

storage approach in the last year

Research Summary

Nordics

20

Businesses in China are more likely to cite challenges around increasing data volumes and security and data governance than other regions. They are especially focused on facilitating collaboration and innovation in their data management practices in the next 12 months and see benefits of SDS in terms of supporting innovation and facilitating the development of apps and services. Chinese companies, very frustrated by the lack of agility in current storage systems, are most likely to have reviewed their approach to storage in the last 12 months and are receptive to new approaches, such as SDS.

Current Approaches to Storage• In China, the top two challenges in data management

today are security and data governance (70%)

alongside the increasing volume of data (69%), both

cited more frequently in China than in other regions in

the study. 82% of Chinese businesses agree that every

business is a storage business to a degree



have increased in the last two years - 64% say that

their business really struggles to make the link


• The main data management priority for Chinese

businesses over the next 12 months is to facilitate

collaboration and innovation (66%) and to simplify

storage (52%)

• Currently, the most used storage systems in Chinese

companies are hybrid flash and disk (87%). This is

higher than in other regions in the study. 61% use disk

storage and 37% use flash. 7% currently use Software






are lack of agility (76%), performance concerns (74%)

and overall cost (70%)

Future Approaches to Storage• 84% have reviewed their approach and strategy

for data storage in the last 12 months, the highest

of all the regions in the study and 95% say their

organisation is receptive to new approaches to

storage, again the highest of all the regions

• 88% of businesses in China are concerned about data


their digital transformation





last two years

• The biggest benefits that Chinese businesses see

with SDS are the facilitation of the development of

web, mobile and big data apps and services and


• 91% say that the business case for SDS is compelling



concerns are around the lack of consistency of

definition (34%). 62% think vendors are causing a lot

of confusion around SDS



• 89% say that their business needs help and advice

in how best to manage growing storage needs, the

highest of all regions

Research Summary

China

21

Businesses in Japan, whilst grappling with issues of growing data volumes and security and data governance, are particularly focused on the cost aspects associated with storage. High costs are the biggest frustration with existing storage systems and over the next 12 months, Japanese businesses are focused on reducing both operating expenses and capital expenditure on storage. They see an urgent need to review their current approach to storage although there are some concerns about building a business case for change. Japanese companies are very open to new storage methods, including SDS (and open source), to help them better manage growing storage costs as capacity requirements increase.

Current Approaches to Storage• The top two challenges in data management today

for Japanese companies are increasing volumes

of data (56%) coupled with data security and

governance (51%)



have increased in the last two years - 58% say their

business finds it difficult to make the link between

storage and agility

• In Japan, the two data management priorities for

businesses over the next 12 months are both cost

related – reducing operating expenses on storage

(54%) and reducing capital expenditure on storage

(42%)


based storage (65%), closely followed by hybrid flash

and disk (57%) and flash (50%). 15% currently use

Software Defined Storage (SDS), second only to the US


their approach to storage to avoid business being

compromised, the highest of all the regions

• In Japan, the main frustrations with existing storage

solutions are overall cost (82%), being tied into legacy

vendors (73%) and performance concerns (73%)










requirements increase. More than half (56%) say that

scrutiny from the wider business on storage spend

has increased in the last two years

• The biggest benefits that Japanese businesses


and reduced support / maintenance costs


in SDS


integration with existing systems (53%). Second to this

is the business not seeing the case for change (32%)



Research Summary

Japan

22

In Australia, the cost of storage is a concern as volumes of data continue to increase. Many businesses are finding their storage costs coming under growing scrutiny. They are focused both on simplification of storage and reducing operational expenses on storage which is a key frustration with existing systems. Compared to those in other markets, Australian companies are less likely to have reviewed their data storage approach in the last 12 months but recognise the next 12 months is an important time to rethink storage and ensure this doesn’t slow down digital transformation progress. As with other markets, the appetite and enthusiasm for SDS is there and is only set to increase as Australian companies take the time to review the options available and how they best fit the needs of their businesses, now and in the future.

Current Approaches to Storage• For Australian companies, the top two challenges in

data management today are the cost of storage (55%)

and increasing volumes of data (44%)

• Around two thirds of businesses (65%) say that


have increased in the last two years. The same

proportion however (65%) says that their business

struggles to make the link between storage and agility

• The main data management priority for Australian


storage (58%). This is followed by reducing operating

expenses on storage (46%)

• Currently, the most used storage systems are disk

based storage (64%), followed by hybrid flash and

disk (45%) and flash (38%). 13% say they currently

use Software Defined Storage (SDS)







Future Approaches to Storage• 59% have reviewed their approach and strategy for

data storage in the last 12 months, lower than many

markets in the study. 66% say their organisation is

receptive to new approaches to storage




• Most (92%) are generally concerned about how

they manage growing storage costs as capacity



last two years


SDS are improved system performance and the

facilitation of the development of web, mobile and big

data apps and services

• 76% say the business case for SDS is compelling

although 69% say vendors are causing a lot of

confusion around SDS

• In Australia, the main concerns about transitioning

to SDS is integration with existing systems (45%)

and management challenges in defining the scope of

control (35%)



Research Summary

Australia

23

In India, there are evident challenges with back up, disaster recovery and archiving as well as with security and data governance. Performance is a particular concern and there are also frustrations with current systems not supporting innovation, as well as with overall costs. Indian companies are the most likely to consider their storage costs coming under greater scrutiny from the wider business so cost will play a major role in any decisions to overhaul storage. There is appetite for SDS and for an open source approach therein, with benefits around improved performance and supporting innovation particularly compelling to the Indian market.

Current Approaches to Storage• In India, the top two challenges in data management

are security and data governance (62%) and

challenges with back up, disaster recovery and

archiving (59%)



have increased in the last two years - 65% say their

business struggles to make the link between storage

and agility

• The main data management priorities for Indian

businesses over the next 12 months are to simplify

storage (67%) and to address performance concerns

(65%)




Storage (SDS)

• 74% think organisations in their sector need to

rethink their approach to storage within the next

year to avoid business being compromised

• The biggest frustrations with existing storage solutions

are overall cost (86%). Indian companies also voice

frustrations with the inability to support innovation

(80%) and being tied into legacy vendors (79%)








• 90% are worried about how they manage growing

storage costs as capacity requirements increase. 74%

say that scrutiny from the wider business on storage

spend has increased in the last two years, the highest

of all the regions




• 89% think the business case for SDS is compelling and

almost all (96%) show some level of interest in SDS.



• In India, the main concerns about transitioning to

SDS are management challenges in defining the

scope of control (60%) and integration with existing

systems (58%)

Research Summary

India

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