Author: Chris Drake

As Principal Analyst for Data Center Technology at Current Analysis, Chris is responsible for covering the emerging technologies that are remapping the traditional data center landscape. These include software and hardware products that are required to support public, private and hybrid cloud architectures, as well as the underlying virtualization and orchestration technology that is needed to enable process automation and workload management. He also covers the Converged Infrastructure market, with a focus on the latest generations of vendor pre-certified and optimized hardware/software stacks.

Edge Computing Will Decentralize but Complement Traditional and Cloud-Based Data Center Architectures

by Chris Drake, posted in Internet of Things
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • Although edge computing will decentralize IT, it will not replace traditional data centers or cloud-based architectures, instead operating as an additional tier of IT processing, storage, security, and analytics.
  • In addition to supporting IoT, edge computing use cases will include VR, AR, and connected car applications that are latency-sensitive and require high levels of performance.

Edge computing promises to transform the way data center resources are deployed and managed, as well as the type of workloads they support. A newly published Market Assessment Report from Global Data defines edge computing as the deployment and operation of IT resources – including compute, storage, networking, data management, and analytics – at locations that are geographically closer to data-generating devices and to the end users of digital content and applications. Continue reading “Edge Computing Will Decentralize but Complement Traditional and Cloud-Based Data Center Architectures” →

Q1 2018 Showed a Strong Start to the Year for IoT Technology Initiatives and Innovations

by Chris Drake, posted in Internet of Things
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • The Q1 2018 IoT Watch published by GlobalData’s IT Technology and Software practice analyzes the latest IoT technology innovations and initiatives from across the industry.
  • In Q1 2018, specific areas of industry focus included the development of IoT cloud platforms, the adoption of IoT security standards, and the promotion of LTE-compatible IoT technologies.

GlobalData’s IT Technology and Software (GITTS) practice has just published its Q1 2018 Internet of Things (IoT) Watch. The quarterly IoT Watch analyzes some of the latest IoT technology innovations and initiatives from across the industry during the preceding three months, focusing on global technology solutions providers and IoT-focused industry associations. Continue reading “Q1 2018 Showed a Strong Start to the Year for IoT Technology Initiatives and Innovations” →

In 2018, Data Center Technology Will Become Smarter, Hybrid, More Distributed, and Easier to Consume

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • In 2018, rising enterprise demand for hybrid cloud solutions will fuel new and expanded partnerships between traditional infrastructure vendors and hyperscale public cloud providers.
  • Vendor initiatives will target the challenge of managing workloads across hybrid and increasingly distributed IT environments, along with ways of simplifying the procurement, deployment and consumption of IT.

2017 saw a growing recognition that private cloud technology is both a realistic and desirable way to manage enterprise workloads, and can be used more efficiently through effective integration in conjunction with public cloud services. A common theme during the year’s industry events was envisaging and enabling multi- and hybrid cloud futures. At the same time, in 2017, data center infrastructure vendors from Cisco and Dell EMC to IBM and HPE continued to transform their solutions and services businesses. These transformations were a response to enterprise digitalization initiatives and recognition that in the future, IT will be hybrid, and must be able to span the full spectrum of enterprise locales from the cloud to core data centers to the network edge. In 2017, individual vendors went through quite different transformation processes: in addition to launching new solutions, technology companies acquired and integrated new businesses, and forged alliances with one another and with hyperscale cloud providers in order to fill out their portfolios. These developments were all driven by a competitive push to help enterprises modernize their traditional data center environments, capitalize on the benefits of hybrid cloud, and expand their ability to handle growing volumes of data at the edge of their networks. Continue reading “In 2018, Data Center Technology Will Become Smarter, Hybrid, More Distributed, and Easier to Consume” →

HPE Discover 2017: Under Antonio Neri, HPE Will Expand Its Focus on the Edge and Intelligent IT

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• At its Discover event in Madrid, HPE communicated its vision and strategy and to an industry eager to comprehend the impact of Meg Whitman’s decision to step down as CEO.

• In addition to its goal of making hybrid IT simple for enterprise customers, HPE, under its incoming CEO, Antonio Neri, will strengthen its focus on IoT, what it terms “intelligent IT”, edge computing, converged OT control systems, and analytics.

For HPE, last week’s Discover event in Madrid was an opportunity to communicate its vision and strategy to an industry eager to comprehend the impact of Meg Whitman’s announced decision, the week before, to step down as CEO. In her time as CEO, Whitman oversaw the company’s transformation from a provider of traditional data center infrastructure to a business focused on enterprise cloud and hybrid IT solutions. This transformation saw the creation of HPE at the end of 2014, followed by a further slimming down of the company via the disposal of non-core businesses. At the same time, HPE acquired several new companies, including wireless-network infrastructure provider, Aruba Networks and all-flash hybrid storage array provider, Nimble Storage. Continue reading “HPE Discover 2017: Under Antonio Neri, HPE Will Expand Its Focus on the Edge and Intelligent IT” →

OpenStack Sydney: Community Raises a Call to Action for Improved Integration with Non-OpenStack Technologies

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • The latest OpenStack Summit highlighted the need to improve integration between OpenStack and external technologies for managing containers and edge IT environments.
  • The November Summit also saw a change in the language that’s used to define OpenStack development initiatives, to focus less on projects and more on use cases such as containers and edge infrastructure.

News stemming from the November 2017 OpenStack Summit in Sydney, Australia, reflected the maturity of the OpenStack platform and the stability of its core technologies: Nova for virtual machines, Swift for object storage, Cinder for block storage and Neutron for SDN. However, the Summit discussions also reflected an acknowledgement of the limits of OpenStack and the need to ensure the stack’s integration with a host of additional technologies – including technologies for managing applications and containers and those that support the successful operation of edge IT environments. Continue reading “OpenStack Sydney: Community Raises a Call to Action for Improved Integration with Non-OpenStack Technologies” →

Open Source Summit Europe 2017: Microsoft and Docker Increase Support for Kubernetes, but Will AWS Follow Suit?

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

• Major themes at this year’s Open Source Summit Europe included the continued ascendency of Kubernetes, and the flood of new companies joining the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

• Following AWS’s decision to join the CNCF many now expect Amazon to start making it easier to run Kubernetes on its infrastructure.

This year’s Open Source Summit Europe – the second such summit to be held in Europe – brought together over 2,000 developers, operators and other IT professionals in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The major themes of the Summit included the continued ascendency of Kubernetes, which has risen to prominence as the most popular orchestration platform for deploying and managing containerized applications. Other themes included the flood of new companies joining the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), one of several organizations the supported by the Linux Foundation. The CNCF serves as a neutral home for collaboration between vendors and end users and is dedicated to promoting an open source software stack for container orchestration and management. Established in 2015 by founding members that included Google, IBM, Intel and VMware, the CNCF has since seen a steady stream of high-profile cloud companies joining its ranks, with relatively recent members including Microsoft, Oracle, Alibaba, SAP and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Continue reading “Open Source Summit Europe 2017: Microsoft and Docker Increase Support for Kubernetes, but Will AWS Follow Suit?” →

Hitachi Next 2017: Newly Minted Hitachi Vantara Must Assert its Unique Differentiators to Succeed with Industrial IoT Plan

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• At its 2017 NEXT conference Hitachi announced the creation of a new business division, Hitachi Vantara, and a revamped strategy to target opportunities in industrial IoT.

• To succeed Hitachi must overcome several challenges, including the communication of the new Vantara brand and the assertion of its chief competitive differentiators.

Hitachi’s 2017 NEXT conference in Las Vegas was a pivotal event for the Tokyo-based multinational. Hitachi announced the creation of a new, wholly owned but independently managed business division, Hitachi Vantara, and a revamped strategy to target opportunities in the field of industrial and enterprise Internet of Things (IoT). Hitachi Vantara combines three former Hitachi businesses: Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), a provider of data center infrastructure solutions; Hitachi Insight, which was launched in May 2016 to advance Hitachi’s IoT initiatives; and Pentaho, which Hitachi acquired in May 2016 and specializes in big data integration and analytics solutions.

According to Hitachi, the move to establish Hitachi Vantara effectively formalized cooperation that was already occurring between the individual Hitachi businesses – particularly in relation to IoT. Hitachi Vantara will aim to leverage innovation, development initiatives and experience from across the Hitachi group to target emerging industrial IoT (IIoT) opportunities. Hitachi’s experience includes more than 100 years as a provider of operational technologies (OT) for industries ranging from finance and government to manufacturing, energy and transportation. It also includes more than 50 years of experience as a provider of IT offerings that include data center solutions such as storage and converged platforms.

Continue reading “Hitachi Next 2017: Newly Minted Hitachi Vantara Must Assert its Unique Differentiators to Succeed with Industrial IoT Plan” →

NetApp Insight 2017: Solution Announcements Will Reinforce Strategy Success and Further Fuel Takeover Rumors

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• At its 2017 Insight event, NetApp will reinforce its ability to help enterprises manage growing volumes of data in a hybrid cloud and IoT era.

• Investments in all-flash storage, converged infrastructure, and hybrid cloud solutions are increasing NetApp’s competitiveness relative to rivals Dell EMC, HPE, IBM and Pure Storage.

Next week at its 2017 Insight event in Las Vegas, NetApp is expected to announce several important product initiatives, amid growing intrigue about what the vendor’s future holds.

Foremost among NetApp’s announcements will be the general availability of its hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution, which includes QoS-based profiling for different workloads and the ability to scale compute and storage separately. Other expected announcements include the integration of the new HCI offering with NetApp’s Data Fabric, and the latest version of NetApp’s ONTAP data management software. Alongside these announcements NetApp is expected to reinforce the message that it is a company committed and best able to help enterprises manage growing volumes of data in a hybrid cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) era. Continue reading “NetApp Insight 2017: Solution Announcements Will Reinforce Strategy Success and Further Fuel Takeover Rumors” →

Managing Hybrid Cloud Complexity: A Battleground and Differentiator

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • For enterprises of all sizes, the need to manage complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments is fueling demand for integrated management solutions.
  • Solution vendors will respond by continuing to expand their portfolio capabilities, the range of cloud platforms supported and the choice of consumption and delivery models.

It is now widely accepted that the future of enterprise cloud will be hybrid, as enterprises of all sizes look for ways of harnessing the benefits of both private and public clouds. Indeed, the perceived opportunity to deliver hybrid cloud solutions to enterprises is encouraging both public cloud service providers and private cloud infrastructure vendors to evolve their existing solutions and introduce new ones – with the latter often involving the formation of new strategic partnerships. Continue reading “Managing Hybrid Cloud Complexity: A Battleground and Differentiator” →

OpenStack Summit 2017: Hosted Private Cloud Demand Reflects Both the Popularity and Problems of OpenStack

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • OpenStack cloud deployment continues to grow, with the main business drivers among enterprise users including the desire to avoid vendor lock-in and the potential to enhance innovation and operational efficiency.
  • Specific criticisms of OpenStack focus on the current six-month release cycle, as well as the complexity of the installation process for new releases and insufficient support for containers.

The May 2017 OpenStack Summit in Boston highlighted continued growth in the number and size of OpenStack cloud deployments, as well as evidence of increasing maturity for the technology. It also illuminated some of the ongoing challenges facing the OpenStack movement. Continue reading “OpenStack Summit 2017: Hosted Private Cloud Demand Reflects Both the Popularity and Problems of OpenStack” →