IBM Storage AI Journey Announced

by Adam Armstrong July 9, 2020

written by Adam Armstrong July 9, 2020

Today IBM Storage announced improvements and updates around improving its customers journey into most efficiently leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). These updates include a new IBM Elastic Storage System (ESS) 5000 for long-term storage capacity. The IBM COS storage engine has been completely modernized. And IBM Spectrum Discover will be incorporated into Red Hat OpenShift environments.

IBM Storage AI Journey

AI is poised to be the Rosetta Stone to unlock the benefits of data and analytics. The tallest hurdles with effectively leveraging AI is companies not knowing what their AI data needs are. Not knowing the needs makes it difficult to lay out the needed information architecture and use AI to its fullest potential. IBM is setting down a specific pathway, they have dubbed the AI Journey. This journey consists of accelerating users’ ability to collect and organize data, gaining deeper insights by leveraging AI-driven data analysis, and then infusing the entire enterprise with these capabilities and insights.

For storage, IBM is releasing a new ESS 5000 powered by IBM Spectrum Scale. This storage system comes with up to 55GB/s performance in a single 8-disk enclosure node and is designed for data lakes. IBM states that the ESS 5000 can scale up to yottabyte configurations. Users looking for long term storage capacity can find it here in the ESS 5000, or those needing a bit less can choose the ESS 3000. It really depends where the customers fall out their AI Journey as well as where they plan to go.

IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS) is another storage option, this time aimed at cost-efficient on-premises and hybrid cloud object storage from any network location. Today COS storage engine has been modernized to support faster AI data collection and integration with high performance AI, big data and HPC workflows. For performance, this storage solution also boasts 55GB/s with a 300% improvement in reads and a 150% improvement in writes (depending on the size of the object), and comes in a 12-node configuration. COS will support new types of storage technology such as SMR bringing capacity up to 1.9PB in a 4U disk enclosure.

IBM has its storage bases fairly covered but data needs to be understood to be leveraged. IBM Spectrum Discover software provides file and object data cataloging and indexing that ingests and exports not only with heterogeneous storage systems but also with IBM Watson solutions and IBM Cloud Pak for Data. Now the company is incorporating IBM Spectrum Discover into Red Hat OpenShift environments. This makes hybrid multicloud deployment of the Discover software portable and more flexible in any environment.

Availability

The BM Elastic Storage System (ESS) 5000 and the new IBM COS are expected to be available August 7, 2020. The incorporation of IBM Spectrum Discover into Red Hat OpenShift is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.

IBM Storage

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