With the digital economy playing an increasingly important role in our lives, it’s no surprise that there is lot of coverage in the media of the latest disruptive business models and viral apps. Hidden below the surface of these headline grabbers, however, is the real star of the show – data, more specifically unstructured data.
Unstructured data, generated by users, mobile apps, smart devices and sensors, is the bedrock of the digital economy. However, harnessing it can be particularly challenging for businesses. Its explosive growth puts a strain on IT infrastructure, leading to operational complexity, lack of agility and out of control costs. Compounding the problem is the enormous diversity in in the types of unstructured data, as well as in the applications that generate and use it.
The three types of unstructured data
Broadly speaking, there are three distinct types of unstructured data, each with its own unique attributes and use-cases: file data, object data and streaming data.
These three categories of data require fundamentally different storage designs. As a result, businesses are either forced to stitch together point solutions from multiple vendors that don’t talk to each other, or to utilize a monolithic storage solution that solves no one need particularly well. Both are inherently sub-optimal outcomes.
Dell believes in a fundamentally different approach. Our unstructured data portfolio consists of distinct best-of-breed storage engines for file (Dell Isilon), object (Dell ECS) and stream (Project Nautilus) that work seamlessly with each other. This week at Dell World (DEW), we will be showcasing breakthrough innovation across all fronts of the unstructured data landscape.
Reinventing the industry’s #1 scale-out NAS platform
Starting things off is the most significant Isilon launch since the product’s inception. We are introducing a new generation of Isilon nodes that provide customers with unconstrained scale and massive performance. Based on a modular “Infinity” architecture, the new Isilon family includes all-flash, hybrid and archive nodes. You can learn more about the Isilon announcement here on Direct2Dell.
Accelerating innovation in object storage
We are also announcing updates to Dell’s scale-out object platform, Elastic Cloud Storage (ECS). These updates include certification for Dell PowerEdge 24th generation servers, as well as new features in ECS.Next.
Enabling real-time analytics on streaming data
The proliferation of connected devices and sensors is leading to a deluge of streaming data that needs to be ingested at high speeds and analyzed right away for real-time decision making. At DEW, we will be providing a sneak-peek at Project Nautilus, a unified solution to store and analyze streaming IoT data in real-time. Nautilus is designed to work seamlessly with Isilon and ECS functioning as the resilient storage layer. A critical part of Project Nautilus is Pravega, the storage engine that enables ingest and storage of massive numbers of streams concurrently. Pravega is available immediately as an open-source project.
We are excited to be the only vendor to offer best-of-breed, fully integrated, solutions for each of the three pillars of unstructured data storage. Tune into Dell World broadcast to learn more about these announcements!
