Survey Reveals Tech Trends Reshaping Data Storage

Foster City, Aug. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Offering the most comprehensive portrait yet of the technology trends reshaping data storage, the Enterprise Storage Forum 2018 Data Storage Trends survey provides essential data points for storage professionals. The Survey results offer insight on budgets, buying decisions and hiring trends, along with a portrait of how competing emerging technologies are supporting an ever increasing storage workload.

The Survey reveals that not only has Cloud seen wide adoption, it has become the dominant storage medium for storage, reflecting a generational shift. The Survey also shows how flash adoption has surged as prices have fallen, yet traditional hard disk drives continue to hold a significant storage load – contradicting the "flash is taking over" hype. Additionally, demonstrating the urgent need to invest in storage given today's data intensive environment, the survey shows that it's a rare company that plans to decrease storage budget.

Among the survey's many compelling results:

• Cloud Dominates, HDD Tops SSD: Even as the Survey shows competing emerging technologies like software defined storage and Flash gaining adoption, the clear winner is Cloud, with 68% respondents reporting Cloud usage. This clearly tops the second most prevalent, hard disk drive, at 58%. Furthermore, future buying expectations will extend Cloud dominance, the survey notes.
• Key Reasons for Purchasing: Cost vs. Performance: The survey reveals the major challenge that companies face in building storage platforms capable of handling today's intense work loads. The most popular key quality that respondents look for in new technology purchases is a statistical tie between "performance" and "cost savings," at 72% and 71%, respectively. Other leading buying factors included "greater scalability" and "security," which tied at 50%.
• Two Major Pain Points: High Costs and Aging Gear: Survey respondents indicated that their biggest challenge in operating their current storage infrastructure is a mix of "high costs" and "aging gear." This demonstrates that while hardware needs a refresh – and businesses realize this – companies face a significant struggle with the high costs of maintaining today's storage infrastructure.

Methodology

In total, 374 global IT professionals responded to the Data Storage Trends 2018 survey, with titles varying widely, from Senior Manager, Director, Vice President, C-Level and Owner. The survey was administered online between July 2018 to August 2018.

About Enterprise Storage Forum

Enterprise Storage Forum provides data storage professionals with in-depth technical and business insights by focusing exclusively on the products, trends and technology of the storage industry. Its contributors include an extensive array of journalists, independent analysts and consultants, and storage industry experts.

ESF's Managing Editor is James Maguire, an award-winning journalist who has regularly interviewed top executives and other tech thought leaders during his decade in the technology field.

James Maguire
Enterprise Storage Forum
jmaguire@quinstreet.com