For Customers, Confidence in Their Storage Partner is Key – and it Starts with a Clear Roadmap

Following up on my blog post from a few weeks ago, there is news from the Dell EMC storage camp about product rationalization, yet there is still a lot of confusion. I am still left guessing on exactly what this portfolio rationalization means -- especially in light of previous promises that it would primarily remain unchanged.
 

Back in 2016, when Dell's EMC acquisition was completed, the company told customers and partners in a letter, "because our combination is very complementary, we do not expect any changes in the product roadmaps except for new products we create that bring all of our innovation together". Yet today, we see a different reality with Dell EMC suggesting they may reduce their mid-range offering from four products to a single product -- leading to portfolio uncertainty. This presents a challenge for customers because confidence in their storage partner is paramount and that can only start with a clear product roadmap.
 

Further, a recent CRN article noted that an anonymous source said that "sweeping changes mark the first major redrawing of the storage product roadmap since Dell's blockbuster acquisition of EMC". This change comes after an acquisition with "a lot of overlap, creating confusion for both partners and customers".
 

Dell EMC's storage options may have met your needs in the past, but as the product lines undergo a mass consolidation, the first since Dell acquired EMC in late 2016, I ask you to check their suitability to meet your needs into the future. Users have been asking about their roadmap for a long time, and they responded publicly that no rationalization of the storage portfolio was coming; yet, now we find ourselves with incomplete facts and a fuzzy picture.

As you evaluate your own storage needs, I encourage you to ask your storage vendor:

 

• Can their products anticipate challenges, to guarantee 99.9999% availability?
• Can their products learn and adapt, to predict and prevent 86% of problems across my company's infrastructure?
• Can their products self-adjust in real time, lowering OPEX by 79%?
• Can their products help you move data where it needs to be, with seamless cloud mobility?

 

HPE's can, we call it Intelligent Storage.
 

Can you entrust your data with a storage vendor that doesn't have a clear plan and seems to be going through lots of churn? It's been over a week since reporters were able to get some flickers of storage information out of "sources" so where is the real clarity from Dell EMC?
 

I could shout these questions out loud at my computer screen all day, but I'd rather highlight what HPE can offer which is the most intelligent storage in the industry:
 

1. HPE Storage is Predictive - It learns and adapts and self-adjusts in real time - HPE InfoSight brings artificial intelligence to your data center, with predictive analytics to predict and prevent 86% of problems before you even notice them.
2. HPE Storage is Cloud Ready - Our storage solutions move data to where it needs to be in order to extract actionable insights with seamless mobility between on-premises and public clouds.
3. HPE Storage is Timeless - The investments our users make today will last well into the future as we roll new tech into existing platform environments. Further, HPE Storage platforms offer all-inclusive licensing, a six-nines guarantee, easy upgrades, and flexible payment options.
    

We see what's next for data and we're bringing unparalleled intelligence to storage to unlock data's potential in this customer first, customer ready portfolio:

 

• HPE Nimble Storage: if you are looking for a simplified storage experience look no further then HPE Nimble Storage. It also comes with a Store More Guarantee guaranteeing more effective capacity than any other vendor can offer.
• HPE 3PAR: if your storage admins are looking for a feature rich storage offering now is the time to give 3PAR a test drive. HPE Storage is the #1 choice for Mid-Range SAN and a proven track record to handle demanding, enterprise workloads.
• HPE SimpliVity: if you don't want to think about dedicated storage for certain projects we have an answer to that too -SimpliVity has a great storage stack for those hyperconverged environments.
   

 

I'm not just tooting my own horn here, HPE customers and partners agree:

 

• "InfoSight's predictive analytics have saved us from potentially impactful issues. And the new recommendation engine is phenomenal as its making proactive decisions, showing us how we can improve our environment. iland provides 100% availability to our customers, and InfoSight is a huge part in making that happen." -Justin Giardina, CTO, iland Secure Cloud
• "None of HPE's competitors have the predictive capabilities of InfoSight. The cross-stack analytics will save my team tremendous time troubleshooting our complex environment. InfoSight for 3PAR is going to make a big impact for our business and their's". -Morten Nyhuus-Eriksen, Global Head of Storage & Backup, Basefarm
• "The new HPE Store More Guarantee allows us to future-proof our investment and makes it timeless. We don't have to worry about data reduction ratios in an all-flash array evaluation. A variety of HPE offerings, including all-inclusive software, free controller upgrade option and guaranteed six-nines availability, make it an easy choice for us to standardize on HPE Nimble Storage." -John Quinn, Principal VCP, Merrimac Solutions

 

As you wait for Dell EMC to sort out its own story, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-786-7967. Our HPE Storage sales team is happy to shine more light on our solution details as others continue to try and cast shadows.
 

To learn more about HPEs storage offerings, visit: hpe.com/storage