Many vendors to start shifting to lower the cost of the flash storage array, such as Dell and EMC are already in full flash products import low-cost TLCFlash memory; Numerous manufacturers scrambling to develop full flash storage arrays, has also changed the existing flash storage market growth
In all the flash storage array early birth of this type of product, the unique selling point is highly efficient, also limited to the application for online transaction processing fields such as IO demand. In order to extend the application environment, then the whole flash storage array have different development.
We can put all the development of flash storage array is divided into four stages:
The first stage is effectiveness oriented. Flash storage arrays is to provide a highly efficient, this kind of product, the purpose of the birth of the early full flash storage array is simply to provide low delay, high transmission efficiency of the storage space, such as TMS, ViolinMemory product is typical.
The second stage is function orientation. In flash storage array system is the core of embedded with general SAN storage array of the same standard information service function, and the expansion of the flexible ability, so as to expand the application environment, to undertake a variety of application services, such as EMCXtremIO is typical of the types of products.
The third stage is the cost leadership. By the introduction of low-cost Flash memory device (such as consumer cMLCNANDFlash memory, or higher density and lower unit costs of a new generation of TLC or 3 dflash memory), or match system of the duplicate data delete and real-time compression function, or through the use of low cost hardware and software, let whole Flash storage arrays can be compared with the traditional storage equipment fitting, even lower unit capacity cost, greatly reduce the import threshold of Flash storage arrays.
The fourth stage is to integrate the guidance, let whole flash storage arrays with specific applications and services, become a large part of the application system environment.
Flash storage array of product development at present, is in the period of the third stage of the second stage, simply provide high-speed storage service, but the lack of information service and the ability to scale the early type full flash array of products has been difficult to survive in the market.
At present the mainstream of all the flash products basic information service and the ability to scale, many manufacturers began to shift to lower the cost of the flash storage array, Dell and EMC are already in full flash products import low-cost TLCFlash memory, the Taiwanese manufacturer, through the industry of Taiwan is good at the lower development costs and profits, launch a low-cost flash storage arrays.
Phase 4 types of products has a small number of manufacturers, for example, can be combined with Hadoop deployment SanDiskInfiniFlash, and specially designed for the VM environment TimtriVMstore, etc.
The transformation of flash storage arrays
Stage of product development into the pursuit of low-cost
In all the flash storage array early birth of this type of product, the unique selling point is highly efficient, also limited to the application for online transaction processing fields such as IO demand. In order to extend the application environment, then the whole flash storage array have different development.
We can put all the development of flash storage array is divided into four stages:
The first stage is effectiveness oriented. Flash storage arrays is to provide a highly efficient, this kind of product, the purpose of the birth of the early full flash storage array is simply to provide low delay, high transmission efficiency of the storage space, such as TMS, ViolinMemory product is typical.
The second stage is function orientation. In flash storage array system is the core of embedded with general SAN storage array of the same standard information service function, and the expansion of the flexible ability, so as to expand the application environment, to undertake a variety of application services, such as EMCXtremIO is typical of the types of products.
The third stage is the cost leadership. By the introduction of low-cost Flash memory device (such as consumer cMLCNANDFlash memory, or higher density and lower unit costs of a new generation of TLC or 3 dflash memory), or match system of the duplicate data delete and real-time compression function, or through the use of low cost hardware and software, let whole Flash storage arrays can be compared with the traditional storage equipment fitting, even lower unit capacity cost, greatly reduce the import threshold of Flash storage arrays.
The fourth stage is to integrate the guidance, let whole flash storage arrays with specific applications and services, become a large part of the application system environment.
Flash storage array of product development at present, is in the period of the third stage of the second stage, simply provide high-speed storage service, but the lack of information service and the ability to scale the early type full flash array of products has been difficult to survive in the market.
At present the mainstream of all the flash products basic information service and the ability to scale, many manufacturers began to shift to lower the cost of the flash storage array, Dell and EMC are already in full flash products import low-cost TLCFlash memory, the Taiwanese manufacturer, through the industry of Taiwan is good at the lower development costs and profits, launch a low-cost flash storage arrays.
Phase 4 types of products has a small number of manufacturers, for example, can be combined with Hadoop deployment SanDiskInfiniFlash, and specially designed for the VM environment TimtriVMstore, etc.
Flash storage growth under the boom of the manufacturer
Flash storage vendors ecological big reshuffle
Numerous manufacturers scrambling to develop full flash storage array, on the one hand reflects the active in this field, on the other hand also shows increasingly fierce competition, the supplier must also face have involved in the field of innovative new technology company, to rely on a strong sales and service ability of a line, and demands of low cost of the second and third tier manufacturers competition.
In the face of fierce competition, some manufacturers significant adjustments to the development strategy, through which to strengthen the competitiveness, such as NetApp quietly gave up its own research and development of the whole FlashRay flash products, instead of through acquisitions SolidFire native flash storage suppliers, through which the native full flash array on products.
Tegile Tintri and other NimbleStorage this three originally designed for mixed flash array vendors, also gave up earlier to SSD + hard disk mixed architecture's position, in the field of the flash.
And some manufacturers and product line disappear on the market, such as a flash storage pioneer NimbusData, have 2 years without any news. Another supplier Whiptail, native flash storage array after merged with Cisco, although that Cisco has its own Invicta full flash array of product lines, due to product development, Invicta the whole product line has been terminated.
In addition has previously to provide high storage density flash storage array Skyera said, after merged with WD, has so far failed to specific product development route.
Through mergers and acquisitions and strategy adjustment, has also changed the existing flash storage market growth. According to IDC, said the 2016 season 1 flash storage array, the statistics, EMC is still high on the throne, but from NetApp jump to fourth every second, third to fifth sequence is PureStorage, HPE and IBM.
From IDC, a survey of the latest statistics, you can see that NetApp m&a SolidFire results. SolidFire originally IDC city of the 2015 city of fifth, flash storage array NetApp is outside of the five. But since 2016, IDC change will SolidFire under the statistics of the NetApp, grabbing for NetApp flash storage array, accounting for second place.
