IBM speeds up Big Data insights with software defined storage

BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM today unveiled a portfolio of software defined storage products that deliver improved economics at the same time they enable organizations to access and process any type of data, on any type of storage device, anywhere in the world.

One technology in the portfolio, codenamed "Elastic Storage," offers unprecedented performance, infinite scale, and is capable of reducing storage costs up to 90 percent by automatically moving data onto the most economical storage device.

Born in IBM Research Labs, this new breakthrough technology allows enterprises to exploit - not just manage - the exploding growth of data in a variety of forms generated by countless devices, sensors, business processes, and social networks.

The new storage software is ideally suited for the most data-intensive applications, which require high-speed access to massive volumes of information - from seismic data processing, risk management and financial analysis, weather modeling, and scientific research, to determining the next best action in real-time retail situations.

Software-defined storage is a set of software capabilities that automatically manage data locally and globally, providing breakthrough speed in data access, easier administration and the ability to scale technology infrastructures quickly and more cost-effectively as data volumes expand. In addition, these advances can work with any company's storage systems to provide automated and virtualized storage.

IBM Research has demonstrated that Elastic Storage can successfully scan 10 billion files on a single system in just 43 minutes -- a technology demonstration that translates into unequalled performance for clients analyzing massive data repositories to extract business insights.

Elastic Storage software will also be available as an IBM SoftLayer cloud service later this year.