The True Power of Agile, Non-disruptive Data Storage

Let’s face it: The world has a data problem. 

Data is coming in thicker and faster as IT resources shrink, not just in terms of people and budgets but also in the face of government mandates and sustainability initiatives asking companies to drastically reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency. 

The thing is, these challenges aren’t new. They go all the way back to the first time a tape drive was connected to a mainframe. But they’re accelerating thanks to increasingly complex IT infrastructures, data types, and computing environments.

We’ve all seen the stats. Downtime costs a lot—even more than you think. And it’s only getting costlier. Which means you need your data storage foundation to be your rock. But at the same time, it also has to be agile. 

Data storage? Agile? How does that work? 

Let’s look at what makes data storage agile and non-disruptive, and why it’s so essential today.    

The Downtime Rabbit Hole

Foundational-level data storage changes are inherently difficult and risky for three main reasons:

• Platform refreshes cost time and money.
• Platform migrations also cost time and money and require additional resources and expertise, often from third parties. 
• Platform software upgrades can get very complicated very fast and come with unexpected outages and downtime. 

The problem is that at some point, if not many points, a company is going to have to go through all three of the above if they’re going to stay afloat and keep up with the data deluge. 

Most of today’s systems weren’t designed to go beyond a few generations, ultimately leading to downtime in some form or another. And when your data and applications are offline, your organization faces losses—in time, money, and even reputation. 

That’s where truly non-disruptive, agile data storage comes into play. 

Pure Storage’s Modus Operandi: Multidimensional Agility

The phrase “agile data storage” may seem like an oxymoron as the terms “agile” and “data storage” are rarely used in the same sentence. But if you want true IT agility, you need your data storage, which is usually the least flexible component of an IT architecture, to be just as agile as everything else. 

By agile, we mean not just flexible or easily compatible with different operating environments, but offering true financial freedom and resource efficiency. How? By freeing your IT team to work on the projects that matter while your CFO sleeps easy knowing there isn’t a financially damaging downtime crisis around the corner and also exactly how much the company will be spending on data storage. 

Pure Storage eliminates planned downtime and data migration because it was designed from day one to be upgradable without having to take a system offline, whether you’re adding new capacity, new performance, or new types of data or applications. 

Yes—you can even hot-swap a chassis with zero downtime. That’s true “six nines” uptime—proven and delivered. 

That’s what we mean by non-disruptive, multidimensional agility. While Pure Storage has incredible hardware, it all starts with Purity, our software. 

The True Pure Storage Advantage: Making Your Data Storage Invisible

Ultimately, data storage done right means data storage you don’t have to think about—you forget it’s even there. 

Purity is the true differentiator that not only leverages great hardware but also looks at the big picture of what you do with your data long term and frees you to innovate as your costs go down. 

Purity is what makes Pure Storage a true data storage platform—a cohesive one that works for whatever use case, data type, or application—whatever it is you’re trying to solve for within your IT infrastructure. We offer a single, unified, agile platform that can scale up or out, your choice. And via Pure Cloud Block Store^™, we can offer a truly hybrid cloud environment. 

Is Your Data Storage Non-disruptive? The Trust Test 

Ultimately, any company you choose to work with needs to pass the trust test, and we believe that this is where Pure Storage really sets itself apart.

We’ve done over 10,000 upgrades and 97% of the arrays sold in the company’s 10-year history are not only still in service but also running like new arrays because they’ve been able to upgrade to the same hardware and software base that a brand-new array would have. 

But it’s also about our pricing model. When other vendors tell you they do “non-disruptive” upgrades, be sure to ask them two key questions:

• How long does it take?
• How much more do I have to spend on professional services to make it happen?

With Pure Storage, there are no hidden costs. Our Evergreen^® business model is totally transparent—you pay only for what you need and you know exactly how much you will be spending now and in the future. 

You can rest easy, knowing your money is safe, and so is your data. 

Learn why Pure Storage has been named A Leader in the Gartner^® Magic Quadrant^™ Leader for 10 years in a row.