Why SMEs Are Making the Shift to All-Flash Storage

Unlock the value of your data with Huawei OceanStor all-flash storage

Historically, paper was a luxury accessible only to the elite and beyond the means of ordinary people. The invention of papermaking, however, democratized information, allowing all classes to read, write, and innovate.

Fast forward to today, and data storage faces a similar barrier—flash storage technology, once reserved for large enterprises, is now within reach for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through programs like Huawei's Flash Forward. All-flash systems provide enterprises with excellent performance and resilience without breaking the bank. Here, we explore why SMEs are shifting from hybrid flash to all-flash solutions and unlocking the potential of data.

Meeting the needs of growing businesses

As SMEs grow, so does their data. Data volumes today are expanding at a rapid pace, requiring an investment in critical infrastructure. Conventional infrastructure, with a relatively low initial investment, often uses HDD or hybrid flash storage to handle a limited amount of primarily structured data. To stay competitive, enterprises now need more efficient and agile storage solutions, as conventional infrastructure is no longer sufficient.

Another goal is to diversify operations. The higher demand for multi-source and format data, like images and multimedia files, brings the limitations of hybrid flash storage to the forefront: Inadequate processing speeds and limited protocol support have become major bottlenecks for diverse data. In contrast, all-flash storage excels in both speed and multi-protocol compatibility, enabling SMEs to handle expanding data demands seamlessly as their business needs evolve.

The accelerating pace of digital transformation demands faster and more seamless user experiences. Today, users have increasingly high expectations for application response time, and any delay can lead to user churn. As a result, enterprises must adopt more efficient data architectures that support rapid data processing and access. If the architecture fails to meet these needs, enterprises could face intense competitive pressure and may even risk being left behind in the industry.

In the face of these challenges, all-flash storage is perfectly positioned to handle large datasets and address the data processing issues of SMEs, providing greater agility and room for future growth. SSD development has outpaced that of the HDD, with commercially available SSDs now offering single-disk capacities of 15 TB and 30 TB, and even up to 60 TB. In contrast, SAS HDDs typically offer a maximum of just 2.4 TB. Huawei has consistently invested in the development of high-performance, cost-effective SSDs that not only meet demanding performance requirements but also bring costs down to a level that SMEs can afford.

Higher energy efficiency and better TCO

In the AI era, data has become a core asset. AI technologies enable enterprises to unlock more value from the data stored in their systems. For example, big data analytics can help analyze customer purchasing behaviors, enabling enterprises to launch promotions at the most opportune times. All-flash storage is well-suited to meet the high-performance demands required for such tasks. Huawei, with its years of investment in storage technology, offers storage products equipped with self-developed deduplication and compression algorithms, allowing businesses to store more data at a lower overall cost.

Hybrid flash storage, while common, consumes more energy and operates with lower efficiency, resulting in higher operational expenditures (OPEX). In contrast, SSDs are more energy-efficient than HDDs, saving significantly more power. Data indicates that SSDs have a return rate of only 0.8% over five years. Overall, all-flash storage solutions can offer substantial savings in capital expenditure (CAPEX), space, power, and maintenance. According to IDC, these optimizations contribute to creating more sustainable, future-oriented data centers that support digital transformation without incurring excessive energy costs.

Huawei OceanStor Capacity Flash Storage systems empower customers to transition from hybrid flash storage and toward green, resilient, all-flash data centers. In terms of performance, these products feature a data-control separation architecture and the industry's unique NFS+ NAS multipathing technology, delivering an outstanding performance experience.

For organizations seeking a more affordable entry point to all-flash storage, Huawei OceanStor Dorado also provides a compelling option. Combining cost-efficiency, simplicity, and 99.9999% system reliability, this solution is designed to meet diverse needs.

Huawei all-Flash storage: Modern paper purpose-built for the AI era

Just as papermakers once revolutionized communication, Huawei is empowering SMEs to future-proof their success by democratizing access to all-flash storage.

The shift from hybrid to all-flash storage isn't just a trend; it's a strategic move for innovation. Huawei OceanStor Dorado all-flash storage and OceanStor Capacity flash storage give access to technologies once reserved for large enterprises, enabling SMEs to confidently navigate the digital era with robust, cost-effective, and scalable data storage solutions.

Disclaimer: Any views and/or opinions expressed in this post by individual authors or contributors are their personal views and/or opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of Huawei Technologies.