1Storage Follows Computing
2Virtualization: The New Normal
In 2009, virtualization crossed an important threshold. According to IDC, this was the first year that new virtual server deployments exceeded physical server deployments. For every physical server sold, more than one new virtual machine (VM) was created. This trend is accelerating; average VM-to-server consolidation ratios range from 6:1 to as high as 10:1. Virtualization has rapidly become the de facto approach to server deployment. But virtual and cloud-based infrastructures consolidate workloads, which in turn quickly overwhelm conventional disk-based architectures.
3Workloads Have Changed
4R/W Access Dominates Todays Workloads
5New Storage Networking Models Emerging
6Why Storage Is No Longer a Bottleneck
7Flash as a Catalyst
8Flash Getting Cheaper
9Multicore Processors and Low-Cost 10 Gigabit Ethernet Networks
10Market Fragmentation
11The Proof Is in the Pudding
From Fusion-io’s initial public offering in 2011 to a host of venture-backed startups that have launched over the past year, there is no doubt that the big players who have owned the storage world for the last two-plus decades will have some fresh competition, or acquisition targets, in the not-so-distant future.