Storage hardware is used to store applications and digital data in its various forms. It is a key component of any IT or data management system, whether on-premises or in the cloud.
The storage hardware may be used for archival and long-term storage purposes or for the processing unit to regularly access directly or remotely.
See below to know all about the global storage hardware market:
Storage Hardware Market
The data storage market was estimated at $54.03 billion in 2018, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2% over the analysis period from 2021 to 2025, reaching a value of $120.94 billion in the end of it.
Regionally, the United States and China are expected to lead the market, followed by Asia-Pacific, led by Australia, South Korea and India. Other notable regional markets driving demand in the global market include the UK, Japan, France, and Germany.
By industry, the market is driven by the following segments:
- Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)
- Detail
- Health care
- Government
- Telecommunications
Storage Hardware Specifications
When researching storage hardware, a company should consider several factors before making a purchase:
- Equipment longevity
- Data type support
- Compatibility with existing environments
- Scalability
- Resource management
When it comes to enterprise-grade storage hardware, the solution should be right for the type of data and its use cases, from accessibility to speed.
There are three common types of storage hardware companies use to store their data on-premises:
SSD storage
A solid state drive (SDD) is a type of data storage that contains no moving parts. It uses integrated circuits to store and access data, relying on semiconductors and electronics, using less power than their counterparts.
It is a variant of flash memory storage, allowing fast access to data. Generally, they are more expensive, but they also tend to be smaller in size.
Disk storage
Disk storage includes a broad category of storage hardware that stores data using magnetic, electronic, optical, or mechanical changes to the surface of a spinning disk. Data is organized in disk storage into individual blocks and segments, allowing for fast, nonlinear access.
Although suitable for large businesses with huge amounts of data to store due to its capacity and low cost, disk storage has a relatively short lifespan. It is also more fragile compared to its counterparts, where an unsuitable environment could harm its content and quality.
Tape drive storage
Tape drive storage is one of the oldest types of storage hardware. It is able to access and read data stored on magnetic tape that can be accessed offline.
Data retrieval is slow, making it a suitable option for archival storage, as the machine must scan through the entire tape and rewind it to access the requested data. However, it is the cheapest and most durable storage hardware option.
One of the biggest operational challenges organizations face is the need to adapt to remote working.
Companies are looking for more flexible storage solutions and, in some cases, moving to the cloud.
“To thrive in today’s world – in other words, to enable remote collaboration, support modern workloads with performance and protection, and do so without long delays or high costs – your data must be portable. says Brendan Wolfemember of the Forbes Technology Council.
“Well, you don’t need to replace your current storage infrastructure and clouds. Instead, one solution is to layer smart software on top of it that can act as a global file system.
Advantages of storage hardware
There are many benefits to using strictly or primarily your own hardware for data storage, such as:
- Fully customizable security
- Accessible offline
- Reduce data transfer costs
- Full control over data
- Enable regulatory compliance
“Storage and memory impact a ton of different hardware products, from computers to USB drives. … How much storage you have can also impact performance. The closer you get to your storage limits, the slower your device is likely to run, so storage and speed often go hand in hand,” according to a message on sba.gov.
“When considering buying new hardware, you should first determine how much space you actually need. Look at what you have stored on your current hardware products, if possible.”
Storage Hardware Use Cases
The following case studies highlight a variety of storage hardware solutions used by organizations in different industries:
City of New Orleans
The City of New Orleans is responsible for providing services to its residents.
The city’s digital infrastructure faced a cyberattack that forced its IT team to shut down its 470 servers and virtual machines (VMs) to mitigate the damage. The attack ended up affecting all 4,000 New Orleans government employees and just under half a million residents.
Seeking to minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future, the New Orleans IT team cleaned up the city’s data and moved it to new storage infrastructure provided by Pure Storage. Pure Storage FlashArray and Pure Storage FlashBlade were used to secure data and prepare future instances for disaster recovery.
“The Pure Storage team showed up, rolled up their sleeves and offered to help. Within days we had new equipment on site and started migrating our data to Pure,” said Kimberly LaGrueCIO, City of New Orleans.
“Our investment in Pure has more than proven its short-term value, but we’re in it for the long-term value it delivers to our citizens.”
With Pure Storage, New Orleans storage has become easy to use with reduced risk with space-saving snapshots and faster backups and restores.
Bradesco
Bradesco is a Brazilian financial group that manages client assets.
Being in the financial sector, Bradesco needed a storage solution to meet the demand for banking and insurance solutions, as well as the availability of mobile services.
Working with IBM, Bradesco has created a secure and reliable online banking experience using IBM Z systems and IBM Storage to deliver data availability and accessibility to their customers across Brazil.
“IBM tools, such as two-factor authentication, enable Bradesco to deliver a secure banking experience 100% of the time. These solutions guarantee the security of confidential information. Our customers trust us because of this,” said Waldemar Ruggiero Jr.Managing Director, Banco Bradesco.
“IBM Z delivers the resiliency, security and agility we need to ensure our millions of customers can access our services anywhere, anytime, using any device.”
With IBM, Bradesco was able to process more than 1.5 billion business transactions per month and ensure platform and data accessibility to more than 36 million customers.
testo
Testo is a leader in quality and standards measurements, from food and pharmaceutical safety to heating systems and air conditioning. The German company employs 3,200 people worldwide and serves 650,000 customers.
Regularly processing huge amounts of data, Testo needed to implement a reliable data storage system. Working with NetApp, Testo was able to implement hardware and storage solutions that integrated seamlessly with the Trident storage orchestrator they were using.
“With the NetApp data fabric, we can deliver services quickly and move data between on-premises systems and SaaS or IaaS environments in no time,” says Klaus Hurstsenior data center expert, Testo.
“When you want to leverage IT with a future like Testo, I advise you to take a hard look at your needs and the possibilities of NetApp on-premises, hybrid and in the cloud. It’s worth it.”
Storage hardware vendors
Some of the major storage hardware vendors in the global market include:
- Dell Technologies
- Microsoft
- AWS
- NetApp
- Seagate
- IBM
- Juniper Networks
- Veritas
- Hitachi Vantara
