IBM is holding the first ever Edge conference this week, and theCube is in attendance with live coverage and analysis.  SiliconANGLE founder John Furrier and Wikibon’s Dave Vellante and John McArthur recapped on the big highlights of Day 1 in this video, and noted their observations (see full video below).

Furrier kicked it off by noting that the event represents a transformation in the company’s approach to storage, an area that has been in the very center of the the gathering.

Vellante expanded on this angle, noting that EMC’s current leadership in this industry doesn’t mean that Big Blue doesn’t have a big opportunity to get back on the saddle. He cited the lack of momentum the latter has been experiencing in the past few years, and believes that Edge may serve as a steppingstone towards turning things around.

The Wikibon co-founder thinks that IBM will need to become more aggressive in storage, both in terms of internal development and acquisitions, in order to reach a stronger market position. And Furrier concurs with optimism, saying it’s a “whole new ball game.” According to him the company views storage from a very ideal perspective: as a key element in the bigger picture of IT.

The ball bounced back to Vellante who said that the thing that needs to be disrupted are not necessarily the products, but rather the commitment and the continuity that helped put the Smart Planet initiative in the highly competitive spot it’s in today.

From here on, the conversation shifted more towards big data. This was one of the major highlights of Edge, but it’s not that big a surprise considering how invested the company is in this segment. MacArthur chipped in at this point, saying that IBM enjoys an edge (pun intended) over other vendors in this department because of its reputation: organizations, especially government agencies,  feel more confident with entrusting their sensitive data with it.