Pure Storage FlashArray 400 Cracks All-Flash Marketplace but Competition is Imminent
Pure Storage announced that it has started shipping FlashArray 400, the latest iteration of its flagship storage system. The array sports double the performance of the preceding model, new data protection capabilities and enhanced support for third party software.
FlashArray 400 delivers up to 100 terabytes of usable storage capacity and as much as 400,000 8K IOPs with Intel’s latest 8-core Sandy Bridge processor. Pure Storage says that unlike more traditional alternatives, its platform is optimized to perform smoothly across all IO sizes including 512byte to 128K and beyond.
FlashArray features a number of software improvements as well, most notably non-disruptive maintenance. This means that admins can roll out software, add more capacity and troubleshoot problems through controller upgrades and drive/HW replacements without making mission-critical hot data inaccessible for users.
Other additions to the 400 include 256-bit AES encryption, role-based access control and an audit log that keeps track of administrator actions. Pure Flash also added support for VMware vSphere VAAI xCopy and IBM AIX ACA multi-pathing, released an OpenStack CINDER driver and added iSCSI compatibility to its existing vSphere Web Client management plugin.
The launch of FlashArray 400 follows a strategic investment from In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s technology investment arm. Neither firm disclosed the sum that exchanged hands, only revealing that they signed a joint development agreement.
“[Launching] the third generation of their product is a good move for Pure. Any company needs to keep adding new features, innovation on their products and staying ahead,” commented Wikibon senior analyst Stu Miniman. “Pure Storage is one of the early leaders in the all-flash marketplace, but they are expected to face a lot of competition over the next couple of years.”
All-flash arrays beat the competition when it comes to crunching thorough CPU-intensive workloads with minimal lag, but hybrid systems tend to be the more cost-effective option for most enterprises. The demand for hybrid arrays is growing so rapidly that even the most traditional vendors are jumping on the bandwagon to avoid falling behind.
Oracle’s newest ZFS backup appliance was deemed a ‘true hybrid’ by Wikibon CTO David Floyer. The system keeps latency below the 1 millisecond mark while delivering throughput of over 25 terabytes/hour.
For more of Stu Miniman’s analysis on growth in the storage market, check out the video below.
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