ST1711

RESEARCH: STORAGE BUYING
READY TO GROW
FINANCE MANAGERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO APPROVE STORAGE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE FUTURE-
PROOFED TO COPE WITH RAPID AND UNPREDICTABLE GROWTH - AND WHICH INCLUDE THE ABILITY
TO ADD CAPACITY WITHOUT REPLACING ENTIRE SYSTEMS - SAYS NEW RESEARCH FROM FUJITSU
equipment which prematurely reaches end-oflife,
and a high reliance on skilled IT staff and
the challenges associated with maintaining
these skills.
Looking forward, finance professionals
outlined the key characteristics they expect to
see in relation to new storage technology -
highlighting three factors as most important:
Automation to reduce reliance on manual skills
to minimise both cost and risk; the ability to add
capacity as demands increase, without
replacing entire systems, and overall system
flexibility to better deal with high and
unpredictable data growth.
Data storage requirements for small and
mid-size businesses are predicted to
double over the next four years,
according to a new Fujitsu study among senior
finance professionals in small and medium
sized businesses (SMEs). In turn, this high
growth is causing widespread concern (76%)
that high or unpredictable data growth will
lead to escalating data storage and
management costs.
According to a survey conducted among 182
Chief Financial Officers across Europe, the
Middle East, Africa and South Asia, three in five
see technology as an important enabler of
operational efficiency during digital
transformation (59%). More than a quarter of
CFOs surveyed view technology as a key
source of competitive advantage (28%).
However, with a keen eye on risk, issues of
data availability, data protection and data
security are front of mind for finance decision
makers, who also expressed anxiety about the
implications of an unexpected growth in data
volumes. Top issues include the need to fund
additional storage capacity and concerns about
spiraling data management costs due to rapidly
increasing data volumes.
Senior finance professionals are also acutely
aware of the challenges that traditional disk and
tape-based storage solutions and expressed
frustration at factors such as systems hitting an
expandability wall, leading to investment
requests coming out of the blue; the waste of
Olivier Delachapelle, Head of Category
Management Data Center at Fujitsu in EMEIA,
comments: "The findings from our survey of
CFOs confirm that security and data protection
are key objectives for any storage
modernisation initiative. With nine in 10 senior
finance professionals putting general futureproofing
high on the agenda, the days are
clearly numbered for the traditional scale up
approach to storage. In the digital business
landscape of today, more than ever, small and
mid-size businesses need storage solutions that
aren't going to hold them back, no matter how
fast growing or unpredictable their demands for
data storage and backup."
The survey, 'A Finance Perspective on Storage
Investments', sponsored by Fujitsu, was
conducted in June 2017 among 182 senior
finance professionals across Europe, the Middle
East, Africa and South Asia. The participants
worked in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises,
drawn from a variety of industry sectors,
including manufacturing, retail, travel/transport,
financial services, telecoms, healthcare/life
sciences and automotive.
More info: www.fujitsu.com
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20 STORAGE Nov/Dec 2017
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www.storagemagazine.co.uk
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