#198 – Software-Only Storage Vendors

#198 – Software-Only Storage Vendors

Chris EvansSoftware-Defined Storage

With the news that VAST Data is moving to a software-only model, this week Chris and Martin debate the merits of the move, for both the vendor and customers. Does this transition for VAST represent a new move in the industry, or can we point to other companies that have already made the jump? What does a disaggregated commercial model mean for customers and how should IT teams and CIOs view the focus on software-only? We discuss all this and more in this week’s podcast.

Elapsed Time: 00:36:43

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 – Intros
  • 00:00:02 – Unlock time and it snows!
  • 00:01:50 – What is VAST Data’s Gemini offering?
  • 00:03:55 – The Gemini Man – terrible film and TV series
  • 00:05:30 – Nasuni, Nutanix, Pure Storage, NetApp, all done software separation
  • 00:06:50 – Software/Hardware disaggregation is like having an ELA
  • 00:08:40 – Customer buying power may offer benefits to large enterprises
  • 00:10:45 – Many vendors never build their own hardware support organisation
  • 00:11:20 – Going software-only is a public cloud positioning move
  • 00:12:40 – Storage software vendors are offering per-hour usage models
  • 00:15:00 – Is VAST Data simply doing financial engineering?
  • 00:20:40 – Could hardware innovation stall with a focus on software?
  • 00:23:00 – External “controller-based” storage is stagnant – moving to cloud?
  • 00:25:40 – How does the software-only move affect customer decisions?00:28:30 – Could the software model result in customers paying for non-supported solutions?
  • 00:29:40 – More clarity is needed to understand new purchasing models
  • 00:34:05 – Could hardware/software disaggregation result in increased software costs?
  • 00:36:00 – Wrap Up

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