HP Discover Executive Storage Discussion

HP kicked off their coffee talk series with executives from the HP Storage group. Manish Goel is the new SVP & GM of HP Storage replacing David Scott. While Manish has only been with HP two months, he has a firm grasp on where the HP Storage group is headed. Manish was formerly with NetApp and understands the shifts in the storage marketplace today.

One of the core premises from the HP Storage group is to drive the cost of storage down; specifically in the flash category. HP is still sticking with both 3PAR and StoreVirtual strategies. Both solutions are squarely geared toward the enterprise market with a myriad of models to suit the varied requirements.

In addition, HP’s approach is to address the storage framework with three tiers:

1. Infrastructure and Hardware: These are the core building blocks.
2. Infrastructure Technology: Backup and other core storage services.
3. Storage Management: This is where HP OneView comes in to provide a single pane of glass view across storage.

Flash is a hot topic in the storage communities. HP’s objective is to lower the cost of all-flash arrays. One statistic supporting this move is: 1 out of every 3 arrays that HP ships are all-flash arrays. But will flash continue the march down the cost path and eventually replace tape? Doubtful in the near-term. Many of the cost comparisons take place between flash storage and conventional spindles.

When asked about HP’s strategy to provide storage solutions to the service provider market, the conversation changes a bit. It’s clear that HP is focused on the on-premises enterprise market. Storage support for the service provider market will come via the HP Helion Cloud solutions.

On the subject of data services, the storage team is fully engaged with OpenStack, REST APIs and data integration. This is one area to watch as HP Storage moves forward strategically.