IBM brings Smarter Storage Solutions

Arpita Sengupta
Manager - High-end Storage SystemsIndia & South Asia 
IBM India

Today, storage is a part of the core Smarter Planet initiatives. So, IBM has been investing a significant amount of money in R& D to make the planet a smarter place to live. For example, in Delhi, IBM has worked upon the whole traffic signalling system. This integrates traffic sensors which are built-in. So, whenever there is huge traffic congestion on a particular road, it ensures that the green signal flashes quicker. 

In June 2012, IBM launched a whole portfolio of storage systems, which were built with features and algorithms to facilitate things much more efficiently in the IT infrastructure. 

Year-long Journey

Last year too, IBM had a very good portfolio of products. “In the past six months, we have actually expanded the inner marketplace. There is 25–30-per cent expansion as we have put our footprints in the non-metro cities where we had local presence and furnished more sales force.  The launch of new products helps us to catch up with the business partner community as well. They will also share the same message that has actually helped us to build our market further,” says, Arpita Sengupta, Manager – High-end storage systems, India & South Asia, IBM India

Target Verticals

IBM usually categorizes its verticals on the type of workload which is divided into three types of workloads. Explaining the categories, Arpita says, “We have transactional workload, I/O intensive workload and the basis BPRM workload. Our customers either need a CPU-intensive kind of environment or they have an I/O-intensive environment. For example, a bank will have many online users. Thus, there comes the need for keeping record of the I/Os or the processing speed and it has to be made available 24*7. And even if we cater to all the regular verticals like the manufacturing sector, computer server and BFSI, we look into workload of the enterprise. So, it essentially means that even a start-up company asks for a solution, we will not assess them upon the nature of the vertical or the number of employees it has. We would instead try to understand the challenges they are facing and based upon the requirement, we build a solution around it.”

Customers are getting extremely technology-savvy today and IBM understands this need of the hour. Arpita adds, “Today, if I go to Ludhiana and assume that a business set-up there is not as versatile as the ones in a metro, and they would only require an entry-level solution, it would be wrong. The perception and requirements have changed over the years. Data is doubling every two years which is huge and that is where most IT managers and CIOs are having a major issue to contain the information explosion. They do not know how to manage it, but obviously want to manage it well. So, if I go to a gentleman in a manufacturing firm in Ludhiana, I will not jump to a conclusion that he would need an entry-level storage system because mostly his requirement are not large. What I would rather do is sit down with him, understand his environment, growth patterns or the availability he requires and accordingly build a customized solution for him. 

Solution Architecture 

IBM usually recommends solution based on three pillars. The first is the Design Efficient System which works around systems which are built to manage cost and capacity growth. The second is the Self Optimizing System which improves performance and productivity and the third is the Cloud Agile System where customers want to access information much faster. The company does not usually go by Single or Multiple infrastructure system anymore, but offers simple architecture which IBM sets up based on the solution requirement of the customers. The latest offerings for entry to mid-range category product are V3700 and V7000 respectively which were launched in November and there is DS8000 for high-end category. 

Distribution Network

According to Arpita, “Distribution network is part of the whole package. So, whenever you have your SAN Systems in place, you will have to have your networking in place. From IBM, we have our own switches, which are actually giving the highest speed of 40 GBPS networking speed switches which we make sure that we recommend to our customers because we integrate seamlessly with our system and that is how we integrate into the network. So, the network requirement is huge – be it storage or server. That, in itself, is a huge solutioning step. It is step- wise requirement again based on the requirement of the consumer.” 

Partners 

IBM has 1,200 partners for sales pan India, out of which 100 partners are known as the Speciality Partners who are the premier partners. The advantage the Speciality Partners have is that, when it comes to solutioning and installation and implementation, usually IBM works very closely with them and they are able to roll out the solution better. 

Accolades 

Aripta further exclaims, “I am very excited about the award given by VARINDIA to IBM for Best External Storage and Best Technology Management Solutions Company at the time of the Star Nite Awards ceremony. There have been a number of other awards that we have been winning. One of the key awards which I always like to talk about is the one given by IDC. They have rated us at number one in the external storage market in the year 2011 as well as January to June 2012.” 

for more contact:
moumita@varindia.com