Originally posted by: bobby_g

IBM Spectrum Storage Suite is an alternative to storage sprawl, and can bring consistency and control to your storage environment. It facilitates adoption of new types of storage and simplifies existing environments. IBM Spectrum Storage Suite can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of storage.

If you use just SAN storage, the value of the IBM Spectrum Storage Suite increases only if more than two products are used. However, for business environments that are adding storage-rich servers to their traditional storage environments, the equation changes significantly. For example, both storage environments would probably use IBM Spectrum Control, which provides performance management, storage provisioning, availability monitoring, capacity planning, and reporting. The SAN environment would use IBM Spectrum Virtualize, which is based upon SAN Volume Controller (SVC). The storage-rich environment might start off with IBM Spectrum Accelerate, but then move to IBM Spectrum Scale for scale-out file and object storage management. In addition, one or both environments would benefit from IBM Spectrum Protect for data-protection-related activities.

Key capabilities include the ability to:

• Lessen the complexity and improve the way you store, manage, and protect your #SDS; file, object (for example, data from #IoT) and block data

The Suite simplifies storage software license management. Storage software no longer has to be rationed because of its cost model. One predictable, low price maps directly to your storage capacity. As data grows and workloads change, your management duties are less complex.

•  Deploy new storage faster to reach improved IT service levels

 The Suite helps improve consistency and control. Best practices can be implemented for all types of data and storage. With IBM Spectrum Storage Suite, there are fewer unique process steps, a high level of automation, and integrated predictive analytics. You lessen the time integrating processes and can build more production ready solutions without worrying about software license costs.

• Change or add software without raising license cost

Many business organizations are ready to switch from SAN storage to SDS, flash, file, or object storage. The Suite enables you to migrate data without having to pay for storage software again and again. As the data migrates, organizations can simply deploy a different product in the IBM Spectrum Storage Suite. For example, data can be moved from SAN to server storage without a change in IBM Spectrum Storage Suite license costs.

Here’s how evolving your capacity with IBM Spectrum Storage Suite works: Simply add up the TBs of physical capacity you want to include in the software-defined environment. This capacity defines the cost of IBM Spectrum Storage Suite. If your capacity remains the same over time, your cost remains the same, too—regardless of how many software components you deploy. And as capacity grows—typically with increases in
storage- rich servers and decreases in SAN storage—the cost keeps pace. A 10 percent increase in TB, for example, would mean simply a 10 percent increase in software cost.

Are you interested in taking the first step with software defined storage? Contact your IBM Business Partner or sales representative. And join the conversation with #IBMStorageand#softwaredefinedstorage

Watch this Video: New IBM Spectrum Storage Suite simplifies and supports your data grow

For more information on licensing, see IBM Spectrum Storage Suite Offers a New Way of Licensing Storage Software.

For a complete overview, see IBM Spectrum Storage Suite overview.

For continuing information on IBM Spectrum Control, IBM Storage Insights and entire IBM Spectrum Storage Suite, follow me on Twitter, @bobby_gratz