IBM has announced new storage capabilities that give clients choice and control in the data centre to maximise performance.
A new IT lifecycle management option called IBM Storage Assurance provides access to IBM FlashSystem hardware and software innovations to help protect clients’ investments from day one.
According to recent research from TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group, 48% of companies expect to increase their IT spending in 2024. At the same time, IBM sees that organisations are looking for opportunities to maximise their spending without sacrificing performance.
The IBM Storage Assurance programme, which complements existing consumption models for IBM Storage-as-a-Service and IBM Storage Utility, provides a path to simplifying the storage ownership experience with the expectation of extending the lifetime of clients’ storage investments.
Transforming storage ownership
IBM’s Storage Assurance model offers a modern approach to IT lifecycle management with a subscription that provides regular hardware and software upgrades plus premium-level Expert Care support to help keep storage infrastructure up to date while seeking to address downtime, disruptive migrations and recurring purchases.
The new programme is designed to minimise procurement obstacles and traditional storage lifecycle management challenges. Key benefits for the IBM FlashSystem 5300, 7300, and 9500 include the ability to:
- Leverage whole system refreshes with comprehensive updates across drives, controllers, software, etc.
- Plan storage needs from day one with a cutting-edge all-NVMe FlashSystem portfolio designed for the most performance and data-intensive workloads supporting today’s businesses.
- Protect business, applications and data with IBM’s patented computational storage architecture enabled with hardware-accelerated and AI-augmented cyberthreat detection.
- Safeguard storage purchases with a subscription that includes performance and lifecycle-based hardware and software upgrades over flat and transparently priced four- or eight-year terms.
- Get access to the latest IBM FlashSystem innovations in hardware and software with technology designed for non-disruptive migrations.
- Experience contract flexibility with the ability to receive a trade-in credit for out-of-cycle upgrades.
- Access IBM’s premium-level Expert Care support programme, which is included with IBM Storage Assurance.
“We are excited to introduce our customers to the new IBM Storage Assurance programme. This program offers full-system hardware refreshes and software upgrades, all covered by SLAs and a flat pricing contract,” said David Howard, Senior Consultant, Converge Technology Solutions. “With this new programme, our clients can enjoy budget certainty and meet their business needs. We’re confident that this new programme will bring many benefits to our clients.”
This new programme is designed to help clients stay at the forefront of technological advances in IBM FlashSystem storage by providing an upgrade path to address end-of-support, capacity ceilings and operating system requirements.
“IBM Storage Assurance challenges the status quo of enterprise storage with a programme that delivers client focused guarantees, computational storage with AI-powered data services and an all-inclusive software integration designed to address customers’ most pressing problems, including a path for them to adopt future innovations from IBM,” said Denis Kennelly, General Manager of IBM Storage. “As organisations feel increased pressures to maximise financial resources, improve operational agility, adopt energy efficient solutions and safeguard their data, we are delivering with our intelligent, and simple all-flash portfolio.”
