Data Backup Digest

Pure Storage's FlashBlade has been on the consumer market for quite some time. Initially made available in March 2016, the first iteration of the FlashBlade storage platform was scalable to feature up to 52TB of raw storage capacity, or a total of 1.6 petabytes of capacity altogether, in tandem with a throughput performance as high as 15GBps. While these are all impressive numbers to say the least, the engineers with Pure Storage have recently upgraded their utility software to better accommodate big data processing and analytics.

Although the FlashBlade was introduced in early 2016, it has been in a state of limited availability, primarily due to the high demand for the device, since the middle of the year. As of January 2017, however, Pure Storage has brought the product into general availability. Moreover, new versions of the Pure Storage FlashBlade come equipped with Elasticity 1.2, the newest iteration of the corresponding software.

Scott Dietzen, CEO of Pure Storage, explained how the FlashBlade project is poised to take on next-gen data processing needs. He was quoted as saying: "FlashBlade helps Pure deliver on its core promise – to help customers in all industries gain advantage from their data on a massive scale. FlashBlade is not only optimized for the rapidly expanding world of unstructured data, but also designed to revolutionize the way organizations innovate with that data. Through the incredible work of our beta and directed availability customers, we've seen the potential of FlashBlade not only to alter the face of engineering and creative workloads, but to change what's possible in medicine, science, and security."

FlashBlade is already being used in the ADAM / Big Data Genomics project, which is headed up at UC Berkley's Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences department. The framework enables enhanced analyses, improved workflow and greater efficiency when converting raw genomic data into information that is translatable, measurable and usable. The project's primary purpose is to support the development of next-gen healthcare IT and equipment.

Professor Anthony D. Joseph, faculty member with UC Berkley's Center for Computational Biology, spoke about the efficiency of Pure Storage's FlashBlade by stating: "When our researchers want to visualize a pattern or interaction, it creates a significant tax on our storage systems. Visualizations inherently require so much data to run, that they are nearly impossible to run smoothly. FlashBlade removes that roadblock for our researchers, which means our findings positively impact public health faster than ever before. If a doctor knows exactly which treatment to prescribe a patient based on that patient’s genetic makeup, that patient is going to recover sooner. It’s that simple.”

Given Pure Storage's dedication to bringing their device into general availability, as well as the recent update to their software, it's safe to say that their developers will continue to support the FlashBlade for quite some time to come. With that in mind, now is a great time to capitalize on Pure Storage's latest breakthrough.

To find out more information about the FlashBlade or any of Pure Storage's products and solutions, head over to their official website at www.purestorage.com.