Data storage predictions for 2022

AI/MLOps becomes standard part of enterprise and mid-range storage products

The exponential growth of data coupled with an ongoing skills shortage is driving the need for increased automation in storage systems management. The integration of AI/MLOps into large-scale data processes will increasingly emerge to help administrators offload and automate processes – and to find and reduce waste and increase overall storage management efficiency. MLOps can monitor and provide predictive analytics for common manual tasks including capacity utilisation, pending component failures and storage inefficiencies. Higher value tasks can include determining application IO and performance patterns, to automatically adjust Quality of Service (QoS) and the underlying resources to deliver the needed service levels.

Sophisticated ransomware protection will become table stakes for storage solutions

Not only have we seen more ransomware attacks in 2021, but these attacks also have gotten bigger and more expensive. These attacks will cost an estimated $265bn annually by 2031, with a new attack perpetrated every two seconds on average, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

High value corporate data is at huge risk. In 2022, commercial data storage solutions will be designed and available with more sophisticated, integrated mechanisms for earlier detection, prevention and recovery from attacks that delete, modify or encrypt stored data. Storage solutions will be combined with advanced application-level, server and network security mechanisms to provide corporations with end-to-end solutions against cyber-attacks across their IT stacks.

5G networks will enable increasing edge data capture and mobility, eliminating data gravity concerns

As the new generation of 5G network connectivity rolls out, it will have a direct impact on the emergence of data-rich applications deployed on the edge. Increasing bandwidth to and from the edge will also minimise the concerns of data gravity, a concern that data was becoming increasingly voluminous and costly to move. This will further spark the generation and consumption of data on the edge, but also promote data mobility across edge, cloud and core data centre locations.

Technology and data sovereignty concerns to drive growth of regional service providers

Dependence on technology providers and cloud services based outside of their geographies is an increasing concern for global enterprises. Data sovereignty regulations, such as the Data Governance Act in Europe, are an indication of the acknowledged power of data and its increasing role as the emerging currency for digital transformation. Companies are struggling to keep track of the location of their data and meet compliance with local regulations. This will usher in an industry of local and regional service providers offering sovereign cloud services to captive markets by ensuring the data stays within specified borders.

On-premises data centres here to stay as corporations refine their hybrid approaches

Even as public cloud investment continues, enterprises will maintain their corporate on-premises data centre infrastructure for reasons of control, performance and cost-efficiency. This will lead to a new level of sophisticated IT management capabilities to optimise multi-data centre, multi-cloud application and data management solutions. Most enterprises today have realised that a smart, balanced approach to applications and infrastructure across enterprise (private) data centres and public cloud services leads to the most optimal delivery of services, agility, best time-to-market, and cost efficiencies.

Paul Speciale, Chief Marketing Officer, Scality, said: “2020 and 2021 saw some of the most significant changes in enterprise IT with the rise of remote work and increased cloud adoption.

Data underpins the operations of nearly every industry – which means its storage and protection must take on an outsized importance. Storage solutions must rapidly evolve to meet the challenges as we move into the new year.”