Driving the Right Innovation for Your Storage Infrastructure

Information is what makes the world go round in today's data-rich environment. The quality, utility, and efficiency of an organization's data has become an adequate determiner of its wealth. The trouble with data is that there is so much of it and it continues to grow exponentially leading to an enormous spending on storage and data management. According to IDC, 44% of enterprise storage buyers see a storage upgrade as a top priority in 2013. Time and again, through our conversations with CIOs we learn that reducing storage costs is among their top organizational priorities, second only to their priority of building their storage and data efficiencies.

The IDC survey further indicates that more than half of the companies considering reducing storage costs are also seeking capacity expansions, performance improvements, or enhanced data protection. The demand exists therefore, for storage infrastructure that offers organizations the ‘ideal' situation of maximum output with minimum input.

Innovation driven by research and development is the key to developing storage solutions that ensure minimum input and maximum output. It now makes sense for storage vendors to invest on innovation in storage.

The downside to this however is the risk factor involved. With the ongoing unstable economic environment, organizations are often reluctant to be the ‘pioneers' of the adoption of any technology, storage or otherwise, in fear that their innovations may not generate the expected results.

Additionally, innovation involves a significant investment which often does not translate into an adequate return on Investment. Furthermore, much of the success in the adoption of a technology lies in its implementation. It is therefore not so much about innovation, but getting innovation right.

Striking a fine balance between the risk factor associated with innovation and the benefits associated with its can be tricky, but is not impossible. Some of the ways by which organizations can ensure that they take the right approach towards the innovation of their storage infrastructure are:

BE AWARE OF YOUR REQUIREMENTS AS AN ORGANIZATION

Every now and again, it is important to do a thorough analysis to determine the areas where your storage infrastructure stands, where it is performing exceptionally well and where it can see improvement. Based on this, it is helpful to form efficiency goals for your storage infrastructure. Innovation in your organizations should precede a need or organizational goal for greater efficiency. Following this structured approach will help in identifying the right innovations to adopt and furthermore deriving the necessary benefits from the innovation.

GATHER BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

The best in innovation comes from capitalizing on the wealth of knowledge. It is important for organizations to identify and act on inflection points that arise in the market and keep up with the market trends that are driving storage or have a potential to drive storage in enterprises in the future. Additionally, gathering knowledge from the industry offerings in terms of products and services is also important in making the right choice in innovation. Most importantly, understanding the changes within the industry you operate in, determining well-ahead the requirement that it will place on you and understanding how your storage infrastructure can support this will help in getting your innovation right.

BUILD CAPACITY

In order to make your innovation efforts successful, keep a check on the capacity & capability of your organization. To build a successful innovation environment, it is important to be aware of the three forces that need to be in balance: the pressure of everyday operation, pressure of adapting to new ideas and the day-to-day market forces. The second force of adapting to new ideas/concepts should not throw the other two forces out of balance.

GENERATE VALUE & DRIVE THE UPTAKE OF YOUR INNOVATION

Generating value from your innovation is the ultimate determiner of the success of your innovation campaign. Use every opportunity to generate value from the innovation that you have adopted. One of the best ways to do this is to drive the uptake of the innovation within your organization itself. Informing employees within your organizations about the innovation and its possible outcomes will help to generate the excitement within your organization for the innovation. By doing this, you enable in also driving the culture of innovation in your organization as there is gratification in seeing ideas in action.

Enterprises need to keep an open mind to adopting new technologies and solutions in their storage infrastructure. Reports show that when it comes to storage, most organizations are open to new technologies as they struggle to keep up with business demands of keeping costs low while accelerating efficiency.

In May 2012, a Dell commissioned Forrester Consulting study conducted to evaluate thought processes and pain points related to storage management found that most of the companies surveyed were willing to try new solutions, including software features, licensing models, and innovative vendors, if they can deliver better long-term results.

The path to efficient storage which equates to minimum input and maximum output is a never-ending one. It involves a constant process of improvisation and re-invention. Hence, driving the right approach to innovation in your storage infrastructure is what will enable you as an organization to maximize the benefits reaped from the wealth of data that your company produces.