IBM launches new series of software defined storage technologies

 Storage is now marching down the same path as computing, approaching a future when all of an organization’s storage systems can be mixed and managed as virtual pools. On Monday, IBM will take the wraps off a portfolio of products for so-called software-defined storage, an area where established vendors and startups alike are already claiming the future has arrived. IBM is using TV star power to push its entries, saying the products are based partly on technology the company used with its high-powered Watson system on the TV game show Jeopardy.

IBM on Monday launched a series of software defined storage technologies based off the approach that allowed Watson to comb through data.  The technologies, which originated in IBM’s research labs, enabled Watson to process 200 million pages of data and 4 terabytes of content for its Jeopardy appearance. The storage technology pairs storage and memory to deliver instant results. IBM said it will roll out a portfolio of IBM Software Defined Storage products. Software defined storage manages data, provides quick access, utilizes virtualization and scales to cloud and on-premise infrastructure. According to IBM, Elastic Storage can scan 10 billion files on a system in 43 minutes, pools information via virtualization and can use Flash on servers. Elastic Storage doesn’t require central management.