‘Organisations are forced to look at robust data management solutions’

In an environment where data is piling up with enhanced use of data usage, storage is a challenge. Data is the new fuel that will drive business and our lives. In a conversation that explored the challenges and opportunity in data storage and management, Amit Luthra (in picture), Director & GM – Data Centre Solutions, Dell Technologies, shares the growth in technology, innovation and business opportunity with M. Rajendran. Excerpts:

Organizations’ storage needs have scaled due to the rise in data back-up. How does your storage solutions address this?

In the new data era, massive amounts of data and unparalleled technology innovation has given businesses the opportunity to become digital powerhouses. One factor that remains constant is the businesses’ ability to adapt quickly to the dynamic technology ecosystem. To aid businesses in managing this transition smoothly, Dell Technologies has recently launched Dell EMC PowerStore, its first mid-range storage product as a combined entity. PowerStore, among other benefits, provides an adaptable architecture that delivers speed, workload mobility choice, predictability, and investment protection to businesses which are ready for their future.

In the current scenario, the usage of data has increased due to remote working, increasing demand for storage solutions. How is Dell Technologies enabling this?

Digital and IT transformation have picked up pace due to the influx of emerging technologies, which generate vast amounts of data. This data has become increasingly diverse as it is created, processed and stored on different platforms. Work from home in the current situation has increased data, pressurizing IT teams to manage it efficiently. Hence, organisations are re-looking into their IT priorities to ensure that their business stays relevant. Dell EMC PowerStore will be a game-changing platform that will help businesses unlock the power of data, regardless of its structure or location, enabling them to adapt and transform their IT without disrupting current operations.

What are some of the innovations by Dell Technologies in their data centre solutions?

Ongoing innovation is critical to any business’s success. Modernising IT infrastructure is crucial, which will drive business innovation, improve customer experience, boost reliability & security while staying competitive. Dell Technologies modern data centre portfolio includes an array of products like PowerStore, PowerEdge, VXRail, XtremIO etc. which are specially designed to address a wide range of traditional and emerging workloads. Additionally, we launched Dell EMC PowerStore, an intelligent, adaptable and data-centric storage solution, which stands as our commitment to our customers to enable them to be ready for the data era.

What technology trends do you see emerging in India?

There are two technology trends that I see emerging in India:
Technology-the key to a connected workforce: Remote working will get ingrained as a part of most businesses’ DNA. Here, technology will be critical to the modern, remote teams,
enabling better productivity and greater collaboration.

On-premise storage is here to stay: Conversations around cloud have grown, but on-premise storage infrastructure will still see increased demand. As India’s digital journey continues, storage needs for businesses are bound to evolve. While the cloud will provide agility and cost benefits, businesses will also look at a future standpoint of gaining better control and security of their data with the help of on-premises storage.

Built-in automation and new-age technologies is the new trend, especially w.r.t.storage. How will this help organisations; what in-built solutions do you offer?

To deliver innovation cost-effectively, businesses started demanding comprehensive IT solutions with in-built new-age technological advancements. The range of modern data centre solutions offered by us are built-in with intelligent technologies such as ML etc. to address different needs of the customers. The Dell EMC PowerStore also offers built-in automation and ML to streamline data workflows and optimize IT resources. Moreover, this modern infrastructure platform is built from the ground up with superior technology and expertise to address the challenges of the data era. Organisations can accelerate decision making, data access and application performance, backed by the power of emerging technologies.

Devices at Edge are growing, generating massive amounts of data. How is Dell Technologies keeping up with this?

To tackle the large volumes of data being generated with growth of devices at edge, organisations are forced to look at the robust data management solutions that consolidate and simplify IT processes, deliver intelligent insights and optimise performance. However, there is a constant tug-of-war between cost and efficiency that hinders the way for any business to achieve their digital goal. Therefore, Dell Technologies, through its comprehensive data centre and edge computing portfolio, can drive efficiency for the customers without any compromise, helping them make optimal use of their generated data.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in New Delhi)