Evaluator Group covers NetApp’s E-Series storage system, examining both design and architecture as well as its ability to attain high RAS and performance for content centric applications.
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The way in which businesses process, analyze and utilize information is changing, and with these changes comes an evolution in information technology. A new type of application is developing that in conjunction with some existing, specialized usages requires storage systems with characteristics aligned with those applications. The Evaluator Group calls that type of application content centric where the storage system works with the applications to exploit previously untapped information and business models. Traditional process centric applications are those where features of the storage system are exploited for operational benefit. Content centric applications are emerging or exist in many industries including energy with seismic analysis, entertainment including full‐motion video, medical for streaming images, government with unique requirements in high performance computing and others.
These new applications require a new architecture, designed and optimized to process and analyze the vast amounts of content now available. While existing business applications continue to grow, content centric applications are dramatically increasing and place greater demands on performance and responsiveness from the storage system. Content centric applications such as video surveillance are driving capacity increases due to high resolution cameras as well as more surveillance operations. Research reports published estimate a 20.4% CAGR in content centric capacity through 2015. In media and entertainment content centric applications, the required digital storage capacity is increasing 7.7X from 2011 to 2016 due to the use of higher resolution cameras and 3D content. In the healthcare industry with radiological images, new modalities (such as CT scanners) are increasing in resolution and captured information. As an example, new CT scanners are requiring 1GB per image storage compared to 10 to 50MB for the previous generation.