Software-Defined Storage: Your Hidden Superpower for AI, Data Modernization Success

Hybrid clouds have created new opportunities for enterprise IT, but for storage administrators and cloud architects, this progress comes with a heavy challenge: legacy storage systems are struggling to keep pace with the demands of modern, distributed workloads like AI.

In many organizations, data is trapped in silos, operational complexity slows innovation and scaling data management to meet business needs feels like an endless task.

But what if storage could become the engine of transformation, not the obstacle?

This is where software-defined storage (SDS) can really shine. By decoupling data management from hardware, SDS enables you to unify storage across clouds and on-prem, automate operations with APIs and respond to business needs with unheard of agility. IT teams are no longer limited by traditional storage constraints, you become the heroes who unlock data mobility, resilient disaster recovery and cost optimization for your organization’s hybrid cloud journey.

With SDS as the data management foundation, storage is more than a static resource; it becomes a business enabler. With SDS solutions you can modernize infrastructure, accelerate digital initiatives and ensure your enterprise is ready for whatever workloads come next. This is the path to the modern hybrid cloud.

Here are five ways you can unleash the power of SDS to become the engine of transformation.

(Timofeev-Vladimir./Shutterstock)

1. Map a Data Maturity and Business Success Strategy

Start by making a plan to avoid unnecessary costs and complexity to increase efficiency and success. Be sure to include SDS – which enables efficient resource use by removing data silos, using clean data and incorporating automation – in that plan.

Explore how SDS can streamline and expedite your processes. For example, SDS makes it fast and easy for application development and testing experts to replicate their existing databases or other resources so that they can do development and testing in the cloud through storage virtualization and async replication. That breaks down silos of block data and streamlines storage interoperability in a hybrid cloud world. As a result, teams don’t have to wait for a vendor to provide a block storage platform to unlock the true potential of their enterprise data strategy through hybrid cloud methodologies. Instead, they can simply make requests, possibly using Ansible or Terraform, or via CI/CD Pipelines to automate the process to a true hybrid cloud architecture. Now developers and testers are better positioned to keep their projects on time and avoid additional budget asks or specialized hardware components that lead to elongated procurements schedules just to drive innovation within the existing infrastructure spend.

2. Accelerate Application Development and Testing

SDS simplifies provisioning, replication, and access to storage resources, empowering developers and testers to deploy applications faster in hybrid cloud environments.

This helps explain why the SDS market is forecast to grow from about $50 billion in 2024 to $260 billion or beyond by 2029, according to DCIS.

3. Keep Existing Configuration and Management Tools in Mind

Fast-moving organizations don’t want to have to do additional training that forces more IT demand that doesn’t align with current resources and employee budget spend. With the right SDS solution, they can drive IT agility without the need for additional training.

To advance your data maturity and drive efficiency and business results, identify and adopt an SDS solution that enables you to manage and monitor data storage systems across cloud and on-premises environments from a single dashboard or, better yet, use your existing data management tools to do so. Thinking holistically about SDS being part of your current data platform can save lots of time and effort, and your teams won’t have to be retrained or do heavy process changes.

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4. Focus on Elasticity and Scalability

We’re all aware of the unprecedented growth in data. But data requirements change over time.

An effort during a particular period may entail especially data-intensive workloads and the resources to support them. However, you might not need those resources all the time.

With the right SDS solution, your teams have the power to spin up and down storage resources as needed, and work within FinOps initiatives that drive value into the business.

5. Plan Carefully to Avoid Security Vulnerabilities

Shielding sensitive data from being accessed, stolen or damaged by unauthorized parties and systems is critical to meet compliance requirements, avoid financial losses and reputational damage, and prevent disruptions to your business due to ransomware or other cyberattacks. Enterprise companies know the value of their data and can no longer ignore the advantages of hybrid cloud agility, but they must find a vendor that can help drive the adoption true storage virtualization.

Seek an SDS solution that eliminates data silos, ensures data integrity and achieves the performance benefits of microservices architectures. Choose an SDS solution featuring storage on premises and cloud interoperability with immutability, air-gapping and proactive detection to provide protection against ransomware and other cyberthreats, while driving FinOps initiatives.

The Bottom Line

As IT organizations continue their digital transformation journeys, SDS stands as an enabler for successful hybrid cloud adoption and business initiatives. The challenges facing today’s storage administrators and cloud architects—data silos, operational complexity and the growing demands of AI workloads—require a fundamental shift in how we approach data management.

By implementing SDS solutions, enterprises can transition from the limitations of traditional storage infrastructure. The separation of storage management from hardware creates the flexibility needed to unify environments, automate operations through APIs and respond to business requirements with a newfound speed. Organizations that have embraced this approach are experiencing real business benefits: simplified IT environments, improved cost optimization and the ability to support data-intensive workloads across distributed environments.

Storage is no longer just a technical requirement but a strategic business asset. With SDS as the foundation, storage administrators and cloud architects become drivers of innovation rather than managers of constraints. As hybrid cloud environments continue to evolve, those who learn and harness the capabilities of SDS will be best positioned to support their organizations’ growing data needs, accelerate digital initiatives and maintain competitive advantage in an increasingly data-driven world.

About the author: Andy Gremett is a senior product marketing manager at Hitachi Vantara. Andy has extensive experience in the storage industry, with a particular focus on Software-Defined Storage (SDS) and data management solutions. At Hitachi Vantara, he works closely with engineering and product teams to help shape the development and adoption of next-generation storage technologies. Andy is passionate about making complex storage concepts accessible and practical for organizations, and he regularly shares insights on topics such as hybrid cloud storage, data mobility, and the evolving role of SDS in modern IT environments.”