In this sponsored episode, Chris and Martin look at the newly announced midrange storage platform from Dell Technologies. PowerStore is a new all-flash midrange storage solution that offers both scale-up and scale-out capabilities. As we find out in the discussion with Dan Cummins and Devon Reed, this is only one aspect of the new technology. Through a feature called AppsOn, customers can run their own applications on a native ESXi hypervisor.

In building a new storage platform, how did Dell Technologies leverage the assets already in the portfolio? We find out that XtremIO, SC Series and Unity all provided inspiration for the new solution, although the design and code is completely new.

AppsOn represents an interesting approach in running local applications. Whilst we’ve seen this kind of solution before (EMC tried it on VMAX3), this time the target includes Edge applications where benefits can be gained from local pre or post processing.

While we covered lots about the internals of the system, we didn’t manage to cover the migration process (which is integrated with existing platforms) or the new purchasing models. We hope to cover these in a future episode.

You can find more on PowerStore, including the virtual tour and interactive demo referenced at the end of the podcast through this link: https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-gb/storage/powerstore-storage-appliance.htm

Elapsed Time: 00:39:22

Timeline

* 00:00:00 – Intros* 00:02:00 – What is PowerStore?* 00:02:55 – Does this consolidate existing platforms into one?* 00:04:00 – PowerStore addresses needs for new media and functionality* 00:05:25 – How does PowerStore leverage Dell storage IP?* 00:07:15 – PowerStore uses container-based technology* 00:12:10 – PowerStore offers scale-up & scale-out* 00:17:55 – Midrange represents a hugely diverse market* 00:20:30 – PowerStore offers use cases for edge* 00:23:00 – What is AppsOn?* 00:24:50 – How is ESXi exposed to the end user?* 00:27:20 – What modifications to ESXi have been made?* 00:35:45 – Could we expect to see new storage services in PowerStore? * 00:37:25 – PowerStore is available today!* 00:38:00 – Wrap Up

Devon’s Bio

Devon Reed is Senior Director of product management for mid-range and entry storage at Dell Technologies. A two-decade veteran of the IT industry, Devon is responsible for the product strategy and roadmap for the Dell EMC PowerStore, Unity and Unity XT families, the SC Series, and PowerVault.

Dan’s Bio

Daniel Cummins is a Senior Distinguished Engineer at Dell Technologies and Chief Architect for Dell EMC midrange & entry systems. Daniel is responsible for defining, incubating, and driving new storage product architectures and technology innovations for midrange storage products.

Related Podcasts & Blogs

* #90 – Dell EMC’s Enterprise NVMe Strategy with Vince Westin* #99 – Dell Technologies World 2019 in Review* #102 – May Midrange Madness with Chris Mellor* Dell Technologies Unveils PowerStore Midrange.NEXT