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Compute & Storage

The "Compute & Storage" software category encompasses solutions that provision, manage, and optimize the underlying computing power (CPUs, GPUs, memory) and data persistence mechanisms (block, file, object storage) required for applications and services. These tools are essential for IT administrators, DevOps teams, and cloud architects to build, deploy, and scale their infrastructure efficiently, whether on-premises, in the cloud, or across hybrid environments. They ensure reliable performance, data integrity, and cost-effective utilization of resources.

Cloud and on-premise hybrid management
Cloud Provider Direct Connect
Complete IT infrastructure management
Data Protection
DRaaS
Enterprise Storage (SAN/NAS)
File Storage
GPU Compute
Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI)
Multi-cloud fabric interconnect
Object Storage
Public Cloud Management
SaaS Application Backup
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Data CentersAtlasEdge Data CentersBeanfield MetroConnectBeanfield MetroConnectCMC NetworksCMC NetworkseuNetworkseuNetworksGTTGTTiTeliTelJuniper NetworksJuniper NetworksLogix Fiber NetworksLogix Fiber NetworksNetralityNetralitySecurus CommunicationsSecurus CommunicationsZenlayerZenlayerConectusConectusEquinixEquinixExpereoExpereoFourNetFourNetGraphene NetworksGraphene NetworksHalo GlobalHalo GlobaliTel NetworksiTel NetworksMosaicMosaicNTT Cloud CommunicationsNTT Cloud CommunicationsVersaVersaVodafoneVodafoneWizWizC-SpireC-SpireExpedientExpedientRapidScaleRapidScaleZayoZayo11:11 Systems11:11 SystemsCrown CastleCrown CastleLumenLumenMetTelMetTelTelstraTelstraSynoptekSynoptekTrinsioTrinsioCommonvaultCommonvaultTeraGoTeraGoStellar TechnologiesStellar TechnologiesTCS Professional Services LLCTCS Professional Services LLCTitan Cloud StorageTitan Cloud StorageStarken TechnologiesStarken TechnologiesSteelDome CyberSteelDome CyberTNSTNSSky Data VaultSky Data VaultSoftwareOne / CrayonSoftwareOne / CrayonStorjStorjMegaportMegaportvCom SolutionsvCom SolutionsRackspace TechnologyRackspace TechnologyUnisysUnisysUnitedLayerUnitedLayerUS SignalUS SignalNTT DataNTT DataPowernetPowernetvmwarevmwareDatabarracksDatabarracksNETdepotNETdepotOpti9Opti9ThinkOnThinkOnData CanopyData CanopyFNTSFNTSOtavaOtavaPhoenixNAPPhoenixNAPPurePureStrata NetworksStrata NetworksTHG Ingenuity Cloud ServicesTHG Ingenuity Cloud ServicesChina Mobile InternationalChina Mobile InternationalClaro Enterprise SolutionsClaro Enterprise SolutionseCloud Managed SolutionseCloud Managed SolutionsVeeamVeeamWindstream WholesaleWindstream WholesaleChina Telecom AmericasChina Telecom AmericasCirionCirionCoreSiteCoreSiteDartPointsDartPointsEvocativeEvocativeNtiretyNtiretyNYINYIPCCW GlobalPCCW GlobalPureportPureportStrata Pointe TechnologiesStrata Pointe TechnologiesUbistorUbistorXtiumXtiumZertoZertoZultysZultysCologixCologixDaSTORDaSTORDigital RealtyDigital RealtyDSMDSMeStructureeStructureHGC Global CommunicationsHGC Global 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CommunicationsVersaVersaVodafoneVodafoneWizWizC-SpireC-Spire
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Compute & Storage Buying Guide

What is Compute & Storage?

Compute & Storage, in the context of enterprise software and cloud services, refers to the foundational technologies that provide the processing power (compute) and data persistence (storage) necessary for applications and systems to run. It's the engine and the memory of the digital world.

Compute solutions involve the processing capabilities used to execute programs, perform calculations, and manage data. This often includes virtual machines (VMs), containers, serverless functions, and specialized hardware.

Storage solutions are responsible for securely and reliably retaining data, from critical business documents and databases to application code and backup files. This encompasses various types like block storage, file storage, object storage, and archival storage.

Together, Compute & Storage form the bedrock infrastructure upon which virtually all modern IT services and applications are built, whether on-premises or in the cloud.

Key Considerations When Evaluating Solutions

When evaluating Compute & Storage solutions, buyers should carefully assess their needs across several critical dimensions:

Performance Requirements

  • Latency: How quickly does the system respond to requests? Critical for real-time applications, databases, and user-facing services.
  • Throughput: How much data can be processed or transferred per unit of time? Important for big data analytics, large file transfers, and high-volume transactions.
  • IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second): Especially for storage, how many read/write operations can be performed concurrently? Crucial for databases and virtualized environments.
  • Scalability: Can the solution easily scale up (add more resources to a single instance) or scale out (add more instances) to meet fluctuating demand?

Cost Management

  • Pricing Model: Understand granular details of compute (per hour, per second, instance types) and storage (per GB, per month, egress/ingress costs, request costs).
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Factor in not just raw infrastructure costs, but also operational overhead, management tools, licensing, and potential data transfer fees.
  • Reserved Instances/Savings Plans: Are there options for discounted pricing for committing to a certain usage level over time?
  • Tiered Storage: Does the solution offer different storage classes (e.g., hot, cool, archive) to optimize costs based on data access frequency?

Reliability & Availability

  • Uptime Guarantees (SLA): What service level agreements (SLAs) are offered for compute instances and storage availability?
  • Redundancy: How is data protected against hardware failures (e.g., RAID, replication across availability zones/regions)?
  • Disaster Recovery (DR) Capabilities: What mechanisms are in place for recovering data and services in the event of a catastrophic failure?
  • Backup & Restore: What are the options for automated backups, retention policies, and fast restore capabilities?

Security & Compliance

  • Access Control: Robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) capabilities to control who can access resources and data.
  • Data Encryption: Encryption at rest and in transit.
  • Network Security: Firewalls, virtual private clouds (VPCs), and network access controls.
  • Compliance Certifications: Does the vendor meet industry-specific regulations (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS) and offer compliance-ready environments?
  • Audit Logging: Comprehensive logging of all activities for security monitoring and forensics.

Management & Operations

  • Ease of Use: Intuitive user interface, automation tools, APIs.
  • Monitoring & Alerting: Comprehensive tools to track performance, usage, and health, with customizable alerts.
  • Automation: Support for infrastructure as code (IaC) and integration with CI/CD pipelines.
  • Support: Different tiers of support, response times, and available channels.
  • Integration Ecosystem: How well does the solution integrate with other tools and services you already use or plan to use?

Common Use Cases

Compute & Storage solutions are fundamental across a vast range of applications and industries. Here are some common use cases:

  • Hosting Web Applications and APIs: Providing the servers and databases for websites, mobile app backends, and microservices.
  • Data Analytics and Big Data Processing: Running large-scale data warehouses, data lakes, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) jobs, and machine learning model training.
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Delivering virtualized desktops to remote or in-office employees.
  • Database Management: Hosting relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis).
  • File Sharing and Archiving: Providing centralized file storage, backup solutions, and long-term data archiving for compliance or historical needs.
  • Containers and Microservices: Running containerized applications (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) for improved agility, scalability, and resource utilization.
  • DevOps and CI/CD Pipelines: Providing the compute resources for automated testing, building, and deploying software.
  • High-Performance Computing (HPC): For scientific simulations, engineering analysis, and complex computational tasks requiring significant processing power.
  • Disaster Recovery (DR) Sites: Replicating critical infrastructure to a separate location for business continuity.

Technical Requirements

Before committing to a Compute & Storage solution, it's crucial to define your technical requirements:

Infrastructure

  • On-Premises, Cloud, or Hybrid: Determine your deployment strategy. Do you need to maintain data residency on-site, prefer the agility of the cloud, or a mix of both?
  • Hardware Specifications: If on-premises, define CPU core count, RAM, storage capacity (SSD/HDD), and network interface requirements.
  • Virtualization: If using VMs, what hypervisor technology is preferred or already in place (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V, KVM)?
  • Networking: Required bandwidth, latency targets, IP address schemes, VPN/Direct Connect needs, and network security policies.

Integration

  • APIs and SDKs: Robust and well-documented APIs/SDKs for automation, scripting, and integration with existing tools.
  • Identity Provider Integration: Compatibility with existing identity management systems (e.g., Active Directory, Okta, OAuth).
  • Monitoring & Logging Tools: Integration with your preferred monitoring (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog) and logging (e.g., Splunk, ELK Stack) solutions.
  • Configuration Management: Compatibility with configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Chef, Puppet) for consistent deployments.
  • Backup Solutions: Integration with existing backup systems or native backup features that meet your RPO/RTO.

Data Management

  • Data Volume & Growth: Current data size and projected growth rates.
  • Data Access Patterns: How frequently is data accessed? Is it hot, warm, or cold?
  • Data Retention Policies: Legal and business requirements for how long data must be stored.
  • Data Locality/Sovereignty: Any legal or compliance mandates regarding where data must physically reside.
  • Database Requirements: Specific database engines, versions, and performance needs.

Operating Systems & Runtimes

  • Supported Operating Systems: Ensure compatibility with your preferred OS (e.g., Linux distributions, Windows Server versions).
  • Application Runtimes: Support for required language runtimes (e.g., Java, Python, .NET, Node.js).
  • Container Orchestration: If using containers, support for Kubernetes or other orchestration platforms.

Implementation Considerations

Successfully deploying and managing Compute & Storage solutions requires careful planning beyond just the technical selection:

  • Migration Strategy: How will existing applications and data be moved to the new solution? This could involve lift-and-shift, re-platforming, or complete re-architecting.
  • Resource Planning & Sizing: Accurately estimate required compute, memory, and storage resources to avoid under-provisioning (performance issues) or over-provisioning (cost overruns).
  • Network Design: Plan firewall rules, subnets, routing, and connectivity for optimal performance and security.
  • Security Configuration: Implement least privilege access, network segmentation, encryption, and regular security audits from day one.
  • Monitoring & Alerting Setup: Configure dashboards, alerts, and notifications to proactively identify and address performance bottlenecks or issues.
  • Automation & IaC: Invest in automating infrastructure provisioning and configuration using tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible to ensure consistency and speed.
  • Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan: Define clear RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) goals and regularly test your backup and DR procedures.
  • Change Management: Establish processes for managing changes to infrastructure, including testing, approval, and rollback plans.
  • Training & Skills: Ensure your team has the necessary skills to manage, operate, and troubleshoot the chosen solution. Consider training programs from the vendor or third parties.
  • Cost Optimization Strategy: Regularly review usage and costs, identifying opportunities to right-size resources, leverage reserved instances, or move data to cheaper storage tiers.

Questions to Ask Vendors

Engaging with vendors effectively involves asking targeted questions to uncover critical details:

General

  • What are your typical customer profiles and use cases for this solution?
  • How does your solution differentiate itself from competitors in terms of performance, cost, and features?
  • What is your roadmap for this product/service over the next 12-24 months?

Performance & Scalability

  • Can you provide performance benchmarks relevant to our workload (e.g., IOPS, throughput, latency)?
  • How quickly can we scale compute and storage resources up or down? Is it automatic, manual, or scheduled?
  • What are the hard limits on resources (e.g., maximum instances, storage volume size)?

Cost & Licensing

  • Please provide a detailed breakdown of all potential costs, including compute, storage, data transfer (ingress/egress), API requests, and any associated management tools.
  • Are there any hidden fees or charges we should be aware of?
  • What are your options for long-term commitment discounts (e.g., reserved instances, savings plans)?
  • How do you help customers optimize costs (e.g., cost management tools, recommendations)?

Reliability & Availability

  • What is your guaranteed uptime SLA for both compute and storage? What are the penalties for not meeting it?
  • How do you ensure data redundancy and protection against hardware failures?
  • What are your disaster recovery capabilities, and how are RTO/RPO defined and met?
  • What are the typical RPO and RTO for your backup and restore services?

Security & Compliance

  • How do you secure data at rest and in transit? What encryption standards are used?
  • What identity and access management (IAM) capabilities are available? How granular are permissions?
  • Which industry compliance certifications do you hold, and can you provide audit reports (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001)?
  • What network security features are available (e.g., firewalls, DDoS protection, private networking)?
  • How are security vulnerabilities handled and communicated?

Management & Operations

  • Describe your management console and API. How easy is it to automate tasks?
  • What monitoring, logging, and alerting tools are included or recommended?
  • What level of technical support do you offer (e.g., 24/7, response times, dedicated account manager)?
  • How comprehensive is your documentation and community support?
  • What kind of professional services do you offer for implementation, migration, and optimization?

Integration

  • How well does your solution integrate with popular third-party tools for DevOps, monitoring, and security?
  • Can we integrate our existing identity provider for user authentication?
  • Do you offer infrastructure as code (IaC) support through tools like Terraform or CloudFormation?

Market Leaders

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