Understanding The Value Of Solid State Drive Technology Can Fuel Sales
The role of SSD technology is expanding beyond mobile devices, so VARs need to start learning the value propositions and total cost of ownership pitches for this burgeoning tech offering.
Business Solutions, August 2009
Written by: Gennifer Biggs
Squeezing More Performance Out Of SSD
One vendor that has been immersed in the evolution of solid state drive technology is Diskeeper Corp. Known for its defragmentation technology, it quickly realized the challenges of SSD were vastly different than hard drives. “We saw right away that SSD are a very different technology with a read and write process that is totally different,” explains Modesto Rodriguez, EVP global strategic alliances for Diskeeper. He explains that with hard drives, it is disorganization of files on the hard drive that slows down the write and read time; whereas it is that free space fragmentation that the company’s new SSD optimizer addresses. “No one considered fragmentation on SSD, but the technology really degrades fast if you don’t handle it. Because SSD won’t break files up to make them fit in open spaces like hard drives will, it literally wipes, then resaves all the files each time to make additional data fit. “We tackled optimizing the free space so the SSD doesn’t have to look for it,” explains Rodriguez. (Note: There are some SSD products that have integrated optimization, such as Intel.) With its new product, HyperFast, Diskeeper Corp. is optimizing free space within SSD to improve write speeds and also reduce wear and tear on the drive. “HyperFast creates and maintains optimized free space, increasing the SSD’s ability to write sequentially and therefore increasing the speed and life of the SSD,” adds Rodriguez.
One vendor that has been immersed in the evolution of solid state drive technology is Diskeeper Corp. Known for its defragmentation technology, it quickly realized the challenges of SSD were vastly different than hard drives. “We saw right away that SSD are a very different technology with a read and write process that is totally different,” explains Modesto Rodriguez, EVP global strategic alliances for Diskeeper. He explains that with hard drives, it is disorganization of files on the hard drive that slows down the write and read time; whereas it is that free space fragmentation that the company’s new SSD optimizer addresses. “No one considered fragmentation on SSD, but the technology really degrades fast if you don’t handle it. Because SSD won’t break files up to make them fit in open spaces like hard drives will, it literally wipes, then resaves all the files each time to make additional data fit. “We tackled optimizing the free space so the SSD doesn’t have to look for it,” explains Rodriguez. (Note: There are some SSD products that have integrated optimization, such as Intel.) With its new product, HyperFast, Diskeeper Corp. is optimizing free space within SSD to improve write speeds and also reduce wear and tear on the drive. “HyperFast creates and maintains optimized free space, increasing the SSD’s ability to write sequentially and therefore increasing the speed and life of the SSD,” adds Rodriguez.
In a world where some vendors are proposing “bring your own device” to work for use in a completely virtual environment, and both applications and storage are moving into the cloud, a technology that has long been a part of the IT industry — the solid state drive (SSD) — is finding new markets and enjoying staggering growth. Not only do SSDs help fuel smaller and faster mobile devices in every cost category, they are also a good fit for virtual or cloud-based storage networks that demand high performance read times. Lastly, SSDs are starting to impact storage infrastructure by providing a cost-efficient second-tier storage option. While Gartner says SSDs will likely be found in 20% of the laptops sold next year, it is the big picture forecast that should get VARs’ attention. In all, Gartner estimates the total market for SSDs will top $3 billion in 2010. That means it is time for VARs to start learning how SSD technology may impact their sales.
To start, VARs must understand the evolution of SSDs. According to Intel, there are two kinds of flash memory. The first, NOR, is a lower capacity silicon that allows both storage and executable commands or programming. NOR is often used in cell phones so the cell service provider can code in the user’s information or information for the network on the flash drive. Then, the drive is also used for storing phone numbers, ring tones, etc. The other kind of flash, NAND, which is what is covered in this article, is a higher capacity silicon that is mainly used for storage. Camera memory cards, USB keys, and SSDs use NAND flash. Most often, SSDs are affiliated with notebooks, which started taking advantage of the small-format, lightweight, and nearly indestructible drives a few years ago.
SSDs are attractive for several reasons — among them small size, blazing speed, light weight, and durability — but not to be overlooked are the savings they offer in terms of power efficiency since they don’t use moving parts. In past years, the disadvantages of SSD technology have been its high price, limited capacity, and short life expectancy. That is because, unlike a hard disk drive (HDD), an SSD becomes a read-only medium after so many write/erase cycles (typically more than 10 years of heavy use), while an HDD can, theoretically, deliver unlimited operation. However, the life cycle of the SSD has lengthened over the past few years, and that extended life paired with drastically dropping prices and more mainstream capacity limits has brought us to today’s increased popularity around this technology. “The cost and the performance intersecting with the right capacity have driven SSDs to the forefront,” explains Peter Hazen, marketing director for the NAND products group at Intel. “We truly expect continued improvement over the next several years, and that means SSDs are really at the point where it makes sense to use them in several new ways.”
Notebooks Are A Recognized Market For SSDs
Most experts in the storage space agree that SSDs will not likely replace HDD — the old standby simply has too much to offer at an attractive price point. However, they do expect notebooks to evolve to the point where most are built with SSDs and utilize that technology to be lighter, faster, and more durable. David Critchley, marketing manager for ThinkPad T series at Lenovo, says that company is excited about the potential for SSD, and its ThinkPad T, R, and X series models all have SSDs as an option. He says Lenovo partners have found performance is a compelling value proposition around its SSD-equipped products. “The speed of the SSD is a differentiator with customers that need performance, such as those dealing with video or other large data files,” says Critchley, who adds that VARs should expect vendors to roll out thinner, lighter, more “rugged” notebooks with tremendous performance capabilities as they expand the usage of SSDs in those devices, all of which makes for an easier sell to customers with a mobile workforce.
Hybrid Storage Brings SSD Into The Data Center
Brian Beard, SSD product marketing manager for Samsung Semiconductor, says it is time for SSD to take center stage, but not only in the world of mobile computing. New hybrid storage solutions combine the low-power, inexpensive HDD arrays with small, performance-optimized, energy-efficient SSD arrays. “SSDs have been around for a long time in the enterprise, but since costs have come down, they are becoming more popular,” says Beard. “Previously, SSDs were used for niche solutions; now they are moving more mainstream, most recently in SATA [serial advanced technology attachment] solutions.”
Outside the tiered-storage space, Beard says there are at least two other areas for VARs to watch. “We are seeing SSDs used for applications like video-on-demand downloads where you have a huge number of hits to a server and a download that needs to be as fast as it can be,” says Beard.
In addition, SSDs are also expected to play a large role in new PC models geared for use in virtualized environments where desktop computers are retrofitted to perform the role of old-school “dumb” terminals. “With cloud computing and in virtual environments, you are taking some of the processing power out of the end client and into the cloud or the data center, so your desktop is more like a dumb terminal,” explains Don Barnetson, senior director of marketing, SSD at SanDisk. “What that means is that you don’t need much storage at all, and an SSD is perfect.”
Market Education Key For VARs
Understanding SSD technology and its value propositions and then educating customers on those points are the first steps for most VARs. “The enterprise server and storage market is traditional; they have been using hard drives for decades, and they are entrenched in the spinning media mentality,” says Beard, who says that VARs must be able to articulate the total value of SSD to sway customers.
Barnetson agrees. “We identified a big education need when we started expanding our SSD offerings. Everyone knows about hard drives; they have been around for nearly 60 years. VARs need to know how SSDs are different to be successful.” That education needs to happen quickly, though, since all these vendors say they expect more customers will start inquiring about the potential of SSDs in the next few months as the number of solutions using SSDs further expands.
To start, VARs must understand the evolution of SSDs. According to Intel, there are two kinds of flash memory. The first, NOR, is a lower capacity silicon that allows both storage and executable commands or programming. NOR is often used in cell phones so the cell service provider can code in the user’s information or information for the network on the flash drive. Then, the drive is also used for storing phone numbers, ring tones, etc. The other kind of flash, NAND, which is what is covered in this article, is a higher capacity silicon that is mainly used for storage. Camera memory cards, USB keys, and SSDs use NAND flash. Most often, SSDs are affiliated with notebooks, which started taking advantage of the small-format, lightweight, and nearly indestructible drives a few years ago.
SSDs are attractive for several reasons — among them small size, blazing speed, light weight, and durability — but not to be overlooked are the savings they offer in terms of power efficiency since they don’t use moving parts. In past years, the disadvantages of SSD technology have been its high price, limited capacity, and short life expectancy. That is because, unlike a hard disk drive (HDD), an SSD becomes a read-only medium after so many write/erase cycles (typically more than 10 years of heavy use), while an HDD can, theoretically, deliver unlimited operation. However, the life cycle of the SSD has lengthened over the past few years, and that extended life paired with drastically dropping prices and more mainstream capacity limits has brought us to today’s increased popularity around this technology. “The cost and the performance intersecting with the right capacity have driven SSDs to the forefront,” explains Peter Hazen, marketing director for the NAND products group at Intel. “We truly expect continued improvement over the next several years, and that means SSDs are really at the point where it makes sense to use them in several new ways.”
Notebooks Are A Recognized Market For SSDs
Most experts in the storage space agree that SSDs will not likely replace HDD — the old standby simply has too much to offer at an attractive price point. However, they do expect notebooks to evolve to the point where most are built with SSDs and utilize that technology to be lighter, faster, and more durable. David Critchley, marketing manager for ThinkPad T series at Lenovo, says that company is excited about the potential for SSD, and its ThinkPad T, R, and X series models all have SSDs as an option. He says Lenovo partners have found performance is a compelling value proposition around its SSD-equipped products. “The speed of the SSD is a differentiator with customers that need performance, such as those dealing with video or other large data files,” says Critchley, who adds that VARs should expect vendors to roll out thinner, lighter, more “rugged” notebooks with tremendous performance capabilities as they expand the usage of SSDs in those devices, all of which makes for an easier sell to customers with a mobile workforce.
Hybrid Storage Brings SSD Into The Data Center
Brian Beard, SSD product marketing manager for Samsung Semiconductor, says it is time for SSD to take center stage, but not only in the world of mobile computing. New hybrid storage solutions combine the low-power, inexpensive HDD arrays with small, performance-optimized, energy-efficient SSD arrays. “SSDs have been around for a long time in the enterprise, but since costs have come down, they are becoming more popular,” says Beard. “Previously, SSDs were used for niche solutions; now they are moving more mainstream, most recently in SATA [serial advanced technology attachment] solutions.”
Outside the tiered-storage space, Beard says there are at least two other areas for VARs to watch. “We are seeing SSDs used for applications like video-on-demand downloads where you have a huge number of hits to a server and a download that needs to be as fast as it can be,” says Beard.
In addition, SSDs are also expected to play a large role in new PC models geared for use in virtualized environments where desktop computers are retrofitted to perform the role of old-school “dumb” terminals. “With cloud computing and in virtual environments, you are taking some of the processing power out of the end client and into the cloud or the data center, so your desktop is more like a dumb terminal,” explains Don Barnetson, senior director of marketing, SSD at SanDisk. “What that means is that you don’t need much storage at all, and an SSD is perfect.”
Market Education Key For VARs
Understanding SSD technology and its value propositions and then educating customers on those points are the first steps for most VARs. “The enterprise server and storage market is traditional; they have been using hard drives for decades, and they are entrenched in the spinning media mentality,” says Beard, who says that VARs must be able to articulate the total value of SSD to sway customers.
Barnetson agrees. “We identified a big education need when we started expanding our SSD offerings. Everyone knows about hard drives; they have been around for nearly 60 years. VARs need to know how SSDs are different to be successful.” That education needs to happen quickly, though, since all these vendors say they expect more customers will start inquiring about the potential of SSDs in the next few months as the number of solutions using SSDs further expands.
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