Tag: Features

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Upcoming articles: Computer Weekly, April 2024

I am working on two storage-related features for Computer Weekly, with April deadlines.

When is cloud data storage the answer?

Has there been a cooling off in enterprise enthusiasm for cloud storage?

In this piece we will look at some reasons firms should move their data storage to cloud infrastructure.

The piece will follow up on this from earlier in the year: Cloud is not always the answer: Five reasons why

We aim to cover

  • When does on site storage fall short and how cloud can be better?
  • Performance / availability / operations:
  • IT management:
  • Costs
  • Agility and responsiveness
  • Data protection and compliance

The deadline for leads is 1700, Thursday 28 March.

How does AI affect data storage

The second looks at the impact of AI workloads on storage. This includes how data are used in training models, how AI analytics are used, where data are sourced and where they are stored. The piece will also cover compliance, which is a growing concern for anyone using AI.

The piece will not be limited to LLMs or generative AI, but all the different forms of AI being used by enterprises.

On the technology side, we’ll cover IO, the types of storage being used, where the data processing bottlenecks sit, how to feed GPUs and where to store the outputs from AI systems. But that’s not the whole picture.

I’m looking for analysts and consultants with direct experience of AI projects.

Deadline for leads: Wednesday 10th April, 1700hrs.

To contribute to either piece, please contact me by email in the first instance.

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Upcoming storage features: May 2022

I am writing a set of storage features for Computer Weekly. These will be published in May.

How data protection can help against ransomware, and where it can’t

Which backup and recovery technologies can safeguard against ransomware? And what are the limitations of backup and disaster recovery tools, and techniques, to protect against this type of incident?

In the past we have covered immutable snapshots and offsite backups including tape, as well as recovery strategies tailored to ransomware. This feature will draw together lessons learned by organisations that have faced ransomware attacks, and cover the backup and recovery industry’s tools and advice.

Deadline for leads: Wednesday 20 April

Products for backing up containers

This feature is an overview of leading Kubernetes backup technologies.

How do they work, how are they best used, and how do organisations acquire them (eg are they standalone or part of a larger product suite).

We are open to vendor submissions but do please look at our previous coverage on this.

Deadline for leads: Wednesday 27 April

Obstacles to hybrid cloud storage – and how resolve them

This piece will look at situations that can make it hard for organisations to move to object storage, and how they can overcome them. We are looking to identify the most important hybrid storage barriers, as well as ways around the problems.

Inevitably, the piece will look at hybrid cloud in the context of both pure-play cloud and on-premises storage. But there is a working assumption that CIOs will be looking at hybrid cloud, if they’re not already using it, that it has advantages, and that businesses want to do more of it.

Deadline for leads: Wednesday 27 April

Please contact me by email if you can supply information or propose a spokesperson.

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Computer Weekly commissions: October 2021

I am working on the following articles, which will appear in Computer Weekly in October:

Cloud DR: DIY or Disaster Recovery as a Service

The cloud is now the main backup destination for a growing number of businesses. And the range of businesses offering disaster recovery as a service is growing too.

But is disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) always the best option? Or is it better to develop a solution in house, using off the shelf (cloud) technologies?

The piece will look at the benefits of DIY approaches, and the drawbacks, and compare these to the benefits (and drawbacks) of DRaaS. The piece will also summarise the range of DRaaS services on the market, and set out the best use cases for each.

I’d welcome analyst comment and/or industry case studies for this piece. Deadline for leads: Thursday 16th September.

Where next for the data warehouse, and what might replace it?

Has the conventional data warehouse had its day? And what could replace it? Conventional, on-premises data warehouse technology now competes with a range of emerging technologies, including data virtualisation, “data lakehouses”, and cloud data warehouses.

What role will these newer technologies play? Are they likely to supplant the conventional, on-premises, datacentre approach, and if so why?

I am keen to speak to analysts and consultants in order to form a market overview, but also CIOs whose preferences are either for the new, or indeed the conventional, technology. The deadline is Wednesday 22nd September.

For either article please get in touch in the first instance by email.