StorONE targets flash cost surge with 9x ROI tiering push

StorONE has launched a "9x ROI on Flash" programme that it says can increase effective storage capacity by up to nine times. The approach combines a flash tier with lower-cost hard disk drives while maintaining performance for active data.

The initiative is part of the StorONE platform version 3.9, which adds intelligent data placement and auto-tiering. StorONE is positioning the release as a response to rising flash prices and supply constraints that have increased the cost of all-flash designs.

All-flash arrays have become the default choice for many workloads over the past decade as prices have fallen and performance has improved. More recently, demand has been boosted by data-intensive applications, including AI infrastructure. At the same time, flash supply and pricing have come under pressure, forcing procurement teams and storage architects to balance performance against cost.

StorONE argues that all-flash designs can expose organisations to price volatility and capacity limits if budgets do not keep pace with data growth. It contrasts its approach with the temporary discounting programmes offered by other suppliers when flash prices rise.

Tiered approach

Under the programme, an organisation keeps an existing flash tier and adds an HDD tier. The software manages data placement: hot data stays on flash, while warm and cold data move to the hard disk. StorONE says this happens transparently and continuously as access patterns change.

Customers can also reuse existing all-flash JBOD systems by placing them under StorONE software. In this model, the JBOD estate serves as the flash performance tier within a broader system, with an HDD tier holding most of the data.

The goal is to avoid application changes and reduce manual administration of data movement. The claim is based on the idea that many datasets include a mix of frequently accessed data and large volumes that are read less often, making them candidates for tiering where only a subset needs flash at all times.

Auto-tiering is not new, but StorONE is pitching it as an alternative to buying more flash amid higher prices. It describes the approach as preserving flash responsiveness for active data while lowering overall storage cost by using hard disks for less active information.

Against data reduction

StorONE also compared the programme with data-reduction techniques such as deduplication and compression. It says its approach does not rely on those methods for efficiency, instead emphasising automated data placement.

StorONE also claims data reduction can add memory and CPU overhead. It states that its architecture uses direct, inline writes and does not rely on DRAM-intensive buffering, reducing memory requirements while maintaining consistent write performance.

Storage suppliers commonly combine tiering, compression, and deduplication. Buyers typically assess them based on workload patterns, data types, and operational constraints. Tiering can suit environments with clear access patterns and policies that move data without disrupting applications. Compression and deduplication can deliver strong gains where data is repetitive or compressible.

StorONE says its tiering model delivers predictable results across data types by relying on access patterns rather than data characteristics.

Gal Naor, StorONE's chief executive, linked the strategy to his earlier work in the storage industry.

"As the founder of StorWize, we were the first to bring real-time, inline compression to enterprise storage. I know both worlds extremely well. Data reduction has its place, but it is inherently dependent on the data itself. Auto-tiering works on every type of data and delivers certainty. That's why it's the more resilient and correct architectural approach. The 9x ROI on Flash Program is about breaking the flash bottleneck, providing organizations with a way to grow capacity intelligently without paying the all-flash tax."

Availability and roadmap

The "9x ROI on Flash" programme is available with StorONE platform version 3.9. The platform is software-defined and runs on a range of server and storage media options.

StorONE also plans a webinar featuring Naor and James Keating on the programme's architecture and the requirements for what it describes as smart auto-tiering.