Media and entertainment is one industry generating and moving vast amounts of data at the edge. This episode of Utilizing Edge brings Jimmy Fusil of Tsecond into a discussion with Alastair Cooke and Stephen Foskett about the unique data challenges in media and entertainment. There is a great need for local processing, secure data transport, and efficient storage utilization in managing the ever-increasing volume of data generated during film and TV production. The podcast explores the continued relevance of physical media, like tape, for long-term archiving, while also emphasizing the security measures necessary to protect creative privacy and prevent potential plot leaks in the industry. Fusil also discusses Tsecond’s groundbreaking product, Bryck, a portable NVMe storage device capable of holding up to a petabyte of data with a remarkable 40GBps data transfer speed. The discussion highlights how Bryck’s high-performance storage facilitates on-device data processing, ensuring quick backups and maintaining data integrity. It’s critical to consider edge storage solutions like Bryck in many data-intensive sectors beyond media and entertainment as well.

VAST Data is one of the leading innovators in enterprise storage, winning customers and partnerships with its scale-out storage platform. But the company is emphasizing the “Data” part of their name with a new platform designed to support data, analytics, and AI. The VAST DataPlatform is designed to merge storage and data to enable AI-assisted computation. Let’s take a look at the core features of this new VAST DataPlatform and its potential impact on the data and AI landscape.

One of the most attractive use cases for VMware was disaster recovery, and the availability of cloud infrastructure enhances this use case. That’s the topic of this episode of the On-Premise IT podcast, sponsored by Pure Storage. Cody Hosterman, Calvin Hendryx-Parker, Ned Bellavance, and Stephen Foskett discuss the use case for disaster recovery in the cloud. Although each cloud platform has different virtual machine capabilities, most now have a storage platform like Pure Storage Cloud Block Store, which is available in AWS and Azure. In addition to the pay-as-you-go aspect, the consistency of operations when using a compatible storage solution between the datacenter and the cloud is extremely compelling. Once data is in the cloud it opens the door to cloud-native applications and modernizing the enterprise as a whole.

In this Tech Note article from Pure Accelerate presented by Pure Storage, Stephen Foskett discusses how the introduction of Pure Storage’s FlashArray//E family signifies a significant leap forward in their pursuit of capacity space and cost-effectiveness within the storage market. With its solid specifications, broad application support, and unwavering focus on efficiency, FlashArray//E solidifies Pure Storage’s position as a leading provider of unified storage solutions. By addressing the diverse needs of organizations seeking high-performance, scalable, and affordable storage options, Pure Storage continues to innovate and reinforce their influence in the industry.

Edge computing comes in many forms and brings many challenges, including bandwidth limitations, network reliability issues, and limited space. This episode of Utilizing Edge brings Brian Chambers, Alastair Cooke, and Stephen Foskett together to discuss the state of the edge in 2023. Industries like retail, multi-tenant environments, and industrial IoT find practical applications, but defining the edge remains an ongoing exploration. Implementation varies, from repurposing existing technologies to adopting modern approaches like containers and function as a service. The debate between virtual machines and containers continues, driven by organizational comfort. Despite constraints, edge environments offer greater control and accountability. The future promises more innovation and adoption, cementing edge computing’s significance in the tech landscape.

Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, dominating headlines with its persistent threats and sophisticated attacks. Recent incidents, such as the stolen Microsoft keys and the ongoing MOVEit file transfer hack, exemplify the complexity and severity of security breaches. However, amidst the intricacies of cybersecurity, seemingly minor errors can also lead to significant consequences, as demonstrated by the inadvertent sending of sensitive military emails to the wrong destination due to a simple typo. Moreover, the passing of hacking legend Kevin Mitnick has also captured attention, reflecting the enduring impact of his contributions to the field. Let’s take a closer look at these stories.

In this episode of the Utilizing Tech podcast, Stephen Foskett, Alison Klein, and Gina Rosenthal discuss dark data in edge computing. Dark data is unutilized or unknown data collected by organizations. The distributed nature and use of third-party apps can make it challenging to handle dark data, limiting insights and posing security risks. Establishing a stronger IT-business connection is crucial. Observability solutions and data analytics can aid in discovering and centralizing dark data. AI has potential for data hygiene improvement, but human-driven cleaning is still necessary. Despite challenges, edge computing offers better data management due to controlled deployments.

In this Tech Note presented by Pure Storage, Stephen Foskett discusses how Pure Storage is committed to delivering an integrated and user-friendly storage experience, not just a new storage array, which they showcased at Pure Accelerate. While the company emphasized the flash versus disk argument, conversations with customers revealed that their decision to invest in Pure Storage arrays was driven by the ease of use, Evergreen lifecycle, and data center efficiency benefits rather than flash technology alone. The expansion of the E family allows Pure Storage to access new markets that were previously reliant on disk alone. This development brings customers closer to achieving an all-Pure Storage data center, aligning with their desire for a streamlined and efficient storage solution. Pure Storage’s complete integrated storage solution, combined with their dedication to advancing flash technology, sets them apart in a crowded market and positions them as a trusted partner for customers seeking a comprehensive storage experience.

In this article presented by Pure Storage, Stephen Foskett discusses the FlashArray R4 platform and how it can empower organizations with high-performance storage arrays tailored to their specific requirements.

Although we use Intel’s NUC as a shorthand for the type of hardware deployed at the far edge, this recently-cancelled platform isn’t all there is. This episode of Utilizing Edge looks beyond the NUC, to platforms from Lenovo, Nvidia, and more, with Julian Chesterfield of Sunlight, Andrew Green, and Stephen Foskett. ARM-based solutions, many using the Nvidia Jetson platform, are particularly interesting given their low cost and power consumption and strong GPUs for edge AI. A hyperconverged stack runs all of the components required for high availability, including storage and networking, in software spanning all of the nodes in a cluster, and this is commonly deployed on low-cost devices at the far edge. The trend to deploying applications at the edge is driven both by new hardware and software capabilities and the changing expectation of consumers and businesses.