The modern enterprise operates in a data-driven world where storage demands continue to skyrocket. Businesses require fast, scalable, and efficient storage solutions that can dynamically adjust to fluctuating workloads. Recognizing this, the BMW Group partnered with Hitachi Vantara to implement a managed all-flash storage solution that not only met its evolving needs but also delivers significant efficiency gains.
Reving Up: Dynamic Storage Needs
As a global leader in the automotive industry, BMW Group required a storage infrastructure that could handle massive data volumes while supporting emerging technologies such as IoT, Industry 4.0, and big data analytics. Their existing storage model—while functional—needed a refresh to enhance performance, minimize data center footprint, and improve power efficiency.
To meet these objectives, Hitachi Vantara was tasked with delivering a next-generation storage solution that could provide flexible, scalable, and reliable storage services. Hitachi Vantara also needed to ensure nondisruptive migration to the new environment, as well as offer a fully managed service with proactive monitoring and support. And sustainability was also of vital importance, as the solution need to optimize energy and cooling efficiency within limited data center space.
Flashy New Solution
Hitachi Vantara developed a future-ready storage architecture built on its Virtual Storage Platform G1500 (VSP G1500), leveraging all-flash storage technology to deliver high-performance, high-density solutions. By integrating a large-scale all-flash SAN deployment with Brocade (a Broadcom, Inc. company), Hitachi provided a robust and scalable storage infrastructure that could support BMW Group’s growth trajectory.
Key features of the storage transformation:
- All-flash performance: The VSP G1500’s flash module technology ensured superior speed, reliability, and storage efficiency.
- Nondisruptive migration: Hitachi Vantara implemented an efficient migration plan, completing the transition 30 percent faster than previous efforts, while minimizing downtime.
- Global-active device for high availability: This technology provided fully automated failover and zero downtime, ensuring uninterrupted 24/7 operations.
- Storage virtualization: Streamlined data management and reduced administrative workloads, allowing BMW Group’s IT team to focus on strategic initiatives.
- Proactive monitoring and optimization: Hitachi Global Services continuously analyzes capacity trends and optimizes storage performance dynamically.
Increased Sustainability
The deployment of Hitachi Vantara’s storage solution significantly improved operational efficiency and performance for BMW Group. Key benefits include improved energy efficiency. Reducing the physical footprint led to lower cooling and power consumption, translating into cost savings for BMW. The storage-on-demand model enabled flexible capacity adjustments to accommodate changing business requirements. And standardized configurations streamlined IT operations, improving resilience and reducing licensing costs.
With Hitachi Vantara’s fully managed storage services, BMW Group now benefits from a highly available, scalable, and future-proof storage infrastructure. The proactive management and optimization ensure that the enterprise can efficiently handle growing data volumes while maintaining peak performance.
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Image credits: Hitachi Vantara