cloud – Stephen Pritchard

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.

I am writing two features for publication in January 2024. Note that due to early filing dates, the research needs to be completed by December 23rd, 2023.

Feature 1: Cloud to Cloud backup

This piece will look at the shortcomings of native cloud data protection, and their impact on both operations and compliance. It will look at cloud to cloud backup as an alternative, examining:

how it works
the workloads it is suited to (and any performance impacts)
who provides cloud to cloud backup services

Feature 2: Reasons not to use the cloud

Covering data storage, primarily, the piece will explore reasons why an organisation might choose not to use the cloud. This cloud include, but is not limited to:

operational needs and performance
IT management difficulties
costs
data protection and compliance
issues making cloud fit the business needs

For both pieces, happy to look at white papers and analyst research as well as consultants’ and CIOs’ views. As ever, it’s best to email pitches or input in the first instance.