1. NVMe Markets: Rising at Breakneck Speed with Even Better Days Ahead Eric Burgener, Research Vice President Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group
August 2019
© IDC

2. Enterprise Storage Market Forecast, 2017 - 2022
CAGR
NAFA %
SAFA %
HFA %
HDD %
* NVMe-based All Flash Array
© IDC

3. The Transition to NVMe
“By 2021, NAFAs will drive over 50% of all primary external storage revenues”
A transition that is hitting performance-sensitive primary workloads over the next 3-5 years
“By 2023, AFAs will account for 53.2% of the external storage market”
© IDC

4. Drivers of NVMe Deployment
MATURING
STANDARDS
EXTERNAL STORAGE
Higher capacity
Better capacity utilization
Enterprise data services
High availability
NVMe over
FABRICS
WORKLOAD REQ’TS
VENDOR PRICING
STRATEGIES
Sub 100 microsec latencies
Real-time NGAs*
AI/ML-driven workloads
Social media platforms
High performance DBs
SERVER-BASED STORAGE
Lower latencies than SCSI
Higher throughput density
Predictable performance
BROADER
AVAILABILITY
* Next generation applications
© IDC

5. The NAFA System Solution
NVMe storage controllers
NVMe storage devices
Available in different storage architectures
Some support legacy SANs while others support only NVMe-oF
THE ARRAY
THE HOST
Some with mandatory client side footprints, some without
Optional hardware acceleration
HOST CONNECTIONS
SCSI or NVMe switched fabric SANs
SCSI: FC, Ethernet
NVMe-oF: FC, Ethernet, Infiniband
NVMe-oF Ethernet: RoCE, iWARP, TCP, NoE
NVMe-oF can support RDMA but doesn’t have to (FC, TCP, InfiniBand etc.)
© IDC

6. NAFAs Are Widely Available
Pure Performance NAFAs
Data Services NAFAs
Dell EMC PowerMax
HPE Primera
Huawei OceanStor Dorado V3
IBM 9100
Kaminario K2.N
NetApp A800
Pure Storage FlashArray//X
Violin Systems XVS8
Western Digital N-Series
Other established providers
Apeiron Data
E8 Storage
Excelero
EXTEN
Pavilion Data
Other startups
THESE TEND TO ONLY SUPPORT
NVMe-oF HOST CONNECTIONS
© IDC

7. NVMe Purchase Drivers
Source: IDC, 2018
Sample Size N = 401
© IDC

8. The Key NVMe Purchase Driver: Performance
What aspect of “NVMe performance” was most important to you?
Source: IDC, 2018
Sample Size N = 401
© IDC

9. Key Drivers of NAFA Platform Selection
Source: IDC, 2018
Sample Size N = 401
© IDC

10. Broad Production Use of NVMe
Are you using NVMe technology for production workloads?
Source: IDC, 2018
Sample Size N = 401
This refers to NVMe in any storage architecture, not just NAFAs
© IDC

11. High Satisfaction with NVMe
How satisfied are you with your experiences with NVMe so far?
Source: IDC, 2018
Sample Size N = 401
This refers to NVMe in any storage architecture, not just NAFAs
© IDC

12. Two Deployment Models DEDICATED WORKLOAD MIXED WORKLOADS
Multi-tenant management
Enterprise data services
Proven, mature OS
DEDICATED WORKLOAD
Lowest latencies
Fewer data services
© IDC

13. Factors Impacting NVMe Deployments
Relative to SCSI
Equal or lower pricing driving faster installed base penetration
Some vendors still maintain a price premium for NVMe
NVMe/TCP
NVMe performance with no custom content
This will be the volume NVMe-oF deployment platform
Evolving Workloads
Real-time nature and scale of NGAs will demand NVMe more often
Workload consolidation to drive better infrastructure efficiencies
© IDC

14. Workloads Driving NVMe Deployments
“By 2021, 70% of IT organizations will have at least one real-time big data analytics workload that they ALSO consider mission-critical”
Eric Burgener
Research VP
IDC
Source: IDC, 2018
Sample Size N = 401
© IDC

15. Developments in Enterprise Storage
Slow move towards more server-based storage architectures
Benefits of software-defined storage largely driving this both on-prem and in the cloud
NVMe/TCP
Will be the volume leader due to its “off the shelf” nature
Will enable HCI to go after a broader set of enterprise workloads
Availability of persistent memory and storage-class memory (SCM) options on data services-based NAFAs
Will develop further over the next 12 to 18 months
Artificial intelligence/machine learning
Internal to systems as well as cloud-based predictive analytics
A change in deployment models for unified storage
Driven by NVMe performance and better multi-tenant management functionality for “peer protocol” implementations
© IDC

16. Trends of Note with NVMe
Digital transformation is driving infrastructure modernization investments
High rate of Next Generation Application (NGA) deployment a driver of NVMe growth
Hyperscalars are deploying a lot of server-based NVMe storage
ODM Direct is the highest growth enterprise storage systems segment with an 8.9% CAGR (5 years) and will hit $20B in 2023 (26.5% of overall enterprise storage)
Storage-class and persistent memory options still limited due to device availability and pricing
But vendors starting to support the capability
© IDC

17. Key Take Aways FOR VENDORS FOR END USERS
Workload requirements are the key purchase criteria
NVMe performance will be a short term differentiator
Established vendors need both SAFAs and NAFAs
At least consider a “parity” pricing approach (NVMe and SCSI)
FOR END USERS
Plan your transition to NVMe for primary workloads over the next 3 years
Plan carefully for NVMe power consumption
Consider how best to leverage NVMe/TCP
Match storage architectures to workload requirements
© IDC

18. Recent IDC Research Publications on NVMe
Transition to NVMe Should Include a Review of System-Level Power Consumption, (IDC #US , June 2019)
IDC Innovators: NVMe/TCP, 2019 (IDC #US , June 2019)
Violin Systems Drives Compelling Value for Enterprises with Its Extreme Performance Storage Platforms (IDC #US , April 2019)
IDC TechBrief: Persistent Memory and Storage-Class Memory (IDC #US , March 2019)
Enterprise NVMe Growth and Use Cases (IDC #DR2019_BS2_EB, March 2019)
Enterprise NVMe Market Developing Quickly with Offerings from Start-Ups and Established Players Alike (IDC #US , February 2019)
© IDC

19. Thank You!
© IDC