The cobweb-like complexities of HPC storage

HPC IT environments are critical for numerous industries and use cases, from simulation tools for product development, life sciences research, financial analysis, video rendering, economic modeling, big data analytics, and more. However, the majority of HPC storage solutions are overwhelmingly complex, unreliable, and costly.

A recent global study by Hyperion Research highlights three ways in which organizations can become ensnared in a sinisterly high total cost of ownership.

Three Halloween horrors follow:

1. The shocking cost of HPC storage staffing

18% of HPC storage installations each require four or more people to manage it

Number of FTE Staff Managing HPC Storage
FTE Staff Dedicated to Managing HPC Storage

Almost 14% saw costs of $500,000 or more for HPC storage staff

Annual Cost for Staff Managing HPC Storage
What is the estimated annual cost for storage management staffing?

2. Installation and maintenance nightmares

Just 6% of organizations had their new HPC storage rigs up and running within a day, while 28% were still unboxing after a week

Storage Installation Time

Almost half had to tune and retune systems monthly

Frequency of Tuning and Re-Tuning

3. Spine-chilling outages

One-third of organizations suffered monthly failures and 8% weekly outages

Storage System Failure Frequency

Recovery took two or more days for 41%

Recovery from System Failure

Depending on company size, a day’s outage can cost up to, or even over, $1 million

HPC Storage Single Day Down Time Cost

The entanglements of complex and unreliable storage trap organizations into a high TCO, impacting their productivity and their bottom lines.

To avoid HPC storage costs spinning out of control, organizations must take a step back to reevaluate their storage solutions and demand predictability, resilience, and reliability from their technology providers.

Don’t be a HPC horror victim. To find out how to save yourself, contact our storage expert today.