The State of the data nation – Howard Marks – Ep70

A couple of times a year I like to do a show that reviews the current state of the data market, the chance to take a check on the challenges facing both the makers and consumers of data technology, how they are been addressed, the technology changes and trends that decisions makers should consider and what the future holds for the industry.

I always think these shows are useful for those who are tasked with making strategic decisions and designing data platforms for their businesses, I know when I speak with people on these topics it’s always useful to understand current market thinking and the general direction that the technology vendors are taking.

Earlier this year I spoke with industry analyst Chris Evans as we looked ahead at what 2018 had in-store (you can find that episode here). For this half year review, I was very fortunate to get some time with renowned industry analyst Howard Marks.

Howard is founder and Chief Scientist at DeepStroage.net as well as co-host of the excellent Greybeards on storage podcast. With over 30 years’ experience as a consultant and writer on the storage industry he is very well placed to comment on the current state of the market and its direction.

In episode 70 of Tech Interviews, I chat with Howard about a range of topics. We discuss the current rate of change of the industry and is it the rate or amount of change that’s concerning us?

We look at the impact cloud is having and how much of a driver to change it is, Howard shares some thoughts on Software as a Service (SaaS) and its impact on traditional roles.

We examine in more detail changing roles, how storage admins need to be in charge of “data paranoia” and we ask if simplification is a good thing? and why cloud simplicity doesn’t sit well with organisational complexity.

We end our show looking ahead, what Howard would like to see the storage industry tackle, why a focus on data management will be key and the impact that storage class memory is going to have on both producers of and consumers of technology.

Howard shares some fantastic insights and left me with a lot of food for thought. I am sure he will you too.

To find out more about what Howard does, you can visit DeepStroage.net follow Howard on twitter @DeepStorageNet and if you deal with data and want to understand the data technology market then get the Greybeards podcast on your listening playlist, you’ll find it here.

Thanks for listening.

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