IBM outlines the future of storage

IBM has issued a major update to its storage operation

IBM is outlining its plans for the future of the storage industry.

On Monday, the company issued a major product rollout, unveiling some 30 new services and products along with a number of new research initiatives.

Among the key projects will be an effort to prevent what IBM termed a " digital dark age".

The company noted that, as storage systems and methods progress, the ability to access data in older formats such as 5.25in floppy disks could become difficult.

To answer the problem, Big Blue is hoping to launch a campaign to update and archive data from those legacy formats in large cloud computing systems which could be remotely accessed.

The company also updated its efforts to develop new storage technologies. IBM noted its work in developing nano-scale racetrack memory chips as well as its efforts to boost the speed of current solid state storage through its Project Quicksilver virtualised SSD programme.

Additionally, IBM outlined its efforts in power and heat reduction, a field that the company believes will see major growth. It also expects the number of devices in use to grow and space in server rooms to tighten.

In addition to the projects and research efforts, the company unveiled 30 new pieces of hardware and services.

The list of new releases includes storage and network appliances, as well as support and services aimed at storage, data protection, information backup and regulatory compliance.

The company estimates that the new products and research programmes represent some $2bn worth of research, development and corporate acquisitions.