Flash-to-flash-to-anything: Huawei banks on smart data storage application to grow business

A screenshot of Huawei's data storage application.

Huawei has unveiled a smart data storage application aimed at solving the increasing challenges facing data infrastructure.

Dubbed ‘Flash-to-flash-to-anything’, the application seeks to revolutionise data protection by creating an end-to-end flash storage infrastructure.

Unveiled during its IT Day last week, Huawei said the flash-to-flash-to-anything infrastructure is a game changer in data storage and cloud computing as it seeks to grow its businesses and power enterprises in the region.

Storage devices, idea hub, ransomware and data centre virtualisation are among some of the infrastructures that were showcased.

Huawei’s IT Solutions Architect Raymond Kipngetich said the flash-to-flash-to-anything technology is the only way many enterprises can beat the current trends of ransomware.

“The sad reality is that ransomware is here to stay. As services to clients change, it generates massive amounts of new data and therefore we need to have an infrastructure that can provide services at the click of the button,” he said.

Kipng’etich warned that hackers have devised new ways of operations and are now selling ransomware as a service.

“This is why Huawei is leading in the development of new applications to support these enterprises revolutionise their data,” he said.

He said the traditional hard drives like HDVs cannot beat the current trends of ransomware.

“We are making a clarion call for enterprises to build infrastructure resilience and move to the flash technology that has been designed with layered protection against ransomware,” said Kipng’etich.

He noted that with a small backup window, flash storage is a guaranteed requirement for backup applications that small and medium enterprises should adopt to optimise their operations.

Kipng’etich explained that although end-to-end encryption is sophisticated software that has forced most enterprises to use perimeter security, they can use the phased value approach which will play a critical role in end-to-end ransomware protection.

“Majority are using one server application, but the question is what if there is failure at the production stage? Backup is therefore a necessity to safeguard data at all levels,” he said.

His sentiments were echoed by Diamond Trust Bank IT Manager Pauline Thiga who said since data is key to the banking sector, storage plays a vital role in the process.

“Since banks are associated with money, they remain a constant target for attacks. Although the regulator has mandated us to ensure that our customers data is protected, as service providers we hold the responsibility to create customer awareness on how not to fall victim to attackers,” said Thiga.

She said although banks have put in place various protection layers through technology, there is a great need to adopt one solution that gives protection while encrypting the data.

“As we move to zero trust where we verify data at every entry-level, we must have a quick turnaround for these IT enabler solutions for the digital economy and adopt the likes of generative AI applications that can support customers,” she said.

 Huawei’s OceanStor Dorado All-Flash storage for instance supports up to 32 controllers, 32TB (Terabyte) of cache, and 6400 enterprise-class SSDs that meet the requirements of core enterprise services.

“Storage systems are a key component of digital infrastructure and the foundation of our intelligent world,” said Huawei Kenya CEO Gao Fei at the event themed, “Unleash Data Power, Toward the Intelligent Era.”

The Dorado All-flash storage technology also has been trained with AI, enabling it to analyse the traffic, and performance of the storage system and support the organising of data.

It has inbuilt AI capabilities that work in combination with Secure Snapshot and Write Once Read Many (WORM) features to detect possible threats and mitigate risks of data attacks.

These advanced storage capabilities are key to unleashing data value in the era of massive data growth powered by AI.

“Huawei storage will never stop embracing innovation. We will continue to build our leading solutions and create greater value for customers and the industry,” said Huawei Eastern Africa Enterprise Managing Director Kevin Wenkai.

Wenkai emphasized the need to encrypt technologies embedded in storage systems to safeguard the integrity of the underlying data and mitigate risks of loss, unauthorised access and damages.