Dell Brings Multicloud Storage to Cloud Field Day

Ken Nalbone’s LinkedIn article details Dell’s unveiling of their APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud at Cloud Field Day 19, a solution aimed at delivering cross-cloud consistent architecture, performance, and management to enterprise customers.

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Dell Bring's Multicloud Storage to Cloud Field Day

Stop Paying for Resources You Aren’t Using

In this LinkedIn Pulse article, Thomas LaRock advises against over-provisioning cloud resources, comparing it to a rule from a basketball camp: “Take all you can eat. But eat all that you take.” He highlights the common practice of requesting more resources than necessary, leading to wasted resources and higher costs. LaRock introduces Platform9’s Elastic Machine Pool (EMP) as a tool to identify and optimize inefficient Kubernetes deployments, potentially reducing costs by up to 50%. He suggests that managing cloud resources is more of an art than a science and recommends tools like EMP for effective cost optimization, particularly in Kubernetes deployments.

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Stop Paying for Resources You Aren't Using

EKS Cost Optimization From Platform9

As Ken Nalbone writes, Platform9 has re-emerged at Cloud Field Day with significant updates to their product suite, emphasizing their commitment to democratizing cloud computing with a focus on private and edge clouds. Their new Elastic Machine Pool (EMP) solution caught the spotlight, tackling the persistent issue of Kubernetes cost optimization, contrasting typical FinOps strategies by targeting both cost-saving and compute optimization. Platform9’s proactive approach, exemplified by EMP’s ability to efficiently scale resources on AWS without disruptions, underscores a pragmatic recognition of the organizational challenges in application optimization and presents a tailored niche in the cloud management market.

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EKS Cost Optimization From Platform9

Multi-Cloud in 2024

Selecting the right cloud infrastructure—be it multi-cloud, hybrid-cloud, VMs, or bare-metal—hinges on specific workload requirements and the scale of service operations across various regions. This DEV article by Michael Levan delves into multi-cloud strategies, utilizing different clouds for diverse services or regions, and integrates the efficiency of Dell’s APEX storage, which boasts cost savings and multi-cloud capabilities. While Dell APEX offers considerable storage improvements, the decision to switch from standard cloud storage solutions may depend on the scale of the enterprise and specific storage needs.

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Multi-Cloud in 2024

CFD19 – Going From Ground to Cloud and Back With Dell

Cloud Field Day 19’s second day commenced at Dell’s Executive Briefing Center in Santa Clara, unveiling the multi-cloud orchestration capabilities of Dell’s APEX platform, particularly highlighting APEX Console and Navigator for managing multicloud storage. Dell’s APEX Block Storage offers novel choices for extreme performance and hybrid cloud mobility, either through marketplace procurement or direct purchase options. Important insights emerged around the simplicity of deploying APEX solutions and APEX Cloud Platform’s potential to streamline on-prem “private cloud” operations, demonstrating Dell’s commitment to simplifying cloud-to-ground integration for administrators. Learn more in this article by Field Day delegate Matt Allford.

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CFD19 - Going From Ground to Cloud and Back With Dell

Accelerating Data Analytics With Neuroblade

NeuroBlade is pushing forward with a novel contribution, the SPU or SQL Processing Unit, which Ned Bellavance learned about at Cloud Field Day. Addressing the data explosion and the limits of current processing hardware, NeuroBlade’s SPU aims to fill a gap neither CPUs nor GPUs can, providing significant performance improvements tailored to SQL queries. Targeting primarily bare-metal deployments, the SPU boasts a 30x performance increase over traditional hardware, potentially offering a transformative advancement in data analytics performance.

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Accelerating Data Analytics With Neuroblade

SoftIron: Bringing Private Cloud in a Box to the Enterprise

Following their recent press release, SoftIron made an impression on Ken Nalbone at Cloud Field Day 19 with their proprietary on-prem private cloud stack, boasting end-to-end control over a solution that is both software and hardware inclusive, often referred to as secure providence. Contrary to solutions pieced together with components from various suppliers, SoftIron’s HyperCloud presents a cloud-native infrastructure designed for easy deployment, management, and scale on premises. Differentiated by custom design and competitive prices despite utilizing third-party chips like AMD’s, SoftIron’s approach addresses the need for a unified, consumption-driven private cloud offering, representing a burgeoning alternative in the space traditionally occupied by giants like VMware.

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SoftIron: Bringing Private Cloud in a Box to the Enterprise

Why Build a Storage Array in the Cloud?

In this LinkedIn Pulse article, Ned Bellavance discusses the challenges of multicloud environments and introduces Dell Technologies’ APEX Block Storage, a solution aiming to provide consistent, high-performance storage across various public cloud vendors and private data centers.

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Why Build a Storage Array in the Cloud?

Performance Optimization (Platform 9 Edition)

Performance optimization is critical for ensuring the efficiency and efficacy of applications, whether they are deployed on the cloud, using bare metal, or with Kubernetes, as highlighted by Michael Levan. At the heart of performance optimization are three key questions regarding the expected performance, knowledge of how applications are performing, and data to understand this performance, all of which are addressed in this insightful blog post. Platform 9 offers tools like Proactive Ops and Elastic Machine Pool (EMP) to aid in these efforts, providing a robust management plane and smart scaling solutions to maintain optimal resource utilization and reduce costs.

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Performance Optimization (Platform 9 Edition)

SoftIron HyperCloud Is True Private Cloud

Cloud repatriation is a hot topic, as Ned Bellavance discusses in this LinkedIn Pulse article. At Cloud Field Day 19, SoftIron’s HyperCloud offering emerged as a noteworthy solution, promising a cohesive private cloud experience with their own U.S. and Australia-manufactured hardware and tight integration of custom-built software. This ‘true’ private cloud solution differs from the piecemeal approach others take, aiming to provide an alternative pathway for those considering moving off VMware or repatriating workloads back from the public cloud.

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SoftIron HyperCloud Is True Private Cloud

Boosting ML and AI Workloads (Neuroblade)

To hasten the development of Large Language Models and AI/ML workloads, NeuroBlade’s innovative SPU hardware, pluggable into a PCIe slot, promises to amplify existing GPU capabilities by around 30%. As computational demands escalate, particularly for the training of intelligent models, the SPU aims to significantly boost server performance, potentially relieving some pressure from the surging GPU market. To Michael Levan, this advancement serves as a testament to Neuroblade’s commitment to accelerating the pace at which AI and ML technologies evolve and become more efficient.

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Boosting ML and AI Workloads (Neuroblade)

Hybrid and Private Cloud (Enter Softiron)

As businesses re-evaluate cloud strategies, the concept of cloud repatriation becomes increasingly relevant, making the case for bringing select workloads back to private datacenters. Key to a successful private cloud strategy is the ability to scale; solutions offered by companies like SoftIron facilitate scaling out to public clouds, ensuring flexibility and extending storage capabilities beyond on-prem limitations. Read on in this DEV Community article by Michael Levan.

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Hybrid and Private Cloud (Enter Softiron)

An Introduction to NeuroBlade

Opening Cloud Field Day 19, Elad Sity, CEO and Founder of NeuroBlade, highlighted the company’s mission to revolutionize big data analytics through hardware acceleration. Boasting a team of over 120 employees and substantial funding, NeuroBlade is pioneering the SQL Processing Unit (SPU), which promises significant performance boosts for data queries at reduced costs. With strategic partnerships and clients like Meta, NeuroBlade is poised to redefine the trajectory of data analytics efficiency, although the extent of their collaboration with major cloud providers remains a question for Ken Nalbone.

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An Introduction to NeuroBlade

Wyebot – Wireless Intelligence Platform

Wyebot’s Wireless Intelligence Platform (WIP) took the spotlight at Mobility Field Day with its proactive approach to eliminating Wi-Fi issues. Through their platform’s efficient analysis and optimization capabilities, site-specific Wi-Fi challenges such as network performance and client connectivity are addressed without delay. This integration of WIP into the Meraki Market and Ecosystem exemplifies Wyebot’s stride towards streamlining WLAN management and enhancing remote network visibility for practitioners.

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Wyebot – Wireless Intelligence Platform

Spinning Disk Use Cases Are Getting Smaller

Jim Jones shares his perspective on the evolving landscape of data storage, noting the diminishing number of use cases for spinning disk technology in his latest blog post. As the performance gap between spinning disks and SSDs continues to widen, he explores the implications for enterprises and their storage strategies. Dive into his analysis to understand the current state of storage solutions and the direction in which the industry is headed.

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Spinning Disk Use Cases Are Getting Smaller

Improving the Accuracy of Domain-Specific Information of Large Language Models With Ben Young

Ben Young’s Ignite Talk at Edge Field Day delved into the challenges of large language models (LLMs) and introduced a potential solution through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Using RAG, Young crafted a chatbot that leverages the Veeam knowledge base to accurately deliver domain-specific information without the need for retraining. His work demonstrated how this AI framework can fine-tune LLM responses, ensuring accuracy and up-to-dateness by incorporating external context and authoritative data sources. Give the article a read at Gestalt IT and watch the Ignite Talk here on the Tech Field Day website.

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Improving the Accuracy of Domain-Specific Information of Large Language Models With Ben Young

Next-Level Client Wi-Fi Visibility With Cisco’s Three-Way Partnership

Cisco is elevating enterprise Wi-Fi monitoring and optimization through a data-centric approach, as discussed by Minse Kim at Mobility Field Day. Their strategic partnerships with leading device vendors, prominently including Samsung, Intel, and Apple, allow unprecedented access to extended device data, fostering better Wi-Fi experiences for the end user. By harnessing rich analytics from millions of devices in the Meraki Cloud, this collaboration is redefining troubleshooting and operational efficiency in Wi-Fi networks. Read about it at Gestalt IT or watch Cisco’s presentation from the Mobility Field Day event here at the website.

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Next-Level Client Wi-Fi Visibility With Cisco’s Three-Way Partnership

Edge Field Day: The Value of High-Density Storage at the Edge

Discover the transformative potential of high-density storage at the edge through this series of Edge Field Day videos presented by Solidigm. Roger Corell, Jeniece Wnorowski, and Tahmid Rahman draw upon their extensive backgrounds in data center storage solutions to illuminate the advantages and applications of Solidigm’s cutting-edge SSD innovations. With a focus on product positioning and real-world integration, these presentations provide a deep dive into how high-density storage is reshaping data management at the network edge.

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Edge Field Day: The Value of High-Density Storage at the Edge

Cloud Field Day 18: Private Data Center as Easy as Cloud

Juniper Networks’ recent presentation at Cloud Field Day 18 showcased their vision for a secure and automated data center ecosystem, leveraging AI to propel data center networking into a new era of simplicity and efficiency. Their approach promises to make the operation of private data centers as effortless as cloud services, optimizing performance while enhancing security. To delve deeper into their cutting-edge strategies for transforming data center management, check out the insights and technological advancements discussed in this blog post.

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Cloud Field Day 18: Private Data Center as Easy as Cloud

Catalyst Gets a Meraki Makeover With the Catalyst 9300-M Switch Series

Cisco’s Catalyst 9300 series switches have been given a “Meraki makeover,” offering the robust performance of Catalyst with the seamless, intuitive user experience of Meraki, right from Day 0. This hybrid approach promises to simplify network management for customers familiar with Catalyst’s reliability but eager for Meraki’s agile management and cloud integration, as demonstrated during Cisco’s recent Networking Field Day event. Catalyst Meraki 9300 series, touted for its adaptability and security features like Adaptive Policy, bridges hardware legacy and modern cloud management, streamlining operations for the most demanding network environments. Read the article at Gestalt IT, or watch the presentation from the Networking Field Day event here on the website.

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Catalyst Gets a Meraki Makeover With the Catalyst 9300-M Switch Series