Latest news with #dataManagement
Tahawul Tech
2 days ago
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
'It's time to stop managing storage and start managing data.' Charles Giancarlo, Pure Storage CEO
Pure Storage has introduced the Enterprise Data Cloud (EDC), a bold new standard in data and storage management simplicity that enables organizations to focus on business outcomes, not infrastructure. Fuelled by AI, data volumes are rising and business demands are evolving faster than ever. Traditional storage models create fragmentation, silos, and uncontrolled data sprawl. Organizations must adapt by shifting their mindset from managing storage to understanding how, where, and why their data is used. This will empower companies to reduce risks, costs, and operational inefficiencies. Solving the Problem of Data Management with an Enterprise Data Cloud An EDC is an industry-changing architectural approach to data storage and management. It gives organizations the ability to easily manage their data across their estate with unrivaled agility, efficiency and simplicity. With an EDC architecture, IT teams centrally manage a virtualized cloud of data with unified control — spanning on-premises, public cloud, and hybrid — enabling intelligent, autonomous data management and governance across the entire environment. Delivering the Enterprise Data Cloud with the Pure Storage Platform With an EDC architecture, organizations are better equipped to manage data at scale, reducing risk, and gaining increased control and insight across all environments. Redefining how data is delivered, governed, and consumed, the Pure Storage platform allows customers to build out their own EDC. The platform gives organizations the ability to unify data from across their estate into a virtualized cloud of data that is governed by an intelligent control plane for easy management, and delivered as a service. 'It's time to stop managing storage and start managing data. With AI increasing the potential value of enterprise data, and cyber-threats imperiling it, data storage architectures and the tools for managing data have not kept pace. Only Pure Storage has innovated an architectural approach that enables enterprise customers to manage their global data estate. Pure Fusion allows customers to create their own global Enterprise Data Cloud empowering them to manage their data with the control, automation and tracking needed to lead in a data-driven world,' said Charles Giancarlo, Chairman and CEO, Pure Storage. At the heart of this autonomous platform is Pure Fusion™, unifying storage as a pool of adaptable resources. Pure Fusion is natively built into the arrays, which are self-discoverable so they can automatically discover a broader fleet without requiring in-depth storage admin configuration. Administrators can manage the fleet from any system because every array is an endpoint. NEW: Pure Fusion with Workload Automation Pure Fusion now has presets and remote provisioning for fleetwide file, block and object. Admins have increased flexibility based on the specific needs of each workload and no longer need to pre-plan and tune deployments, which reduces risk of non-compliance and improves resiliency by ensuring that workloads are provisioned correctly from the beginning. Reducing the Risk of Human Error and Strengthening Security Today, enterprises struggle with increased risk, lack of compliance and inefficiencies resulting from manual operations around provisioning, migration and more. To eliminate these issues, automation spans the full stack of the platform with policy-driven orchestration and self-service capabilities. Built-in compliance and improved cyber resilience embedded across the platform further minimize risk through security and governance policies. These new capabilities completely redefine intelligent storage management. NEW: Workflow Orchestration The Pure Storage platform now delivers orchestrated workflows that can be deployed across the entire IT environment. Built on the thousands of existing connectors to third-party applications including Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, ServiceNow and Slack, presets and application 'recipes' can be easily deployed across storage, compute, network, database and application configurations. Customers will be able to run pre-set recipes or build custom ones specific for their environment, or utilize partner recipes for application to infrastructure automation. NEW: World Class Anomaly Threat Detection with Rubrik Security Cloud Rubrik is the first cyber recovery partner to integrate with Pure Fusion and its new workflow orchestration, streamlining cyber recovery across data environments. When Rubrik Security Cloud detects a threat, Pure Fusion automates the tagging of indelible SafeMode snapshots with Rubrik's ransomware scanning — pinpointing clean data for fast restore. For surgical or granular recovery needs, Rubrik backups provide a secondary path. Managed through Pure1 Workflow Automation, this integration reduces manual effort, improves compliance, and delivers near-zero RTO — so organizations can recover quickly and confidently with minimal disruption. NEW: CrowdStrike LogScale and Pure Storage Hunt Threats and Retain Logs CrowdStrike and Pure Storage have partnered to deliver the first validated on-premises storage solution specifically optimized for Falcon LogScale deployments. Combining Pure Storage's resilient, secure, high-performance storage infrastructure with Falcon LogScale's powerful log analytics, instant search, and security capabilities, organizations gain unmatched scalability and accelerated threat detection, hunting, investigation and response — while maintaining the control of on-premises, self-hosted environments. NEW: Pure Protect VMware to VMware Recovery Now offering recovery for VMware to VMware, in addition to recovery to AWS, on-premises to cloud, and self-service disaster recovery assessments, Pure Protect™ is designed for today's hybrid environments, streamlining recovery workflows with on-demand recovery and flexible failover options so customers can cost-effectively maintain business continuity. NEW: AI Copilot is now Generally Available The AI Copilot is an always-on assistant that delivers personalized, fleet-aware insights — with agents available for topics including security information, performance issues, digital commerce, sustainable operations, and support center. Matt Kimball, Vice President & Principal Analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy, noted, 'Pure's Enterprise Data Cloud represents a tangible shift in how enterprises manage data and represents real change at the architectural level. By abstracting the complexity of hybrid environments into a unified, policy-driven platform, Pure is enabling organizations to bring clarity and control to data management at scale. With automation, intelligence, and simplicity built in, Pure is delivering on the vision of an enterprise data cloud in a way that's actionable today. It's a bold, thoughtful approach — and one that sets a new bar for the industry.' The full benefits of an Enterprise Data Cloud require a platform created from the ground up to enable this model. Pure Storage brings together infrastructure, intelligence, and integrated services into one consistent experience.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Pure Introduces Products That Manage Data For A Post AI Training World
Pure Storage Sign At the Pure Storage Accelerate Event in Las Vegas the company announced next generation solid state storage products with capacities up to 300TB and its Enterprise Data Cloud a storage and data management system that is intended to simplify data management. These products should provide primary storage for heavy data workloads including AI training and inference. Pure introduced new FlashArrays, a new FlashBlade and new Direct Flash Modules. The FlashArray//XL R5, shown below, has raw storage capacities up to 1.9PB and can run up to 200% more transactions per rack unit. Pure Storage FlashArray//XL R5 The FlashArray//ST is geared for high performance, providing more than 10 M input/output operations per second. The company also introduced a FlashBlade//S R2. The FlashArray's have native S3 implementation and support block, file and object storage. Pure has doubled the storage density of the QLC Direct Flash Modules to 300TB. One of these DFMs is shown below. These are custom solid state drive modules designed by Pure. The higher capacity in one drive results in higher energy efficiency and smaller rack space for a given storage capacity. Pure Direct Flash Module John Cosgrove, founder of Pure told me that their DFMs have 1/10th the error rate of other SSDs. This is because they understand and can control the sources of errors better. For instance, half of SSD failures are due to communication bugs with PCIe, but they implement solutions that avoid these communication failures. The company also understands which NAND flash die in the DFMs are more susceptible to failure and takes steps to ensure that any failures don't impact overall performance. As a consequence, even with such large NAND flash capacity the DFMs avoid major drive rebuilds that may be required for other SSDs. This provides reliable data access. Pure's Enterprise Data Cloud provides unified storage access to data on-premise, in the cloud or hosted as shown below. Pure Enterprise Data Cloud The Data Cloud is built up from layers of hardware and software. The evergreen architecture includes Pure Storage Flash Systems, their Blades and Arrays and SLAs that the company says provide financial and operational flexibility by offering a hardware purchase with a consumption-based subscription with hardware replaced over time. The virtualized cloud of storage can manage 100's of storage systems like they are one system. The control plane offers intelligent automation and orchestration of workflows, real-time observability as well as predictive analytics and insights. The later includes anomaly detection and and cyber assessments. A variety of service can be run on the Data Cloud. Pure has partnered with Rubrik to enhance cloud security. Pure Fusion provides work load automation. CrowdStrike provides LogScale integration to enable immutable resilient storage. PureProtect VMware to VMware on-demand recovery is supported as is AI Copilot for easy interaction of the Data Cloud. Patrick Smith, Field CTO for EMEA led a customer panel where they discussed how with foundational models available through intensive AI training these models can be fine-tuned and customized for particular applications that deliver an acceptable degree of accuracy for a particular application. Such fine tuning of existing models rather than creating new models requires much less effort and energy to accomplish. DeepSeek's introduction in January 2025 was an example of such an approach. Nvidia and others have referred to the increasing use of existing foundational models for AI inference solutions as the Post Training World. This post training world requires less intensive computing but it is heavily dependent upon real time data management and solutions. This is an area where companies like Pure Storage hope to provide primary storage to support existing model fine tuning and inference to solve real world solutions in a variety of industries. Pure Storage introduced new hardware including 300TB DFM, FlashArrays and a new FlashBlade along with its Enterprise Data Cloud for managing and protecting on-premise, cloud and hosted data to enable a post-AI training world.
Geeky Gadgets
4 days ago
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Microsoft Makes Advanced Excel Features Free for All Users
Have you ever hesitated to explore a powerful tool because of a paywall? For years, some of Excel's most advanced features were locked behind a subscription, leaving countless users wondering what they were missing. But now, Microsoft has made a bold move that's turning heads: a previously paid Excel feature is now completely free for all users. This isn't just about saving money—it's a fantastic option for students, small businesses, and anyone who relies on Excel for data management. By removing this financial barrier, Microsoft is reshaping how we think about accessibility and productivity in the digital age. So, what does this mean for you? Whether you're a seasoned data analyst or someone just learning the ropes, this update opens the door to advanced Excel functionality without the cost. Imagine automating tedious tasks, reducing human error, and streamlining your workflow—all with tools that were once reserved for premium users. In this deep dive, Excel Campus explore how this shift impacts users across the board and why it's a strategic win for Microsoft. But more importantly, we'll uncover how you can harness this newfound accessibility to work smarter, not harder. The possibilities might just surprise you. Excel Features Now Free Details of the Update A feature that was once restricted to premium subscribers has been made universally accessible at no cost. While Microsoft has not explicitly outlined its motivations, this move aligns with its ongoing mission to provide widespread access to access to essential tools within the Office suite. By eliminating the paywall, Microsoft is empowering users to explore advanced Excel functionality without budgetary concerns. This change is particularly impactful for individuals and organizations that rely on Excel for data management and analysis. It reflects Microsoft's broader strategy to ensure that its tools remain relevant and accessible in an increasingly competitive market. Why This Change is Important The decision to make this feature free has far-reaching implications for various user groups. It is especially beneficial for: Students who depend on Excel for academic projects and research. Small businesses that operate with limited financial resources. Non-profit organizations aiming to optimize operations without additional costs. This update also caters to users with diverse levels of technical expertise. The feature simplifies complex tasks, making it easier for beginners to navigate while still offering advanced functionality for experienced users. By addressing the needs of a wide audience, Microsoft is reinforcing Excel's position as a versatile tool for both personal and professional use. Microsoft Just Made Excel's Best Tool Free Watch this video on YouTube. Discover other guides from our vast content that could be of interest on Excel functions. Enhanced Usability and Productivity The newly free feature integrates seamlessly with Excel's existing tools, requiring no additional setup or extensive learning. Whether you're analyzing data, creating reports, or automating repetitive tasks, this functionality is designed to: Streamline workflows, saving valuable time. Reduce errors through automation and advanced formulas. Boost productivity for users at all skill levels. For instance, tasks that previously required manual effort can now be automated, allowing users to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their work. This improvement ensures that Excel remains a practical and efficient tool for managing data, regardless of the user's expertise. Strategic Implications for Microsoft This update is more than just a feature enhancement—it's a strategic move that underscores Microsoft's broader goals. By offering more free features, the company is positioning itself as a leader in accessibility and user-centric design. Additionally, this decision strengthens Microsoft's competitive edge. Users of alternative spreadsheet tools may now find Excel's enhanced value proposition difficult to overlook. By lowering barriers to entry, Microsoft is making a compelling case for why Excel should remain the preferred choice for data management and analysis. How to Take Advantage of This Update If you're an Excel user, this update presents an excellent opportunity to explore new capabilities without incurring additional costs. Here's how you can make the most of it: Ensure your Excel application is updated to the latest version to access the feature. Experiment with the functionality to understand its potential benefits for your workflows. Incorporate the feature into your regular tasks to enhance efficiency and accuracy. By using this newly available tool, you can optimize your processes and achieve better results, whether you're managing personal finances, running a business, or conducting data analysis. Looking Ahead Microsoft's decision to make this feature free highlights its dedication to innovation and inclusivity. As the company continues to refine its software, users can anticipate further updates aimed at improving functionality and accessibility. This change exemplifies how technology can break down barriers to productivity, allowing users to achieve more with fewer limitations. Whether you're a casual user or a data professional, this update reinforces Excel's role as a cornerstone of modern data management. By prioritizing usability and accessibility, Microsoft is making sure that its tools remain indispensable in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Media Credit: Excel Campus – Jon Filed Under: Guides, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
What It Means To Be 'AI-Ready'
David William Silva is CEO at DataHubz, with the mission of providing organizations with AI-powered data management. "AI-ready" is a term that is increasingly appearing in boardroom discussions, strategic plans and marketing materials. Many technology providers are presenting their solutions as "AI-ready," and business leaders are adopting the term with enthusiasm. A rising chorus echoes through corporate halls: "We need to make sure we are AI-ready." But what does it really mean? Is it just a new buzzword, or is there a clear path behind it? It seems worth exploring what being AI-ready truly entails, why so many organizations are searching for it and how to take meaningful steps toward achieving it. The motivation is simple: AI brings real, tangible benefits to businesses of all sizes. Among other benefits, companies that thoughtfully integrate AI technologies are seeing major boosts in efficiency, competitiveness and innovation. It starts from the top. After having already transformed the retail industry, Amazon uses AI to optimize its supply chain and personalize product recommendations, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and operational savings. In healthcare, AI models assist in early disease detection, improving outcomes and reducing costs. From small businesses to academia and government, AI is being used for combating chronic stress, early disease detection and skin cancer self-exams. It's no exaggeration to say that the possibilities are endless, so it's no wonder leaders are racing to join the AI train. Standardization of emerging technologies is strongly motivated by the adoption factor. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what AI can generally do for businesses of all sizes, across many industries. Here are the key general advantages: • Automation: AI excels at automating routine, repetitive, well-defined tasks such as invoice processing, scheduling or handling standard customer support queries. These processes often require human effort but little decision-making complexity. Automating them can free up time, reduce errors and boost productivity. Example: In the logistics industry, machine learning models and optical character recognition (OCR) are used to classify and extract data from documents such as bills and invoices, transforming what was once a slow, manual process into a rapid, automatic one. • Intelligence: AI can identify patterns, classify data and extract insights from large datasets far beyond human capability. It's particularly useful in areas like predictive analytics, real-time monitoring and summarizing unstructured data like emails or documents. Example: In the clothing industry, AI is being used to supercharge data analytics for predicting consumer trends. Through the analysis of extensive data from purchases, web browsing, retail partner sales and loyalty programs across dozens of countries and thousands of distribution points, Levi's employs machine learning algorithms to gain insights into purchasing behaviors, leading to gains in customer insights and a 15% increase in sales. • Interaction: AI enables new forms of interaction through natural language processing, chatbots, voice assistants and generative AI. These interfaces can streamline communication, provide instant responses and even create new content. Example: Consulting firms are using AI to provide digital agents capable of autonomously performing tasks like financial management and tax compliance. These AI agents aim to increase productivity and reduce costs by automating routine tasks, thereby transforming business operations. In the face of such transformative technology with lasting implications, the desire to be AI-ready makes sense. But here's the reality: Many organizations aren't actually in a position to benefit from AI (yet). Some companies lack structured databases. Others operate with disconnected systems and manual processes. There's no central data strategy, no integration and no clear visibility into operations. In these cases, AI adoption may not just be ineffective; it may also create more confusion. Being AI-ready doesn't mean just plugging in an AI tool. It means having the foundations and the environment that allow AI to work the best way possible: In short, one organization must first 'put the house in order' before installing the AI engine for the sake of benefiting from AI without extra overhead and a heavy dose of confusion. The good news is that becoming AI-ready is perfectly doable and accessible to organizations of all sizes. Here are some essential steps toward becoming AI-ready: Ironically, AI itself can support the journey toward AI readiness. Tools like intelligent document processing, process mining and low-code automation platforms can help identify inefficiencies, manipulation and unstructured data, guiding organizations step-by-step into the digital future. AI readiness is not about chasing a trend or buying the flashiest new tools; it's about building the right foundation, including having clean data, integrated systems, clear processes and a mindset open to change. Organizations that take this approach will not only be prepared for AI, but they will also be competitively positioned in this new era of business. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Geeky Gadgets
5 days ago
- Geeky Gadgets
Master the Art of Combining Excel Files with Different Sheet Names with Power Query
Have you ever faced the frustration of trying to combine multiple Excel files, only to realize their sheet names don't match? It's a common headache for anyone working with data from varied sources. Manually sifting through files, renaming sheets, and copying data is not only tedious but also a recipe for errors. Enter Power Query—a innovative tool built into Excel that can transform this chaotic process into an effortless, automated workflow. With its ability to handle even the most inconsistent file structures, Power Query enables you to consolidate data with precision and speed, no matter how messy the starting point might be. Imagine turning hours of manual work into a task that takes just minutes—this is the promise of Power Query. In the video below Excel Off The Grid shows how Power Query can seamlessly combine Excel files with different sheet names, saving you time and eliminating the risk of human error. From dynamically detecting relevant sheets to automating repetitive tasks, this tool is designed to simplify even the most complex data consolidation challenges. Whether you're managing monthly reports, collaborating with teams, or preparing datasets for analysis, Power Query offers a reliable, scalable solution. By the end, you'll not only understand how to use its powerful features but also gain insights into best practices that will enhance your workflows and data organization. Sometimes, the most fantastic solutions are the ones hiding in plain sight. Power Query for Data Consolidation Why Power Query Simplifies Data Consolidation Power Query is specifically designed to handle complex data consolidation tasks, even when working with files that have varying structures or inconsistent sheet names. Instead of manually copying and pasting data from each file, Power Query enables you to extract, transform, and combine information from multiple Excel files into a single, unified dataset. This approach not only saves time but also significantly reduces the risk of human error. For instance, consider a scenario where you have a folder filled with Excel files, each containing a sheet with similar data but different names. Power Query can automatically identify and extract the relevant sheets, consolidating the data into a single table. By doing so, it eliminates the need to manually standardize sheet names, making the process faster, more reliable, and less prone to mistakes. Dealing with Inconsistent File Structures One of the most powerful features of Power Query is its ability to handle inconsistent file structures. When working with Excel files that have different sheet names or layouts, Power Query can dynamically detect and extract the necessary data. Its advanced transformation tools allow you to filter out irrelevant information, standardize column headers, and ensure the final dataset is consistent and ready for analysis. For example, if some files have a sheet named 'Sales_Data' while others use 'Revenue,' Power Query can be configured to locate and combine data from both sheets. This flexibility is particularly valuable when dealing with datasets from multiple sources or collaborators who may not adhere to a uniform naming convention. By automating this process, Power Query ensures that your data is consolidated accurately, regardless of the variations in file structure. Using Power Query to Combine Excel Files with Different Sheet Names Watch this video on YouTube. Here are more guides from our previous articles and guides related to Power Query that you may find helpful. Automating the Consolidation Process Automation is a key advantage of Power Query, allowing you to save time and effort on repetitive tasks. Once you've set up a query to consolidate data from your Excel files, you can save it and reuse it whenever new files are added to the folder. Power Query will automatically apply the same transformations and update the consolidated dataset with the latest information. This automation is particularly useful for recurring tasks, such as consolidating monthly sales reports from different regions. Instead of manually combining these reports each month, Power Query can automatically process the new files and update the consolidated dataset. This not only saves hours of manual work but also ensures consistency and accuracy across your datasets. Enhancing Workflows and Data Organization By simplifying the process of combining Excel files with varying sheet names, Power Query helps you optimize your workflows and focus on higher-value tasks. Instead of spending time on repetitive data preparation, you can dedicate your efforts to analyzing the consolidated data and generating actionable insights. This streamlined approach enhances both efficiency and the reliability of your analysis. Power Query also improves data organization by consolidating information into a single, structured table. This makes it easier to sort, filter, and analyze your data. Whether you're working with large datasets or preparing reports for stakeholders, Power Query ensures that your data is well-structured, accessible, and ready for use. This level of organization is particularly beneficial when managing complex projects or collaborating with teams. Best Practices for Using Power Query To maximize the benefits of Power Query, consider implementing the following best practices: Organize your files: Store all your Excel files in a dedicated folder to simplify the import process and ensure consistency. Store all your Excel files in a dedicated folder to simplify the import process and ensure consistency. Preview your data: Use Power Query's preview feature to verify your data before applying transformations, reducing the risk of errors. Use Power Query's preview feature to verify your data before applying transformations, reducing the risk of errors. Document your steps: Keep a clear record of each step in your query to maintain transparency and reproducibility, especially when collaborating with others. Keep a clear record of each step in your query to maintain transparency and reproducibility, especially when collaborating with others. Use advanced features: Explore custom functions and other advanced tools in Power Query to handle more complex scenarios and enhance your workflows. By following these tips, you can ensure that your use of Power Query is both efficient and effective, allowing you to tackle even the most complex data consolidation tasks with confidence. Streamlining Data Consolidation with Power Query Combining Excel files with different sheet names no longer needs to be a daunting or time-intensive process. Power Query offers a robust, automated solution for consolidating data, even when faced with inconsistent file structures. By incorporating Power Query into your workflow, you can save time, reduce errors, and improve the organization of your data. Whether you're managing recurring reports, analyzing sales data, or preparing dashboards, Power Query is an essential tool for streamlining your data analysis processes and enhancing your productivity. Media Credit: Excel Off The Grid Filed Under: Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
