When Wikibon introduced the concept of the Server SAN in 2014, “hyper-convergence” was not yet a term in general use, and many considered it to be a small piece of the highly fragmented storage marketplace. Today, writes Wikibon Senior Infrastructure & Cloud Analyst Stu Miniman (@Stu), hyperconverged infrastructure, a primary instantiation of Server SAN, is reaching an adoption tipping point and moving toward becoming the primary form of physical IT infrastructure.

The goal of Server SAN is not simply to move from stand-alone to server-based storage. It is to eliminate the complexities of storage management. The combination of automation of many management tasks and the physical combination of storage with servers, along with the rapid adoption of software-as-a-service and public cloud storage, is causing existential fear among storage professionals who see their jobs disappearing. Changes must occur as the storage management role move to move of a business focus. However, Miniman writes, “When these changes are embraced, practitioners typically successfully learn new skills that are more strategic for career longevity.”

The change is also reshuffling the vendor landscape, in some cases requiring that IT shops change entrenched provider relationships. The changes have catalyzed a wave of new storage practices and start-ups, and traditional market leaders – most notably EMC – are also evolving. Not all of those startups will survive. IT shops need to identify the winners and losers in this marketplace, as the next 12 months will see more change.

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