IBM Corp. unveiled the new IBM FlashSystem 5300 on Thursday, a one rack unit that is designed to provide high availability and enterprise-class data services to businesses of all sizes.

The announcement noted the integration of artificial intelligence-powered predictive analytics with Storage Insights as part of the latest release, which included AI-based data placement and automation.

“We took this idea of injecting AI and machine learning down to the hardware layer,” said Scott Baker (pictured, left), chief marketing officer and vice president of IBM Infrastructure Portfolio product marketing at IBM. “Every one of the computational storage devices that are in [the 5300], what we call the FlashCore modules themselves, has the ability to look at the heuristics of data as it comes into the box. This is the future of data storage.”

IBM’s Istanbul’s watch party checked in during the event.

Baker spoke with theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellante and John Furrier at IBM’s “Future-Ready Storage Redefining Data Center Boundaries” event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. He was joined by Ivo Koerner (right), chief revenue officer of IBM Storage, and they discussed how the company’s latest announcements will impact the storage experience. (* Disclosure below.)

IBM offers Storage Assurance to maximize spending

In addition to the FlashSystem 5300 announcement, IBM also debuted a Storage Assurance subscription model that provides regular hardware and software upgrades along with premium-level Expert Care support. This will allow storage customers to maximize their spending and shift focus to pursuing innovative solutions, according to Koerner.

“The money they have for innovation is getting tinier and tinier,” Koerner said. “With the Storage Assurance model, we are freeing up innovation budget, budget that you can the invest in modernizing your application landscape, budget that you can use in implementing innovation like AI. The beauty of the program we started is you get up to date in the newest technology and newest innovation.”

IBM’s announcement of new storage capabilities with the FlashSystem 5300 and its Assurance model highlighted the company’s focus on meeting enterprise customer needs in a challenging economic climate while pursuing the promise of impactful technologies such as AI.

“We want to put one box in the data center that meets their workload needs [and] becomes the foundation for adopting future innovation in a non-disruptive way,” Baker said. “There’s always going to be a focus on how to get the most out of that CapEx budget. IBM is bringing this kind of opportunity to customers through Storage Assurance. Once you invest in Storage Assurance, it’s the last flash array you’ll ever buy.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of IBM’s “Future-Ready Storage Redefining Data Center Boundaries” event:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for IBM’s “Future-Ready Storage Redefining Data Center Boundaries” event. Neither IBM Corp., the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE