“AI, NVMe, and Hybrid: How data storage is changing in 2025”
With
exponential data growth and increasing security requirements, IT departments
are under constant pressure. How are modern technologies helping infrastructure
leaders adapt to evolving landscapes? In a discussion with Tony Wu, operating systems and infrastructure expert at Synology, shared
three major trends that are shaping IT infrastructure in 2025: artificial
intelligence, NVMe storage, and hybrid storage solutions. Excerpts of the interview:
Artificial intelligence: From data storage
to data analysis
Q. What trends can we observe in data
storage today?
A. A clear trend is the increasing automation of data handling, not
least through the use of artificial intelligence. Storage solutions are
evolving from mere storage locations to dynamic systems that can independently
analyze data flows, access patterns, and security risks.
Especially in
medium-sized businesses, we see a need to simplify processes while
simultaneously increasing security. AI can play a crucial role in detection,
for example, in the case of a ransomware attack. The use of AI for monitoring
and data security is already in development, but the potential beyond that is
enormous.
NVMe: Speed as standard
Q. What role does NVMe play in business
use cases?
A. NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a game-changer for many
companies. It offers greater speed with lower latency compared to SATA SSDs.
This brings real benefits, especially for data-intensive applications such as
virtualization, video production, or database queries. Synology is implementing
U.3 NVMe in our next-generation enterprise storage products to meet increasing
performance requirements for data access.
Q. Are mechanical hard drives still
relevant considering the advantages NVMe offers?
A. Absolutely. Spinning hard disks are often unfairly labeled as
obsolete, but they remain the most cost-effective solution for large amounts of
data, for example, for backups or long-term archiving.
Hybrid solutions: Flexibility with
security
Q. What’s best for a basic storage
strategy, cloud, on-prem, or hybrid?
A. We get this question often, and there still isn’t a ‘one or the
other’ answer because it ultimately depends on everyone's individual
requirements. There are use cases where the cloud makes perfect sense, for
example using it for off-site backup or for mobile teams. But many medium-sized
companies have data protection requirements or don't want to share sensitive
data outside the company. Hybrid solutions offer a good middle ground here. At
the same time, we're seeing more and more companies returning to on-prem
storage for a variety of reasons including data protection or simply to reduce
licensing expenses, cloud spend, and administrative overhead.
We believe that
all three models, pure cloud, on-premises storage, and hybrid solutions, will
continue to evolve in parallel in the business world. Companies will clearly
align their storage expectations with the requirements of their specific
projects.
Enterprise requirements: What do IT teams
need?
Q. What are the top requirements you see
from medium to large companies?
A. The
requirements are basically the same: security, ease of administration,
scalability, and availability. And of course that all must be within budget
constraints. Many IT departments today, even in large organizations, are
staffed by a small number of people and need solutions that are easy to operate
but still offer enterprise-level functionality.
Q. How does Synology cater to customers in
the enterprise segment?
A. We see our role in making high-end technologies easy to use and
affordable. We offer technologies such as NVMe, immutable snapshots, storage
for virtual machines, and AI-supported monitoring in a package that can be
seamlessly integrated into IT structures. And we do this with a focus on clear
management and reliable data storage, without being overly complex. Making
advanced storage technology accessible to businesses and IT teams of all sizes
is one of our biggest advantages.
Leverage technological change for your
organization
Enterprises
seeking data storage solutions in 2025 need more than simple capacity. Today’s
demands call for intelligent automation, high-performance architecture, and
robust security, all without the overhead of traditional enterprise systems.
Technologies like AI, NVMe, and hybrid cloud storage are no longer niche; they
are essential. Synology empowers IT teams of all sizes to adopt these
innovations with confidence, allowing them to focus on impact rather than
infrastructure. Now is the time to turn change into advantage
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