Are hard drives and solid state drives really solutions?

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One word that is thrown around without much context is the word “solution.”  It seems every company is nearly every walk of business talks about the solutions they offer for business challenge A, or employee pain point B.  With so many solutions to so many problems, how does one really know what is a true solution, and what isn’t?  We at Seagate have been guilty of this in the past with marketing messages describing hard drives as solutions, but are they really?

Sure, different types of hard drives solve different types of challenges for partners and customers alike.  High capacity enterprise nearline hard drives solve the challenge of cost effectively storing massive amounts of data (think Big Data, cloud storage, backup & archive).  High performance hard drives and now SSDs address the need to be able to move data (think OLTP, database, e commerce) and glean information from data faster (think business intelligence and analytics), but in terms of the business end customer, are they solutions?

I would contend no, not in the true sense of the word.  A true solution is something that in and of itself solves a specific problem or business challenge.  It’s the integration of hardware, software, and services that enable a firm in Atlanta, Georgia to store, retrieve, and search millions of documents required for electronic discovery (eDiscovery). It’s Copenhagen Airport’s  ability to store live or recorded pictures from the airport’s cameras on surveillance DVRs, quickly and easily accessing them to deliver much needed security. It’s the post production, creative, production, and consulting company that works with powerful computer workstations and servers as well as new generation file-based cameras to create next-generation video entertainment media.

Largely, these solutions require Seagate partners – innovative companies that leverage our storage features, products, and platforms to bring to market real solutions. Solutions that address challenges associated with safety and security, eDiscovery, and post production, and this is just the beginning.  The launch of Seagate’s Solution Center a little over a year ago continues to evolve.  This week, Seagate launched the Video Surveillance Storage solution center to join a growing list of focus areas for the company that include:  Cloud, Creative Professionals, and SMBs. Seagate’s goal for the Solution Center?

  • Help customers choose the right storage technology for their specific needs.
  • Help customers implement proven solutions available from Seagate’s most strategic partners.
  • Help customers plan for the future with education not only on where storage is today, but where storage is heading.
The key word being “help” because that is what Seagate has always done and will continue to do…enable real solutions.
What solution areas would you like Seagate to focus more on?
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2014-03-06T14:57:16+00:00

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