Pure's Superpowers: Sustainable Technology and a Responsive Supply Chain

This article was written by Wendy Stusrud at Pure Storage.

I love when Pure Storage partners help customers go green. Over the past several years, there has been an increased focus put on the nonfinancial environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors that businesses consider when identifying material risks and growth opportunities. It's not just limited to when companies are upgrading or changing technology. Investors use ESG factors to evaluate where to place bets for good portfolio performance. To Pure, it also means there are great opportunities for our partners to bring more sustainable solutions to customers, faster, than those offered by competitors today.

I'm not at all surprised. In fact, I'm thrilled that Pure's founding design principles (developed more than a decade ago) of doing more with less can help customers have a more sustainable infrastructure, both immediately and over many years. For example, Pure FlashArray™ lowers energy usage by up to 80% compared to competitive all-flash systems—and even more against magnetic disk. Fast forward to June 2022 when we introduced FlashBlade//S™ and its all-QLC design that delivers more performance in a smaller footprint while using less power. Then there's our DirectFlash® technology that delivers unparalleled density and efficiency from flash. This means customers see significant energy reductions above what is possible with solid-state drives (SSDs).

In many places around the world where power consumption is restricted, companies must make critical decisions on which systems get prioritized to keep the business in operation. With this in mind, Pure designs technology that requires a smaller energy footprint. We understand this crucial decision point and work with partners to deliver solutions that will keep businesses running efficiently and continuously. We're so dedicated to providing sustainable solutions that our partners can soon earn a badge after they complete specific training and engagement requirements on ESG, providing visual confirmation of their knowledge to customers and prospects.  

I could go on, but I think you get the idea that Pure's technology is built smarter and designed to last longer. It's what our customers and partners demand.   

It's simple and sustainable

More and more, we're collaborating with our partners to uplevel the sustainability of the storage and data management solutions customers put into their data centers. We were excited to host PNC Bank at Pure//Accelerate® techfest22 where they shared the amazing infrastructure and performance improvements they've achieved with FlashStack®, our software-defined hybrid-cloud infrastructure solution developed in partnership with Cisco. It simplifies data protection, scales to meet new demands, and improves operational efficiency for customers. As PNC designed and implemented a modern infrastructure, they realized an estimated 86% space reduction, thanks to the compact configuration of FlashStack. They attained a 6:1 data reduction and more than $1 million in savings. Not to mention, they've had 100% uptime for more than three years. It's a sustainable solution that will give the bank years of great performance while helping to lessen its impact on the environment.  

We've planned for this type of infrastructure solution since day one. And we're delivering on this vision, both figuratively and literally.

Order in — order up — order delivered

I'll be the first to admit that the last few years have been tough on companies across all industries and of all sizes. Why? Two words:

Supply chain. 

It has caused many product deliveries to be delayed for weeks, months, or even longer and has led to unhappy customers. At Pure, our approach to designing and managing our global supply chain mirrors that of our technology: Keep it simple, keep it sustainable, and minimize potential problems. Our laser focus on a simplified and highly responsive architecture has helped reduce cost and waste and, in turn, alleviate supply chain concerns.

Approximately 97% of arrays deployed six years ago are still in service today, thanks to our Evergreen//Forever™ program. Why is this important? The program results in less e-waste and less need to replace technology as frequently as other vendors might require.

While we've had our own share of challenges, Pure continues to ship our products and solutions faster than most others in the industry. We're proud of our ability to deliver our products within several weeks of accepting an order. Our goal is to help partners help customers be as productive, efficient, and sustainable as possible, as quickly as possible.

Making it right, right now

I've just touched the surface of the importance of ESG to our partners and customers today. We have more to do as we continue to deliver products and solutions that help save power, floor space, and expense while reducing e-waste and impact on the environment. Take a look at our ESG report and then reach out to us to learn how Pure and our partners can help you achieve your sustainability goals sooner… rather than later.