Paper Title: Integrating Scale-out Flash Cache into Production Workflows

Paper Abstract: It is often accepted as a matter of fact that applying Flash to an I/O challenge will result in massive efficiency gains. Yet, there are challenges involved with integrating new technologies, be it SAS SSDs or NVMe, into existing workflows. As well, the application of Flash into a complete production workflow can be met with greater or lesser realizations of benefit based on a number of variables. With documented experiences from customers like the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), what are the realities and impacts behind the application of a Flash cache into an existing architecture from an economic, performance and overall ease of implementation standpoint? The end goals of accelerating applications to gain faster or deeper business insight, reducing storage costs, and simplifying overall infrastructure are all profoundly affected by how well Flash storage is architected and applied. This session will discuss contrasting approaches to Flash application and the resultant impacts to production workloads.

Paper Author: Kurt Kuckein, Director or Marketing, DDN Storage

Author Bio: Kurt Kuckein is Director of Marketing for DDN Storage, and is responsible for linking DDN's innovative storage solutions with a customer focused message to create greater awareness and advocacy. In this role, Kurt oversees all marketing aspects including brand development, digital marketing, product marketing, customer relations, and media and analyst communications. Prior to this role, Kurt served as Product Manager for a number of DDN solutions since joining the company in 2015. Previous roles include Product Management and Product Marketing positions at EMC and SGI. Kurt earned an MBA from Santa Clara University and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from University of San Diego.