A Technical Marketing Document

Transcription

1 A Technical Marketing Document By Daniel Verbin TWR2009 July 2013

2 Contents Executive Summary... 2 Introduction... 3 Technical Overview... 4 New and Enhanced Features... 6 Success Stories. 10 Conclusion.. 11 Glossary 12 1

3 Executive Summary Seagate Technology s Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) is a next generation data storage devicethe solid state drive (SSD) features solid state memory built into the core architecture of a traditional hard disk drive (HDD), delivering uncompromising speed, performance, and affordability. Seagate s SSHD overcomes the drawback of the high cost of solid state driveswhich average half the size of hard drives in comparable systemsbyincorporating the best of both worlds: a large HDD along with a solid state cache. This cost- effective solution merges the unparalleled speed and reliability of solid state technology with the sought after storage capacity of HDD at a price- performance point only marginally higher than today s large capacity hard drives. Although drive technology has many facets, this document will focus on the features that pertain to speed, performance, reliability and cost. Please see Figure 1 for a features overview. This paper is written for the benefit of IT managers, purchasing managers, office managers, small to medium- sized business owners and self- employed individuals who are tired of the sluggish speeds and endless crashes associated with the HDD, which is rapidly becoming yesterday s technology. These are the users who are desperately seeking modern storage technology coupled with increased performance, speed, and reliability all at an affordable price point. Significantly increases overall system performance versus a standard 7200RPM hard drive. Uses proven solid state storage technolgy NAND-based flash memory for most frequently accessed files. Combines the large storage capacity of HDD and the blazing speeds of SSD with a price-performance point only marginally above HDD. 2

4 Introduction This document s purpose is to introduce you to Seagate s line of solid state hybrid drives (SSHD). It will explain why SSHDs outperform hard disk drives (HDD) when it comes to speed, system performance and price as well as why an SSHD is a better option than a solid state drive (SSD). This document will also discuss some features of Seagate s line of SSHDs that increase productivity. A Brief History of Seagate Technology : Pioneers of affordable hard disk drive technology. : Releases the first inch hard drive, the 5 MB ST : Becomes one of the largest hard drive suppliers in the PC market. : Introduces the high end 7,200 RPM Barracuda line of drives. : Unveils the first 4TB external disk drive. : Unveils groundbreaking 1TB/square inch density storage technology that makes possible the advent of compact 60 TB drives in the future.. : A world leader in HDD, SSD, and SSHD storage. 3

5 Technical Overview 1. Seagate s Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) is a next generation data storage device that features solid state memory built into the core architecture of an HDD. It consists of two drives:a large capacity HDDa smaller SSD cache that stores frequently used files for lightning fast access The purpose of this hybrid technology is to combine speed and system performance with affordability. Since 2011, drive manufacturers have been selling SSDs that are many times faster than a 7,200 rpm high- end HDD. However, due to the higher cost of solid state storage, most SSDs on the market today offer significantly less storage space in order to offer a price comparable to an HDD. For instance, one leading brand name sells its high- end laptops with either a 1TB HDD or a 512 GB SSD*. This forces you to speed storage. Seagate believes you should never have to make such a compromise. solid state hybrid drive is the answer (see Figure 2). Increase response times and improve decision making by deploying laptops with fast, reliable and rugged drives to employees, rather than using desktop computers. Do not worry about HDD crashes. Gain an average of 51 minutes of employee productivity per day with Seagate SSHD equipped laptops or desktops.** Drive these benefits across your entire company, and watch as they act as a productivity multiplier. SSHD pays for itself by quickly delivering higher productivity. For the average office worker, the slightly higher cost for a hybrid drive is earned back after 32 days of increased productivity. After that, the boost in productivity saves your entire organization money.** *Statement accurate as of July, See ** Intel sponsored study of more than 300 PC decision-makers at North American companies 4

6 How it works Seagate s SSHD performs like an SSD with the storage and the cost of an HDD. The drive consists of a large capacity hard disk drive integrated with a solid state cache that features NAND flash- based memory. Store all your data on the HDD while your frequently accessed files are stored in the NAND cache. NAND is faster than regular flash memory holds on to data after a power cut and lasts up to one million write- erase cycles. This hybrid best of both words setup ensures fast performance speeds, increases reliability and boosts workplace productivity. Why is solid state more reliable? NAND- based flash memory houses bits of binary data in memory cells on an integrated circuit board. HDDs use a physical disk and motor to store data, making them prone to physical crashes. SSDs do not have any moving parts (see Figure 3). SSDs will not crash due to jostling and are not susceptible to physical wear. Storing your most frequently accessed files in the SS cache saves the HDD from wear and tear. This enables longer drive life and increases productivity. Installation Seagate s SSHD installs and works just like a traditional hard disk drive with no additional system requirements. Figure 3 New and Enhanced Features 5

7 Seagate s Solid State Hybrid Drives have many different features. This section will focus on the features that set the Seagate SSHD apart from other drives in its class. The following features will be discussed: Seagate Adaptive Memory Technology Seagate Flash Management Improved ifespan Improved peed Seagate Adaptive Memory Technology Adaptive Memory Technology is composed of self- learning software algorithms that coordinate computer hardware, firmware and NAND- based flash memory to maximize performance. This software learns from user behaviour in order to determine which frequently accessed files should be stored in the drive cache's flash memory. Tasks such as updating reports, checking your , or building XML document arelogged by the algorithms in the software. The more you access these files, the faster access becomes until performance speeds reach those similar to an SSD. Benefits: Allows for speed close to that of SSD when accessing frequently used files. Increases the reliability of the cache while reducing the workload. Lowers overall costs allowing for the use of higher speed NAND flash. Seagate Flash Management Seagate's SSHD uses NAND flash- based memory. NAND has long been the industry standard for storage technology in memory cards, digital cameras, USB flash drives, MP3 players, synthesizers, and mobile phones. 6

8 Since 2011, NAND has become commonplace in laptop drives due to its speed and robustness. Its lack of moving parts reduces damage when the laptop is jostled. Unfortunately, the average laptop SSD drive has half the storage capacity or less when compared to a similar level HDD. When you combine HDD for storage and SSD for speed and reliability, you get the best of both worlds: torage along with speed, performance, and reliabilit he more you access your favourite files, the faster their access time becomes. An SSHD offers you the real potential of SS speeds at a price similar to that of a comparably sized HDD.Improved Lifespan Seagate s Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) relies on its flash memory ca for your most frequently accessed files. This reduces the load on the HDD section of the drive, increasing longevity, reliability and performance. Improved Speed The speed of HDDs is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). Physical platters in a hard drive need to spin at faster rates to increase performance. Most of today s desktop and laptop hard drives vary between 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM. You would assume that the RPM measurement is still relevant for an SSHD. However, because the SSHD places frequently used files in its flash memory, there is no need for the drive to retrieve this data from the slower spinning plates in the HDD section. Even file not stored in the cache, the drive is still more efficient at retrieving and opening file due to the reduced workload on the HDD. The following are two independent performance tests that found Seagate s SSHD to be faster than HDD (Figure 4) with a similar response time to SSD (Figure 5). 7

9 Figure 4 8

10 Figure 5 9

11 Success Stories Don t simply take our word for it. Below are real business success stories from users of Seagate s 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive. Works Great in 13" Macbook Pro I am extremely pleased with this drive and would highly recommend it as an upgrade on a Macbook Pro. It is much faster than the stock 500 GB drive that came in late 2012 MacBook Pro. Now I have a fast 1 TB machine. D. Wood, small business owner, March 17, 2013 Good Drive, Five Stars I've been waiting for a product like this for quite some time. Now that it's here, I'm very happy. I'm waiting for a 2 TB model to become available in the future and larger capacities with faster performance and lower prices in the long- term future. SSHDs have a bright future ahead of them I gave it 5 [out of 5] stars because it really does perform quite well under heavy and intensive computing tasks and it delivers satisfactory high speed performance for a fraction of the cost of a comparable solid state drive at its price point. Welly Wu, IT Manager/Consultant, March 12, 2013 Great Compromise and Performance My laptop, like most, came with a 5,400 RPM hard drive. It was starting to be really sluggish. I looked at SSDs; but, for one big enough for my audio and video files, it was about the cost of my laptop. I bought and installed this hybrid drive instead. It really breathed new life into my laptop. Everything is working quickly again. No more lagging. I am very pleased with this drive. Mike Swisher, Purchasing Officer, Zumtech, July 7, 2013 Huge Improvement I'd seen an older MacBook with a SSD before and was expecting some speed improvement but not as much as I received. After installing this drive in our MacBook Pros startup time was cut in half or better. Kim W., Office Manager, Kaboom Demolition, July 2,

12 Conclusion This document introduced you to Seagate s line of solid state hybrid drives. You learned about solid state storage technology and how it differs from traditional hard disk storage. You also learned about the key features that give Seagate s SSHD the performance of a high end SS drive for the price point of a HDD without sacrificing storage capacity. This document also discussed the productivity benefits that come with using SSHDs in the workplace. The statistics are telling. In 2010, more than 653 million computers were sold. Only two percent of these systems did not contain a traditional hard disk drive. * At the ripe old age of 30, HDD is showing no signs of slowing down. However, HDD was not designed with the speeds of today s cutting- edge computer systems in mind. To keep up with the best, you need the best. The HDD has laid the foundation for a new class of next generation drives that combine storage with speeds that get the best out of today s ultra fast machines. Until now, the answer for users who wanted to go beyond a traditional HDD was SS technology with its drastically improved performance. But SSDs are not cost effective. And sacrificing storage space for speed is not a practical solution. For users who want the storage space available with modern HDD but need the fast speeds that only SSDs can provide, Seagate s class of SSHDs is the answer. By combining the large storage capacity of HDD with the high performance of SS you get the best of both worlds for a price point similar to that of a standard HDD. For more information about Seagate s lineup of SSHDs, please go to: hard- drives/laptop- hard- drives/laptop- solid- state- hybrid- drive/ Or call SEAGATE to speak to a customer service representative about how Seagate can help you with your storage needs. * 11

13 Glossary Hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device that uses a physical disk and motors to store data. Solid State Drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies of flash memory instead of a physical disk and motors to store data. Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) is a data storage device that combines the storage capacity of HDD with a SS cache. This device combines fast speeds with modern storage capacity for a price point similar to that of HDD. Cache is a disk buffer in a modern storage device, such as HDD, that is composed of embedded memory. Its job is to act as a buffer between the HDD and the other parts of the computer system in order to speed up access times for frequently used files. Standard 7200RPM Hard Drive is the industry standard speed for a modern fast- speed HDD. 7200RPM drives are typically available in today s computer systems and as external drives. Flash Memory is a data storage technology that houses bits of binary data in memory cells on an integrated circuit board, rather than using the physical disk and motors common to HDDs. NAND- based Flash Memory is faster than regular flash memory and holds on to data after a power cut. Most modern SS drives use NAND- based flash memory for its fast speeds. Seagate Adaptive Memory Technology is composed of self- learning software algorithms that coordinate computer hardware, firmware and NAND- based flash memory to maximize performance. 12