Reading Time: 6 minutes

In a dynamic digital landscape, enterprise IT managers are confronted with hyper-escalating complexity and commensurate business challenges. They need command and control to manage extensive storage volumes, deal with spiraling costs, and control the entire data estate despite its unrelenting expansion.

In fact, more than 50% of organizations are grappling with data sprawl and bloat. The average employee uses 37 tools for daily work, and 70% of these tools are utilized for unstructured data. And nothing underscores the magnitude of data’s promise and specter than the rise of artificial intelligence. Experts say getting the most from unstructured data using AI requires important strategic consideration.

Unified data management is essential. Command and control of data is crucial to maintain operational efficiency, ensure data integrity, and optimize IT and storage resources. Panzura delivers file and object data management solutions that address these challenges and, perhaps most importantly, convey measurable business advantages. 

Panzura’s technology is built for the cloud, offering a hybrid cloud model that makes secure unstructured management accessible for enterprises. It’s a radical rethink of how to handle data, how value can be extracted from it, and how the status quo of legacy file and object storage systems is no longer fit for purpose in a world of AI and borderless workforces. 

One of the distinctive advantages of Panzura technology is its ability to transform cloud storage into a global file system. This capability means large matrix organizations can utilize the cloud as a high-performance, globally available data center. The centralized command-and-control structure allows them to deduplicate and consolidate data for a dramatically reduced overall unstructured data storage footprint. 

Panzura data management platforms can together be considered a nascent data fabric. As an architecture and set of data services that provide consistent capabilities across a choice of endpoints spanning hybrid cloud environments, Panzura is on a path to simplify and integrate data storage for seamless data access, sharing, and governance. 

Data fabrics and real-time analytics consume internal, external, and edge data to meet future IT and business demands. However, 43% of IT decisionmakers fear their IT infrastructure won’t handle future data requirements. Interoperability is at the heart of Panzura’s innovation strategy. Data is always routed to the correct storage solution while also optimizing workflows. Both technologists and business leaders can rest assured that Panzura technology is ready to handle their future data requirements. 

Conquer data deluge for cost-effective growth 

Command and control ensure that enterprises can manage their data efficiently and securely. For instance, Skyscanner, a trailblazer in the travel industry, leveraged Panzura’s global file system for secure and reliable file data management. They now have immediate file consistency and local-feeling performance for every user, regardless of location. The result is lower operational costs and higher productivity.

Other organizations, such as a global pay-tech provider, have achieved an average reduction of 70% in stored data volume across AWS and Microsoft Azure through granular file deduplication and compression. 

Panzura’s comprehensive data services platform, Panzura Symphony, plays a vital role in complementing these command-and-control capabilities. It allows data to be managed and mobilized by any attribute, massively streamlining the application of complex data governance rules. Organizations can take action and automatically route data assets to the correct location at precisely the right time. They accrue the benefits of data by simplifying its adoption, implementation and integration. 

This comes into focus when considering that the volume of data generated and stored in the enterprise has been growing at an astounding rate. According to IDC, the global datasphere is expected to reach 175 zettabytes by 2025. This poses significant headwinds for IT and operations teams whom are already struggling to efficiently manage storage infrastructure. 

Command and control of data becomes increasingly critical in this context. With the increase in data volume, storage costs can quickly spiral. Traditional storage solutions often require considerable capital expenditure for hardware, software, and maintenance. Additionally, the ongoing operational costs associated with managing and scaling these systems can severely strain IT budgets. 

Panzura addresses this issue by leveraging the power of cloud storage. Organizations can take advantage of scalable, cost-effective storage solutions by shifting data to the cloud. While exact figures are hard to pin down, especially as operational, structural, and business requirements vary greatly, cloud storage can radically reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to on-premises storage. This shift not only provides cost savings but also ramps up the command-and-control capabilities of ITOps and DataOps teams. They can handle data more intelligently in support of broader business goals and maintain better oversight over data infrastructure. 

Fluor, a multinational engineering and construction firm with more than 45,000 employees, is a good example. They rely on file data technology in Panzura CloudFS to boost security, yield, and optimize storage. The firm faced high latency between different sites, which Panzura resolved with real-time file locking and synchronization. This improved collaboration and output among teams across dispersed locations, contributing to both the top and bottom lines.

Better data visibility for enhanced collaboration 

Panzura’s data mobilization and management capabilities also play a crucial role in addressing data growth and cost challenges. The Panzura Symphony data services platform helps technologists control and inspect unstructured data across private storage and the cloud with complete interoperability between file system deployments and various storage environments. Data is always routed to the most cost-efficient storage option or tier. This sharpens command and control over vendor and hardware lock-in. 

Another critical challenge IT teams and business leaders face is gaining visibility over their data. Traditional storage systems often result in data silos that obstruct and limit a much-needed view of the entire data landscape.

This lack of visibility can lead to inefficiencies, redundancy, and compliance risks. Moreover, up to 80% of enterprise data remains relatively untouched or unanalyzed after its creation. Unstructured data accounts for the vast majority of data collected, yet only half is analyzed. 

Panzura provides data management and services that offer real-time visibility, control, and operations for all unstructured file and object data. This is delivered via unified, “single pane of glass” platforms that let IT managers and line-of-business (LoB) leaders monitor, manage, and move data with ease. 

Advanced analytics and reporting provide valuable insights into data usage patterns, identify potential bottlenecks, and optimize storage resources. This is a key component of effective command and control of data because it helps IT managers, for instance, make smarter decisions and better protect data. 

Ensure AI can access data without friction

As more data is processed through AI pipelines, including Large Language Models (LLMs), command and control takes on new contours. Nearly 80% of new data pipelines will be for ingesting, processing, and storing unstructured data. Organizations that fail to adopt and integrate AI technologies into their data workflows risk falling behind. The result jeopardizes their market position and long-term viability. 

Enterprise organizations are feeling the urgency to integrate AI into their data workflows. Among standout features of Panzura is its global namespace capability. This allows technologists to create a unified view of all data, regardless of where it is stored. A global namespace also ensures that AI models and workflows can access data seamlessly. This eliminates the need for complex data migrations or multiple data access points, streamlining the integration process. 

It also enables immediate file consistency across all locations. This is crucial for AI workflows that rely on real-time data processing and analysis. Consistent data ensures that AI models are trained and operate on the most up-to-date information, improving accuracy and reliability. 

As AI and other types of advanced workflows often involve processing massive volumes of data, the scalability offered by a global namespace allows for efficient data infrastructure management. Like complex enterprise workstreams, AI projects inexorably rely on collaboration among specialized teams in multiple locations. A global namespace makes data sharing and collective work seamless, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the same data sets. 

However, data accessibility must be balanced with command and control over data protection and security. An Illinois hospital exemplifies this balance. Their implementation of the Panzura hybrid cloud file platform thwarted a potentially catastrophic ransomware attack. Leveraging the inherent immutability of object storage, Panzura technology ensured critical patient data emerged untouched and at the fingertips of staff and clinicians with no disruption. 

The Symphony data services platform takes this a step further. It enhances accessibility by providing granular control over unstructured data. ITOps can define, allocate, and optimize file and object workflows, so data remains safe and immediately available. This level of control is essential for maintaining data integrity and facilitating effortless work across people, processes, and systems. 

For instance, globally renowned institutions including life sciences ventures and major universities in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, use the data services platform to manage vast amounts of academic and research data. They maintain and protect data from deliberate or accidental incursions and make it readily available for groundbreaking pursuits. 

Gain a competitive edge with data solutions 

Panzura’s command and control capabilities also extend to regulatory compliance. By providing robust encryption and data protection measures, Panzura ensures that sensitive information remains secure and compliant with regulatory frameworks. This level of control is essential for handling large volumes of confidential data. It mitigates the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. 

Panzura’s hybrid cloud data management and data services platforms, CloudFS and Symphony, ensure adherence to stringent requirements. They foster innovation and help technology teams and data stakeholders contribute to boardroom imperatives. In fact, by transforming cloud storage into a more flexible, powerful business-centric asset, Panzura technology is often the reason data is always where and when it’s needed.

It’s in this simple context that the benefits of command and control over data are most clear. Panzura is and always has been committed to data excellence and outstanding data experiences. We know that command and control, in the end, comes down to parlaying your position in the global datasphere to real and lasting business results. And we’re right behind you every step of the way.

Ready to unlock the future of the global datasphere in your own context? Download the Panzura whitepaper, Driving Forward in the Digital Era, and get a blueprint to transform your data management strategy and propel your business forward.