The Pure Report

Pure Storage
  • 4.9 (34)
  • Technology
  • Updated Daily

Bringing you direct access to Pure Storage thought leaders, technology experts, alliance partners, customer insights, and our latest product news.

  1. The Evolving Role of the DBA: From Silo to Strategy

    2d ago

    The Evolving Role of the DBA: From Silo to Strategy

    The Pure Report welcomes Mark Wilkinson, a Consulting Field Solutions Architect at Everpure and a former Database Administrator (DBA) and manager. Mark shares his unique perspective on the changes reshaping the Database Administrator role from the perspective of a DBA practitioner. Drawing on his experience as a 10-year Everpure customer who was freed from storage concerns, Mark highlights that the DBA function has not been eliminated but rather has been elevated and broadened in scope. Mark explains how the role continues to shift from routine, fire-fighting tasks to high-value, strategic contributions. The modern DBA role is expanding beyond traditional relational databases and SQL Server dominance, now intersecting with big data, AI, and unstructured data. We discuss how adopting technologies like cloud for data mobility, containers (which force teams to prioritize resilience), and automation (leading to self-service workflows) creates more time for the DBA team to grow their expertise. Automation, often driven initially by laziness, is seen as the key force multiplier, enabling DBAs to stop asking "Am I adding any value right now?" and start using their knowledge to benefit the business. Crucially, the entire evolution points to the necessity of building stronger relationships throughout the organization—with developers, finance, and leadership. This shift allows DBAs to move from a stereotypical gatekeeper role to a business partner, gaining a seat at the table and increasing their visibility and impact. While new challenges like AI accuracy (especially for new DBAs) and compliance (GDPR) exist, the expansion of the role makes it a cool time to be a DBA, with many options to specialize, build skills (e.g., via open source), and drive corporate success. To learn more, visit: https://www.everpuredata.com/solutions/databases.html Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Everpure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Welcome 05:05 Career Journey 09:55 Everpure Benefit for App Environments 15:01 Stat of the Episode 20:05 Slow Storage Impact on DBAs 25:05 Key Changes to DBA role 30:15 Containers and DBAs 35:15 Automation and Workflows 41:10 Observability and Telemetry 43:43: AI and DBAs 55:08 Hot Takes

    1h 7m
  2. The Federal AI Tipping Point: Data, Dollars, and Deployment with Field CTO Dan Kent

    May 28

    The Federal AI Tipping Point: Data, Dollars, and Deployment with Field CTO Dan Kent

    The Pure Report welcomes Dan Kent, Everpure’s new Field CTO for Federal, to the studio to discuss the critical intersection of advanced technology and public services. Dan, who recently joined Everpure, brings decades of experience in the Federal space, including senior roles at companies like Cisco and as a CTO, where he developed a passion for leading teams and tackling challenging engineering problems. Our conversation kicks off by exploring the unique complexities and high stakes of working with government agencies, which range from managing the massive data sets of the Social Security Administration (supporting 300 million citizens) to deploying mission-critical IT components in the most extreme environments, such as on battleships, in military vehicles, and even in space. Dan asserts that the Federal AI tipping point has passed, driven by the competitive global landscape, executive orders, and the government’s immense data holdings—which require AI to glean insights. With an estimated 4,000 AI use cases already in pilot across various agencies (from Air Force platform maintenance to IRS fraud detection), the biggest obstacles remain the outdated infrastructure and the pervasive challenge of data quality. Dan highlights that infrastructure is not yet generative AI-ready, with data locked in silos and complicated by time-sensitive, duplicated, or decades-old information, leading to self-induced mistakes and ethical concerns like misidentification. Our discussion shifts to how Everpure is positioned to solve these foundational issues. Dan explains the necessity of modern infrastructure that enables automated data pipelines for continuous cleaning, classification, and transformation into vector databases (RAG). This automation is key to ensuring AI applications have accurate, timely context, thereby eliminating security risks and self-inflicted errors. Finally, we address the critical human element, emphasizing that while a skills gap exists, the outlook is positive: AI should be treated as a co-worker to boost efficiency and help the federal workforce achieve its citizen-focused missions more effectively. To learn more, visit: https://www.everpuredata.com/solutions/industries/government/cost-efficiency.html Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Everpure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Welcome 01:15 Dan’s Career Journey 04:41 Supporting Federal Agencies 09:35 AI Tipping Point for Fed 13:31 State of Government Infrastructure 19:47 AI Trust and Compliance 25:25 Workforce Impacts of AI 33:11 Everpure for AI in Fed 36:45 Hot Takes Segment

    51 min
  3. Chocolate Meets Peanut Butter: Blurring the Lines Between Block and Object Storage

    May 20

    Chocolate Meets Peanut Butter: Blurring the Lines Between Block and Object Storage

    This week we sit down with Field Solution Architects Anthony Nocentino and Justin Emerson explore an interesting convergence happening in data architecture—the blending of traditionally separate block and file/object storage systems. Likening the experience to a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Anthony (a database expert focused on block storage) and Justin (an expert in unstructured data and file/object storage) discuss how the clear historical distinctions between structured and unstructured data are rapidly blurring. This shift is fueled by modern challenges like high-scale analytics, data governance, and the rise of technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic interactions, which no longer care where the data lives. Our conversation dives into the technical tipping point enabled by data virtualization, referencing features like SQL Server 2022's object integration, which allows a database engine to access data stored efficiently on object storage. This capability is far more than an archival play; it helps customers achieve scale-out analytics, improve data governance by maintaining one canonical copy of data across different performance buckets, and simplify tedious operations like SQL backups by bypassing legacy file system complexities. Anthony and Justin highlight how Everpure’s platform aligns perfectly with this new reality. Finally, Anthony and Justin discuss the path forward, noting that the technology is underutilized due to organizational silos and an awareness problem. The next big evolution will focus on security and governance for this distributed data via open table formats like Iceberg and catalogs such as Polaris. We close with what currently excites them: Anthony on collaborating with AI (Claude) to create code and speed up outcomes, and Justin on Everpure’s core philosophy of simplicity, efficiency, and treating customers like people, particularly in the context of the current economic conditions. To learn more, visit: https://www.everpuredata.com/platform.html Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Career Journeys 04:30 Customer Engagement and SKO 09:55 Vacation Recap 13:45 History of Block and Object Storage 16:04 Why Convergence Now? 20:30 Data Virtualization 25:55 Exploring Access Patterns 29:05 What’s Holding Back Adoption 36:02 Simplicity for DBAs

    49 min
  4. Agentic AI, Coding, and What It Means for You and Everpure

    May 13

    Agentic AI, Coding, and What It Means for You and Everpure

    This week the Pure Report welcomes Principal Technologist Rob Quast and Principal Field Solution Architect for AI and Analytics Ian Saunders to discuss the explosive and rapid changes transforming the world of coding and artificial intelligence. Our conversation centers on the shift from what was previously called vibe coding to agentic systems, a development moving AI from a more academic concept to a real-world driver for organizations and individuals. We explore how AI is breaking down barriers, effectively democratizing coding by allowing non-programmers to achieve complex outcomes simply by describing their desired results. We talk about how the accessibility factor of AI has flipped the industry in the last 18 months, forcing companies to address governance, security, and compliance. Ian connects parallels between the current state of AI adoption and the early days of the internet, where people were figuring out the use cases for a new technology. We share personal examples, such as Rob Quast using OpenClaw as a virtual assistant for his family calendar and Ian using it to test technical materials against industry thought leaders. Turning to Everpure, we talk about the company's strong position as an API-first platform, making it efficient for participating in massive technological shifts like agentic AI. Overture’s acquisition of 1touch is viewed as a pivotal strategic move, adding a semantic layer for data classification, privacy, and cyber resilience, which helps customers avoid the garbage in, garbage out problem when training AI models. Ultimately, Rob and Ian advocate for viewing agentic AI as a powerful tool to augment and accelerate existing capabilities, focusing on automating a majority of routine tasks to free up time for more valuable work. To learn more, visit: pure.ai Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Career Journeys 05:28 Shift in the AI Conversation 08:10 Vibe Coding Move to Agentic 11:45 Why Now for Agentic 16:48 Rise of OpenClaw 23:05 Trust and Compliance 31:40 Everpure API-first and Agentic AI 35:02 1touch and AI Data Context 40:15 Summarizing the Agentic Trend 45:16 Hot Takes Segment

    55 min
  5. The State of Database Infrastructure 2026 - Survey Analysis

    May 6

    The State of Database Infrastructure 2026 - Survey Analysis

    This week we welcome Nihal Mirashi, Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Database solutions at Everpure, to unpack the key findings of the new 2026 State of Database Infrastructure report, which surveyed over 500 infrastructure and data professionals globally. Our discussion starts with a look at Nihal’s professional journey, including his transition from focusing on the SaaS vertical to building out the go-to-market strategy for open-source databases, and his current work in helping customers with their database environments and exploring AI tools. Our conversation frames the context for modernization initiatives, noting that while organizations understand they must modernize (with platforms like Oracle26.ai), they are often slowed by outdated approaches. A central theme of the report is that modernization is failing because the traditional, event-based model is broken, creating a disruption paradox. The report data shows that 85% of professionals are concerned about modernization initiatives because they associate them with disruption, and 70% find even planned downtime unacceptable. Success is no longer defined solely by performance—which is now considered table stakes with the move to all-flash solutions—but by operational assurance and efficiency. This focus on operations is critical given the complexities of hybrid environments: 93% of organizations operate one, and 73% find them harder to manage today than three years ago due to data silos and multiple workflows. Operational friction translates directly into significant hidden costs and missed innovation opportunities. A staggering 80% of Database Administrators (DBAs) spend more time on re-validation than on innovation, with 55% of their time consumed by maintenance, preventing them from becoming data strategists. Furthermore, 60% of respondents are not confident in predicting their three-year infrastructure costs, and 71% have received budget surprises from vendors. Our episode concludes by drawing an analogy between database modernization and the ability of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees to adapt their sound, emphasizing that continuous evolution and learning from peers—not disruptive, rip-and-replace events—is the way forward. To learn more, visit: https://www.everpuredata.com/solutions/databases.html?utm_campaign=db Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Nihal’s Career Journey 06:06 Exploring AI for Marketing 08:40 State of Database Infrastructure Report 11:30 Concerns about DB Modernization 16:20 Hybrid Database Environments 19:15 How Data Silos Hold Back Innovation 21:30 Disruption Paradox 27:15 Cost Uncertainty of DB Operations 33:33 Hot Takes Segment

    42 min
  6. Two with “Q” - Azure Local and ActiveCluster for File

    Apr 29

    Two with “Q” - Azure Local and ActiveCluster for File

    In this episode of the Pure Report, we sit down with longtime colleague Robert Quimbey, Consulting Field Solution Architect, known to many as "Q." Q shares with us how his role has evolved from a back-end problem solver focusing on Microsoft integrations to a customer-facing strategist dedicated to understanding the entire solution set for customers, not just fixing siloed problems. Drawing on his deep history with Microsoft technologies, including his time on the Exchange team, Q discusses Everpure’s strategic moves to simplify the modern data center. Our conversation dives into two major capability developments: ActiveCluster for File and Azure Local. ActiveCluster for File is designed to provide high availability for file services, inheriting the core benefits of the original Everpure ActiveCluster— with ease of setup and no extra licensing costs—while solving hard problems in the file space. Q explains how ActiveCluster for File implements file storage at a cousin layer to block storage, avoiding the performance and scalability issues common in competing solutions. The new capability includes continuous availability to ensure persistent sessions for VMs on SMB shares, even during non-disruptive upgrades, and is launching right as the NAS market is projected to nearly double, driven largely by AI-related unstructured data growth. Next, we explore Azure Local, formerly Azure Stack HCI, a project Q has championed for years. This initiative is key to customers looking to modernize their virtualization strategy. The new integration, which is near GA, allows customers to connect virtual machines and containers directly to FlashArray via Fibre Channel (FC), avoiding the complexities of HCI storage. Ultimately, the focus remains on the power of the core Purity foundation to deliver agility, predictable costs (like Evergreen//One), and superior performance for all hybrid-cloud workloads. To learn more, visit: https://blog.purestorage.com/products/microsoft-azure-local-and-flash-array/ and https://blog.purestorage.com/products/introducing-activecluster-for-file/ Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Q’s Career Journey 07:17 Key Development Projects 09:59 Stat of the Episode on NAS Storage 12:51 ActiveCluster for File Discussion 27:45 Protocols and Arrays Supported 34:19 Intro to Azure Local 53:04 Hot Takes Segment

    59 min
  7. Simplicity is What Lets You Be Brave: AI Adoption in Financial Services with Options Technology

    Apr 27

    Simplicity is What Lets You Be Brave: AI Adoption in Financial Services with Options Technology

    The Pure Report welcomes Andrea Moccia, VP of AI and Data at Options Technology, and Robert Alvarez, AI Solution Architect at Everpure, to discuss the cutting edge of AI deployment right after the energy of NVIDIA GTC. We dive into sobering statistics that show a high failure rate for generative AI pilots—95% fail to scale to production—and discuss how the root cause is a fundamental data strategy problem. Our discussion shift to focus around the unique, high-stakes challenges faced by the financial services industry (FSI), which contends daily with massive data volume (tens of petabytes of market data), strict global compliance and regulatory requirements, and the need for near real-time, low-latency answers from AI models. Andrea explains how the power of simplicity is an operational advantage, following the mantra: "Simplicity is what lets you be brave.” He details how Options is addressing issues like data leakage and data sovereignty with their Private Mind offering—a private, sovereign AI platform where they control the entire stack, from model to metal" Robert and Andrea connect this innovation to the Everpure partnership, specifically how solutions like Data Stream and Everpure KVA (which Robert co-developed) are vital in reducing implementation complexity and accelerating real-world use cases, such as building a powerful knowledge graph on hundreds of thousands of SEC filings efficiently. Finally, we conclude with our Hot Takes segment to dispel common AI misconceptions. We talk about how companies should stop obsessively chasing the latest frontier models or GPUs for every task, as open-source alternatives and smaller, distilled models are perfectly capable for a majority of use cases. In conclusion, hear how the true key to AI maturity and growth lies not in chasing technological hype, but in removing data silos, fixing the foundational data strategy, and using the rapidly maturing AI ecosystem to streamline business processes. To learn more, visit: https://www.purestorage.com/customers/options.html Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Welcome 01:50 Recap of NVIDIA GTC 2:40 Overview on Options Technology 3:55 Andrea’s Career Journey 7:14 Robert Alvarez Intro 9:13 Stat of the Episode on AI Pilots 12:20 AI Challenges for FSIs 15:05 Simplicity Let’s You Be Brave 21:05 AI and KVA in Action at Options 23:45 Data Sovereignty and Compliance 30:35 Hot Takes Segment 35:37 Summary and a Look Forward

    40 min
  8. Beyond Monitoring: Inside Pure1, Evergreen//One & Active Management - The History of Digital Experience

    Apr 15

    Beyond Monitoring: Inside Pure1, Evergreen//One & Active Management - The History of Digital Experience

    In this episode we welcome Naveen Neelakantam, Chief Architect of Everpure’s Digital Experience Business Unit. Naveen dives into the origin and evolution of Everpure's Digital Experience (DX), detailing how DX revolutionized storage management by moving beyond reactive support. The foundation of this lies in the phone home telemetry data collected from storage arrays, which first enabled the Cloud Assist capability. This data powers the ability to proactively identify and prevent issues, non-disruptively upgrade systems, and ensure a first-class support experience for every customer. Naveen explains how the intelligence gathered through telemetry propelled innovations like Pure1 and Evergreen//One. Pure1, the cloud-based platform, uses machine learning to offer predictive recommendations—such as projecting capacity needs to avoid unexpected overages. This predictive power is central to Evergreen//One, the consumption-based storage-as-a-service offering. By managing the physical appliance using telemetry, Everpure allows customers to consume logical storage connected to SLAs, simplifying the procurement process and eliminating the complexity of managing hardware specifics. This subscription model provides predictability and isolates customers from pricing pressures on components. Our discussion shifts to the future of storage and the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence. Naveen details AI Co-pilot, an agentic AI interface that helps users triangulate performance issues and orchestrate complex operations, such as migrating VMs, through conversational language using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This move to active management is further realized through Pure1 Edge, allowing fleet-level data management and cloud-based upgrades. We then touche on Everpure Protect, a crucial cloud-based Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution. Ultimately, Naveen advises IT leaders to embrace AI as a powerful tool—like the domestication of the horse—that will make people more effective and accelerate innovation. To learn more, visit: https://www.purestorage.com/products/monitoring-fleet-management.html Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Welcome 01:45 Naveen’s Career Journey 09:29 Origin of Digital Experience 12:45 Proactive Recommendations 16:05 Cloud Management and Subscriptions 18:12 Stat of the Episode on Storage Capacity Growth 21:30 AI Co-Pilot and Automation 32:14 Telemetry 37:01 Pure1 and Subscription Management 39:51 Everpure Protect DRaaS 45:44 Hot Takes Segment

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Bringing you direct access to Pure Storage thought leaders, technology experts, alliance partners, customer insights, and our latest product news.

Information

  • Creator
    Pure Storage
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    283
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Pure Report

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