* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Hybrid cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing "Hybrid cloud") * Why choose Red Hat storage? Why choose Red Hat storage? =========================== Published March 22, 2018•*2*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewYour challengesWhat is it?Use casesOpen innovation with Red Hat Overview -------- Red Hat’s open, software-defined storage solutions help you work more efficiently, grow faster, and rest easy knowing that your data—from important financial documents to rich media files—is available and stored safely. ### Because data never slows and you need reliable access These days, the success of an enterprise depends on more, faster: data, work, revenue. But how do you store it all? Enter [software-defined storage](/en/topics/data-storage/software-defined-storage), a quickly scalable, cost-efficient answer to all your data storage needs. You don’t even have to think about it—and that’s the point. Red Hat takes care of your data storage needs, so you can take care of your business. Your challenges --------------- Once upon a time, you had a few word processing documents and a stack of human resources information, and it was all stored on legacy hardware with proprietary software. But your data storage needs have changed. What was once just a small assortment of documents has grown into a mountain of rich media files and massive amounts of information vital to your enterprise—and it’s growing exponentially every day. If you have doubts that your current storage infrastructure will cover your future needs, you’re not alone. Every rapidly growing business faces the same challenges when it comes to data storage: * Increasing costs * A lack of flexibility * Increasing complexity * Feeling locked in to a vendor or a particular platform More and more organizations are facing petabyte-scale loads and lack the infrastructure to support it. Data lives all over the place: in physical machines, virtual environments, and clouds. With all these variables, it’s easy to understand why storage is a major, constant source of frustration. To keep pace, you need modern storage solutions that are optimized for your particular workload. You should be able to control it all to meet your needs at your own pace—not at a speed or increment set by a vendor who dictates how much storage you have and how much it costs. You need technology that works easily and cost efficiently, and then gets out of your way. [You need software-defined storage](/en/topics/data-storage/software-defined-storage "article | what is software-defined storage?") Red Hat resources ----------------- [Keep reading](/en/resources "Keep reading") What is software-defined storage? --------------------------------- Software-defined storage (SDS) certainly isn’t a bunch of servers blinking away in a closet. It’s the [data management](/en/topics/data-services/what-is-data-management) layer that sits on top of your data. SDS essentially decouples the software that manages the storage from the hardware and frees you from having to invest in storage appliances that bundle proprietary software and hardware. Instead, with SDS you can run storage software on the same industry-standard servers you use for everything else and scale your storage resources across bare-metal and [cloud environments](/en/topics/cloud-computing). Given all this, SDS doesn’t have to come from the same vendor that sold you the hardware. You can automatically adjust based on how much capacity you need, reducing the requirement for human intervention. Your capacity can grow with your data while the amount of hardware required remains exactly the same. [There’s so much to learn about software-defined storage](/en/topics/data-storage/software-defined-storage "article | what is software-defined storage?") How software-defined storage can help ------------------------------------- ### Containers Get more out of your container applications by running persistent storage within them; or get more out of your storage by running it within containers. [Read more](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift-data-foundation "product | red hat openshift container storage") ### Big data analytics Analyze huge lakes of data quickly and securely for better business insights. [Read more](/en/topics/big-data "topic | Understanding big data") ### Object storage Store, back up, and retrieve petabytes of data flexibly and reliably. [Read more](/en/topics/data-storage/file-block-object-storage "article | file, block, or object storage") Open innovation with Red Hat ---------------------------- SDS sounds good, right? Now it’s time to choose whom to trust with your data. Red Hat SDS solutions are all built on open source, meaning you have legions of developers, partners, and customers working together. Our technology, used by Fortune 500 companies around the globe[1], draws on decades of open source knowledge and expertise. For you, that means agile, scalable environments with SDS you can trust—without limits. [1]Red Hat client data and [Fortune 500](http://fortune.com/fortune500/) list, September 2024. The official Red Hat blog ------------------------- Get the latest information about our ecosystem of customers, partners, and communities. [Keep reading](/en/blog "The official Red Hat blog") All Red Hat product trials -------------------------- Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization. [Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials") Keep reading ------------ ### What is network-attached storage? Learn what network-attached storage is and how to deploy a storage solution that gives you the flexibility to store and share data as you see fit. [Read the article](/en/topics/data-storage/network-attached-storage "article | what is network-attached storage?") ### What is hybrid cloud? Find out more about hybrid cloud, a combination of computing environments that share information and run a uniform series of applications. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-hybrid-cloud "article | what is hybrid cloud") ### What's the difference between cloud and virtualization? Learn the key differences between virtualization and cloud computing, their definitions, configurations, costs, scalability, tenancy, and security benefits. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/cloud-vs-virtualization "article | what's the difference between cloud and virtualization") Hybrid cloud resources ---------------------- ### Featured product * #### [Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/platform-plus) An enterprise application platform that includes multicluster management, Kubernetes-native security, and a scalable registry. [See all products](/en/products "See all products") ### Related content * E-book [Hybrid Cloud Strategy For Dummies®, 4th Red Hat® Special Edition](/en/resources/hybrid-cloud-strategy-for-dummies-ebook) * E-book [Hybrid Cloud Strategy For Dummies®, 4th Red Hat® Special Edition](/en/engage/hybrid-cloud-strategy-for-dummies-ebook) * Blog post [Context-aware advisor recommendations in Red Hat Lightspeed](/en/blog/context-aware-advisor-recommendations-red-hat-lightspeed) * Blog post [A decade of open innovation: Red Hat continues to scale the open hybrid cloud with Microsoft](/en/blog/decade-open-innovation-red-hat-continues-scale-open-hybrid-cloud-microsoft) ### Related articles * [What is network-attached storage?](/en/topics/data-storage/network-attached-storage) * [Linux for cloud computing](/en/topics/linux/linux-for-cloud-computing) * [What is cloud migration? 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