Hitachi Vantara serves as the storage, data, and analytics division of the prominent Hitachi Group, which is currently ranked 196th in the Forbes Global 500. The corporation’s consolidated revenues reached $70.72 billion in the fiscal year 2020 and is home to around 270,000 employees worldwide as of 2024. Established in 2017, Vantara emerged from the merger of Hitachi Data Systems, Pentaho business intelligence, and Hitachi Insight Group, driven by a mission to deliver advanced digital systems.
Hitachi Vantara’s Product Offerings
At the core of its storage portfolio is the Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) One, launched recently, which integrates data fabric solutions across on-premise and cloud environments. Key products include:
- VSP 5000 Series: This high-end block storage array features both all-flash (5200 and 5600) and hybrid configurations, allowing substantial scalability—up to 300PB—while supporting Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and Ficon connectivity.
- VSP One SDS: A software-defined solution designed for extensive block applications, deployable on third-party hardware and in AWS, providing flexibility for users.
- VSP One File Series: This line includes models like the 32, 34, and 38, catering to entry-level needs to high-performance demands, with options for enhanced connectivity.
- Hitachi Content Platform: A platform for managing unstructured data, it scales to exabytes and integrates seamlessly with major cloud providers.
- Unified Compute Platform: Offering hyper-converged infrastructure, this system can be configured for different workloads, integrating with VMware vSphere.
Market Positioning and Strategy
Hitachi Vantara’s revenue from Digital Systems & Services reached 2,599 billion yen ($18.4 billion) in 2023, marking a 4% increase year-on-year. Its external storage system revenues are estimated at $1.55 billion, granting the company a 4.9% market share, positioning it as the seventh largest in the IDC’s ranking of storage array vendors, comparable to IBM. The company targets a wide array of markets, from small businesses to enterprises with demanding workloads, including AI and transactional processing.
Cloud and Container Integration
The integration of cloud solutions is central to Hitachi Vantara’s future, particularly with the introduction of VSP One. Utilizing its SVOS storage operating system, the company aims to streamline data accessibility across various data centers and public cloud services. The Hitachi Storage Plug-in for Containers facilitates connections between VSP One and platforms like Kubernetes, ensuring effective storage management for stateful applications.
Consumption Models
Hitachi Vantara offers flexible purchasing through its EverFlex service, which enables infrastructure as a service (IaaS) with options for varying degrees of management, from self-administered to fully managed. This service allows clients to pay for only what they use, scaling capacity between predetermined limits. Other features include integration for diverse environments and options for collaboration with third-party vendors like Cisco.
Targeted Workloads and AI Solutions
The company has developed the iQ portfolio, which integrates Nvidia technologies with its storage solutions. This initiative aims to create reference architectures addressing AI use cases. Additionally, Pentaho enhances data cataloging capabilities across multiple platforms, supporting metadata management and workflow optimization. Hitachi Vantara claims that 85% of Fortune 500 companies utilize its solutions.