Join Matt Bradford and Don Poorman as they help me unpack an incredible year of technological advancement at Pure Storage, taking listeners on a thorough journey through our most groundbreaking announcements and product developments. From hardware innovations like the FlashArray//C20 to cutting-edge cloud solutions and AI reference architectures, this episode offers an insider's perspective on how Pure continues to push the boundaries of data storage and management.
Traveling through key solution areas including hardware, cloud, cybersecurity, AI, and digital experience, Matt and Don provide expert commentary on game-changing developments. Highlights include the expansion of Pure Storage Cloud for AVS, exciting enhancements to DRaaS, the transformative OVX reference architecture for AI initiatives, and the introduction of Pure1 assessments that are reshaping how enterprises approach technology evaluation and implementation.
Beyond the technical details, this episode celebrates Pure Storage's commitment to customer-driven innovation and continuous improvement. From the launch of Pure Skill's new subscription-based learning platform to the expansion of Evergreen subscriptions and the intriguing glimpse of an AI Copilot, Matt and Don paint a vivid picture of a technology company relentlessly focused on solving real-world challenges and empowering digital transformation. Whether you're a Pure Storage enthusiast, a technology professional, or simply curious about the latest in data infrastructure, this year-in-review episode is a must-listen.

ICYMI: A Year in Review of Pure Always-On Innovation

Episode 4 of our series around Pure's fundamental design principles dives into aspects of Pure's technology that drive realistic efficiency for users. This episode tackles capabilities most Storage professionals are familiar with - snapshots, efficiency metrics and adaptive flexible RAID.

Pure learned from the challenges created by legacy architectures to build better versions of these features into our all-flash array portfolio. Hear about how Pure Storage’s snapshot architecture focuses on instant, efficient, and immutable copies that serve both operational and security needs. Snapshots can be created instantly with no performance overhead and used for rapid recovery, cloning, or replication—each one functions as a “gold copy version” and maintains group consistency, enabling rollbacks to any point in time without dependencies or data duplication. Their design is tightly integrated with metadata, enabling efficient thin provisioning and consistent protection, while SafeMode extends these benefits by enforcing privileged access and retention policies for ransomware resilience. Around realistic efficiency metrics - we deliver transparent and realistic efficiency metrics by directly reporting space consumption trends and physical storage utilization, rather than relying solely on claims about thin provisioning or data reduction. Our user interface distinguishes between budgeted capacity, usable capacity, and used space, with a focus on showing only live user data (volumes and snapshots), and hiding internal system overhead, RAID overhead, and reclaimable space until critical thresholds are reached. Finally, we tackle RAID - Pure’s RAID architecture is built for flash, utilizing a flexible, adaptive structure that never requires manual configuration while continuously ensuring optimal data protection and performance.

Series Overview: Pure Storage’s foundational approach to product engineering is guided by 15 architectural decisions that were established at the company’s inception and have shaped both the technical and user experience across its product lines. These architectural choices were not made arbitrarily—they stem from a deliberate focus on simplicity, efficiency, and scalability, ensuring Pure could deliver storage solutions that break away from legacy complexity and enable continuous innovation without compromise.  This series will guide viewers through all of the 15 principles, helping you understand why certain choices were made, how they impact your operations, and how they compare to other industry features and products. Join Pure Report podcast hosts Rob Ludeman, Andrew Miller, and J.D Wallace for this fun technical retrospective on Pure Storage.

15 Architectural Decisions Series: Snapshots, Realistic Efficiency Metrics, and Adaptive RAID

We finish off our 15 Architectural Decisions series with a special guest - VP of Product Management and early Pure employee Chadd Kenney joins to discuss the origin story of Pure Storage's 15 Architectural Decisions. Chadd will take us back to the early Pure startup days, revealing the drivers behind documenting these crucial decisions. We'll explore his favorite decisions, hear stories that solidified them, and discover how this foundational work continues to influence Pure Storage today around the Enterprise Data Cloud and the Pure Platform.

Series Overview: Pure Storage’s foundational approach to product engineering is guided by 15 architectural decisions that were established at the company’s inception and have shaped both the technical and user experience across its product lines. These architectural choices were not made arbitrarily—they stem from a deliberate focus on simplicity, efficiency, and scalability, ensuring Pure could deliver storage solutions that break away from legacy complexity and enable continuous innovation without compromise. This series will guide viewers through all of the 15 principles, helping you understand why certain choices were made, how they impact your operations, and how they compare to other industry features and products.

15 Architectural Decisions Series: The Origin Story with Chadd Kenney

Welcome to episode 2 of our special launch series of the Pure Report podcast!  In this episode, Chadd Kenney joins again to help us dive into the critical foundation of the Enterprise Data Cloud: the Unified Data Plane. We start with a discussion on why a truly unified data plane is essential for organizations today, managing everything from archive to AI workloads.

Chadd shares insights into the latest innovations across the FlashArray family, including the new FlashArray/XL 190 and FlashArray//ST, enhancements to FlashArray//X and FlashArray//C, and how Pure's platform supports diverse virtualization landscapes and continuing data growth driven by core databases and business workloads.

We then talk about how the virtualization landscape is still in flux, and many customers are evaluating their options. The good news is that Pure's platform is designed to support them, whether they choose to continue with VMware, transition to a new hypervisor like Nutanix, or modernize with containers. Additionally, we delve into new innovations within Pure Storage Cloud, including the Azure Native integration, which rounds out the portfolio and provides comprehensive support across the board.

We also touch on the new Pure KVA integration with NVIDIA Dynamo, Purity Deep Reduce, and how Pure's Evergreen architecture ensures customers can leverage all our Unified Data Plane announcements  without disruption. Don't miss Chadd's "Hot Takes" on future data drivers and common data infrastructure mistakes.

H2 Launch Series: One Platform, All Workloads - The Power of Pure's Unified Data Plane

The Pure Report welcomes Anthony Nocentino, Sr. Principal Field Solution Architect, to delve into the future of databases and data management. This episode looks at the explosive growth of relational databases and the impact of SQL Server 2025, Oracle 23ai, and AI-driven demands. We explore how Pure Storage is not just keeping pace with database growth but actively simplifying management, scaling, and protection, moving beyond foundational support to offer operational freedom for DBAs and infrastructure teams.

Anthony tackles the pressing challenges faced by database environments today, including fragmented storage infrastructure, manual provisioning, and the complexities of compliance, disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud strategies. Anthony sheds light on how these issues contribute to real-world burnout among DBAs and infra team members. The discussion will also cover the evolving roles of these professionals as they increasingly become platform performance engineers, cloud strategists, and data ops troubleshooters in a world of multiple database engines and unpredictable resource needs driven by AI workloads.

Hear about how Pure's vision for the Enterprise Data Cloud connects to database operations, including key announcements from our Accelerate Vegas and NYC events. We dive into how Pure Fusion with workflow templates and Pure1 offers intelligent, AI-powered workload and resource management, automated policy-based provisioning, and a unified single control plane across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. The episode also explores the implications for enterprise-ready storage with the FlashArray platform family, showcasing how products like FA//XL, FA//X, FA//C, and FA//ST simplify workload expansion and provide significant performance benefits. Finally, we'll get Anthony's "Hot Takes" on critical DBA tasks, dream fixes for database environments, and common myths he'd like to debunk, all while looking forward to Pure's presence at Oracle AI World.

Databases!!! - Redefining Data Management for Infra & DBA Teams

In our latest episode, we sit down with Ken Hui, Field Solutions Architect, to discuss his journey at Pure Storage and the evolving landscape of data management. Ken shares his unique perspective on Pure Storage's culture, highlighting the emphasis on collaboration and innovation. The conversation delves into the critical role of unstructured data in today's AI-driven world, exploring how enterprises can strategically manage and protect their ever-growing data assets without falling prey to common pitfalls.

Ken, a seasoned veteran in the storage and cloud space, offers valuable advice on approaching new technologies, stressing the importance of starting with the desired end-state and aligning technology with people and processes. He also revisits his early career frustrations with file storage, explaining how Pure Storage's advancements, particularly with FlashBlade and FlashArray, have transformed the experience, making data management simpler and more efficient. The discussion touches on the power of continuous innovation, self-service upgrades, and the multi-tenancy capabilities that empower customers.

Our episode concludes with Ken's "hot take" on industry trends, where he champions object storage as a scalable solution for large-scale data workloads, especially in the AI and analytics space. He also shares a memorable "oops" moment from his career and offers crucial advice for IT professionals: learn programming to effectively leverage automation and APIs in the future of data management. 

Check out the new Pure Storage digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts:
https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/


From File Frustration to Flash Freedom: How a Technologist Learned to Love File at Pure Storage

This episode of the Pure Report features a conversation with Eugene McGrath, a nine-year veteran of Pure Storage and a Field Solution Architect. Our discussion delves into Gene’s diverse background, starting from his early days in IT racking and stacking servers at companies like Microsoft and Pixar, and how that hands-on experience shaped his career. We compare the evolution of his role and the industry, emphasizing the importance of a versatile skill set in the ever-changing tech landscape, particularly with his focus now on converged infrastructure solutions like FlashStack.

We then dive into the partnership between Pure Storage and Cisco, specifically around the FlashStack converged infrastructure solution. Gene explains why this decade-long collaboration works, attributing it to a shared philosophy of simplifying infrastructure and improving the customer lifecycle. Our conversation also touches on the recent shift in Cisco's mindset, with Pure Storage taking a more prominent role, including the recent Nutanix partnership announcement. We further explore the concepts of "Day Zero" and "Day One" challenges in infrastructure deployment, emphasizing how Cisco Validated Design and automation mitigate risks and accelerate implementation for customers.

Our discussion concludes with the "Hot Takes" segment, where Gene discusses the growing trends of "hypervisor fatigue" and the repatriation of workloads from the cloud due to cost and performance issues. He predicts a significant shift towards containerization as companies seek more agnostic and flexible approaches to their IT infrastructure. Gene also shares a memorable "oops" moment from his career, involving 3,000 servers racked upside down, and offers advice to his younger self about the explosion of data and the increasing importance of data management.

For more information, visit: https://www.purestorage.com/products/integrated-platforms/flashstack.html

Check out the new Pure Storage digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: 
https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/

00:00 Intro and Welcome
04:55 Cisco and Pure Relationship
06:48 Stat of the Episode on Cloud Repatriation
12:35 Solving Day 0 and Day 1 Challenges
17:25 Using Cisco UCS in FlashStack
24:37 Cisco Validated Designs
26:54 Nutanix and Pure Partnership
32:35 Hot Takes Segment

FlashStack: A Decade of Converged Infrastructure Innovation

This week we welcome Paul Joyce, who leads one of Pure Storage's largest Field Solution Architect (FSA) teams. Our discussion begins by exploring the philosophy behind building a team of super technical specialists and key capabilities for this specialized role. Paul highlights that in addition to deep technical expertise in areas like databases and virtualization, he seeks candidates who demonstrate passion, a willingness to be vulnerable to build their personal brand, and, most critically, empathy for customers. This empathy should be rooted in a foundation of hands-on experience, where the architects have "lived the pain" of IT operations and can truly understand the challenges faced by customers, allowing them to focus on delivering time and value back to the business.

We then move to what's top of mind for Paul, focusing on two major industry dilemmas. First is the ongoing virtualization dilemma, the continuing need for customers to re-evaluate their virtualization strategy following changes to VMware licensing. Paul emphasizes that the key challenge is not just the technology conversion (like moving to another hypervisor) but the business risks involved—including the cost of retraining entire staff on a new enterprise-ready platform and the complications of creating complex, high-risk migration pipelines between different environments. The second dilemma, around Big Iron, covers the massive shift in mission-critical storage. Paul contrasts the legacy multi-controller, spinning-disk systems of the past, built primarily for high availability, with Pure Storage’s all-flash, two-controller architecture, which he attests delivers equal or greater availability with a simpler architecture and superior performance. This simplified approach enables massive consolidation for complex database environments.

Finally, Paul shares his hot takes on database trends. He points to the growing importance of vector embedding, noting that major enterprise databases like Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server 2025 are building native vector capabilities into their platforms to bring AI/data lake functionality directly to the data. He also discusses the implications of Oracle's 23ai release, which has focused on cloud and engineered systems, prompting on-premises customers to consult with their FSA teams on their future database strategy. The episode concludes with a classic IT mess up story from Paul’s early career as a jack-of-all-trades network administrator, recounting a failed, all-weekend core switch replacement in a freezing data center.

To learn more, visit https://www.purestorage.com/databases

Check out the new Pure Storage digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: 
https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/

00:00 Intro and Welcome
01:44 Building a Specialist Team
05:53 Prior Experience in IT
09:45 Working with Rockets
15:15 Virtualization Dilemma
24:09 Enterprise Storage for Databases
37:01 Hot Takes Segment


Top of Mind: Navigating Massive Enterprise Infrastructure Shifts Now

The Pure Report welcomes two key members of Pure’s Technical specialist team, Principal Technologist Joey Clark and Field Solution Architect Drew Kessel (who covers Cyber Resilience). Our conversation begins with a look at their backgrounds, including their surprising common start in healthcare IT, and the value of professional development, like Pure’s EBC speaker training. We quickly pivot to the  successes Pure is seeing in the areas of file, object, and unstructured data, driven by innovative products like FlashBlade and FlashArray.

The core of our discussion centers on why Pure is successfully tackling the toughest challenges in unstructured data, noting the significant shift to object storage for backup, which provides benefits like immutability via object lock. Joey and Drew highlight how Pure’s unique approach—focusing on simplicity and eliminating "tech debt"—is resonating with customers and leading to major business breakthroughs. This success is made stronger by strategic partnerships with data protection leaders like Rubrik, Commvault, and Veeam, creating a connected ecosystem that delivers layered resilience against modern threats.

Finally, we explores the powerful narrative of the Enterprise Data Cloud (EDC), with Fusion acting as the intelligent control plane. We discuss how Fusion is the vehicle for EDC, helping customers mitigate risk and human error through automation. This includes using presets to enforce protection policies (like SafeMode snapshots and replication) and delivering audit and compliance alerts when security settings are changed. Drew shares a powerful, real-life customer success story of an 8-hour recovery from a cyber event using Pure snapshots, emphasizing that cyber resilience is a unified team sport that requires both infrastructure and security teams to collaborate.

To learn more, visit https://www.purestorage.com/products/storage-as-code/pure-fusion.html

Check out the new Pure Storage digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: 
https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/

00:00 Intro and Welcome
09:02 File and Object Momentum
16:45 SLA-Backed Cyber Recovery
20:20 Fusion Presets and Cyber
27:33 Cyber and Enterprise Data Cloud
34:06 Bridging Cyber IT to Security Teams and CISOs
38:11 Pure Tech Summit Events
42:11 Hot Takes Segment

Automation and Risk Mitigation: Fusion's Role in Cyber Defense

We welcome back Andrew Sillifant, Solution Director at Pure Storage, for a deep dive into the concept of data gravity. We start with the traditional 2010 definition coined by Dave McCrory—that data accumulates, making it harder to move, and forcing dependent systems to cluster nearby. However, Andrew presents his core thesis, arguing that this foundational principle is no longer sufficient in a world of exploding complexity. Our conversation emphasizes the need to re-examine data gravity through a modern lens, acknowledging the massive shift to cloud computing and the proliferation of interconnected systems over the last decade.

Andrew introduces five crucial dimensions that now describe data's impact: Volume, redefined by context and classification; Dependency, now accelerated by API calls, integration points, and AI agents; Criticality, which includes regulations, security, and implicit SLAs; Velocity, measured by how many functions data is used for; and Latency, complicated by geographic requirements that skew response times. These dimensions highlight how non-physical constraints, like egress fees and data sovereignty laws, create artificial friction that compounds the problem beyond sheer data size.

Our discussion concludes with a new framework of five sources of data gravity that IT leaders must address: Technical Gravity (the physical component and mobility), Economic Gravity (the costs of hosting and moving data, like egress fees), Regulatory Gravity (compliance and legal restrictions), Institutional Gravity (the dependency on a small number of people who know how to manage old systems), and Measurement Gravity (budgeting and decision-making risks). Finally, Andrew connects these challenges to Pure Storage, noting how platform features like deduplication and continuous innovation are actively working to lessen the effects of data gravity for customers.

To learn more, visit https://blog.purestorage.com/purely-technical/the-economics-of-data-gravity/

Check out the new Pure Storage digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: 
https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/

00:00 Intro and Welcome
01:05 Andrew Observations About the USA
04:19 Defining Data Gravity
07:30 Challenges Caused By Data Gravity
09:01 Real World Data Gravity Examples
17:15 Data Gravity Impact Vectors
33:02 New Dimensions of Data Gravity
40:30 Where Pure Helps with Data Gravity

Deciphering Data Gravity: Rethinking the Concept 15 Years Later

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

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