It's Friday. The pub is looming. IDC tells us 'bottoms up'. We'll drink to that headline

IDC has released a flash-based array study saying it's used a (and we quote) "bottoms-up approach." We'll raise a glass to that notion.

The study, Worldwide All-Flash Array and Hybrid Flash Array 2014–2018 Forecast and 1H14 Vendor Shares, looks at revenues and raw terabytes shipped with flash-based arrays - all-flash arrays (AFAs) and hybrid flash/disk (HFAs) - in the first half of 2014, and extrapolates the numbers to the full year.

The research note says:

• Startup revenue leaders include HFA supplier Nimble Storage and AFA-shipping Pure Storage and SolidFire. So no surprises there.
• Worldwide HFA and AFA markets will reach $10bn and $1.3bn respectively in 2014.
• Flash-based array vendors must have a flash-optimised platform with in-line compression and de-duplication as well as other enterprise-class data services; snapshot, clones, replication, etc.
• Users should strongly consider flash-based arrays when retiring existing enterprise storage platforms.

Presumably the bottoms-up approach meant IDC analysts went for a drink with suppliers, sipping a Flash Energy drink perhaps?

Flash energy drink

In any case, bottoms up! ®