The classic view of technology progress uses the model Gartner first suggested. A technology has to pass through a hype period, then a low point of disillusionment, and then it might find its way into practical use cases and broader adoption. Technologies can shoot through this journey or get stuck along the way. Many fail, or they change dramatically from where they started.

But virtual and augmented reality technologies feel like exceptions. Their graphs resemble ongoing waves of hype and disillusionment, or perhaps even a circle of one into the other. Each generation does things better, yet they are still fringe technologies. The Vision Pro, Apple’s long-awaited venture into the market, has again stirred up a lot of hype and hope, and some of its use cases open exciting possibilities.

“We’re seeing a lot more general use cases,” says Rudolf van der Gryp, Senior Business Development Consultant at Data Sciences Corporation. “For example, you have a laptop with a small screen. Pop the Vision Pro on and you suddenly have a larger work area and multiple screens. You could sit on a flight or at an editing desk, and interact with your computer in a bigger way.”

Apple’s VR revolution

The Vision Pro might break through the barrier to help virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) become more mainstream. While it is very expensive, functionally limited and bound to Apple devices and software, the device still makes its point by raising the bar substantially.

“I definitely think Apple has put a stake in the ground to say that your level of immersion in the VR world will not be the same. If you look at the Vision Pro, as a piece of tech it’s quite over-engineered. But they’ve put everything into this device to say that this is what we can do with the current technologies. As new technologies develop further, it will only get better.”

The VR and AR market is littered with failures and struggling ventures. But the technologies aren’t failures. Large enterprises and public institutions have been using VR and AR for decades. Even Google Glass, the controversial AR glasses that infamously failed to wow consumers, inspired products that live on in industry applications such as design and training. Some of these examples are not what you’d expect: for example, Walmart uses VR training to prepare staff for hectic Black Friday crowds.

Enterprises have found good uses for AR and VR, which are improving and growing with new technologies such as interactive holograms and aerohaptics. Some of the concepts might seem too cutting-edge or even gimmicky, and only time will tell on the value of some of these technologies. But time is also moving quickly. The Oculus Quest, which turned VR into a standalone device, only debuted in 2019. Five years later, the Vision Pro has people driving around wearing VR headsets.

People walking around in VR bubbles is a bit dystopian. Yet, the pragmatic applications are interesting, especially when incorporating drones or digital twins. And chalk another one up for the Vision Pro: by adding Apple’s Siri, it formally brings agents into the VR space. Large language generative AI is the next logical step. And we can take that further, says Van der Gryp: “Imagine a lesson where they use AI to recreate a historical figure? I can have a conversation with the realistic likeness of this person. For example, in science class, imagine you’re learning about the theory of relativity from Einstein.”

The idea is not absurd: last year, a French museum hosted a Vincent Van Gogh exhibition, and trained an AI with the artist’s diaries and letters to become a digital avatar visitors can talk to.

Does the Apple Vision Pro and its peers, such as the impending Meta Oculus Quest 3, mark broader enterprise and consumer adoption, or yet another swell and crash of the AR/VR wave? An enterprise may have many or only a few use cases for AR and VR. The best strategy to be prepared with an agile technology environment.

“Everything starts with that modern data centre, having a cloud or container-based consumption model where you can spin up workloads and shut them down quite easily. You can’t run these types of projects through the traditional IT procurement cycle of getting a spec starting and then going out on an RFP and then ordering servers and then waiting for the servers to come in. That takes too long and costs too much. With modern IT infrastructure, you’ll have the freedom to experiment and find those use cases that work for you.”

Data Sciences Corporation celebrates 10 years of offering a wide range of services, from storage and backup appliances to artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Its winning strategy over the past 10 years was to stay relevant to its valued enterprise customers by growing its core products and expanding into new technology offerings, as and when the market was ready.

With a consultative approach, it has maintained a good standing with its customers, always aiming to tailor solutions to specific needs. Reflecting on the successes achieved over the past 10 years, the company’s ability to build close partnerships with its vendors also stands out as a highlight. Data Sciences Corporation is very proud to be recognised by its vendors as representing the highest tier of partnership available, and often referred to as their “extension” in the market. A major differentiator for Data Sciences Corporation is its ability to service the technology it sells and provide its customers with a single engagement point.

Although the core business lies in the data centre infrastructure, Data Sciences Corporation has, over the past few years, invested time and money to identify and adopt next-generation technology. With its commitment to remain always forward-looking and expanding into new markets, Data Sciences Corporation excels at translating value to its existing and future customer-base. For example, its partnership with NVIDIA and the investment into AI technologies will be a strong focus for the business going forward, embracing the new wave of technology.

Data Sciences Corporation has also developed a unique Multi-Cloud Platform-as-a-Service, offering cloud-native solutions, using modern models that provide unmatched flexibility, scalability and reliability, resulting in improved uptime and security.

The company believes it is through this ability to provide unique, relevant and value-adding technologies and solutions that help solve customers’ challenges that gives Data Sciences Corporation the edge to solve customers’ complex needs.

With growth and expansion in mind, Jean Coetzee has been appointed as Data Sciences Corporation’s Group Executive for Enterprise Development. He is responsible for developing and executing strategies that increase revenue, expand their customer base and develop new business opportunities.

On sharing his vision, Coetzee said: “My chosen approach is to have a customer-advocate mindset, meaning that one must stay in tune with the customers you have or would like to have. With this outlook and through cross-functional collaboration within the business, as well as an understanding of the market dynamics, I will develop strategies and ultimately execute on the kind of experiences we would like to create.”

Coetzee has close to 30 years of ICT experience, encompassing various senior roles. He has proven expertise in managing and leading teams and businesses. In his previous role, he was responsible for growth at Teraco.

Coetzee is an MBA graduate from the Unisa School for Business Leaders, with a dissertation focus on business-to-business relationship marketing, along with several other qualifications, such as Digital Strategies for Business at Columbia Business School.

“We are very excited about Jean joining the team and look forward to the next 10 years of collaborating with our current and future customers and providing unique and relevant technologies that solve their challenges,” says Gerard Almon, MD of Data Sciences Corporation. 

Many years ago, IT was seen as a supporting function to many organisations, “a tool to make the business more efficient and, of course, capture and safeguard important data”.

“We evolved from that way of thinking some decades ago to where we are now; now we have IT being very key in the success of many organisations, with many relying on IT to develop, test, launch and market new products,” says Isaac Makoto, Business Development Manager at Data Sciences.

Many organisations are driven by various factors when deciding on how to implement and deploy their IT infrastructure. The need to be quick to market with new products, among others, was one of the key drivers that saw the huge adoption of cloud solutions.

Cloud solutions have seen a huge adoption over the last decade, amid promises of various benefits. Some of the benefits promised and being delivered include.

• Quick IT deployment and thus quick time to market on products;
• Resource flexibility and scalability, leveraging a pool of available resources; and
• Efficiency, resources and costs – use what you need and pay for what you use. 

For a long time, large organisations have deployed centralised IT solutions, allowing them to manage centrally all the aspects of the infrastructure, such as performance tuning, DR, backups, security and procurement of the infrastructure and the associated resources.

While cloud solutions, as promised, brought about various benefits, unfortunately there are drawbacks, some of which seen to date include but are not limited to the following:

• Shadow IT, resulting in security and regulatory concerns;
• Legacy applications that cannot be migrated to the cloud; and
• Data protection strategies, cloud versus on-premises.

This means organisations must leverage both on-premises and public cloud technologies and thus embark on a hybrid cloud strategy, adopting the cloud while still accommodating legacy environments.

IT infrastructure solutions are characterised primarily by, but not limited to, the following elements:

• Compute;
• Networking;
• Storage; and
• Backups.

The Data Sciences team has a wealth of experience in solutions, encompassing but not limited to all the four elements above, with access to specific products that provide end-to-end enterprise solutions covering this space. Three brands I would like to mention that can add value to the journey of the hybrid cloud adoption:

• Pure Storage
• Commvault
• VAST Data

Pure Storage

Pure Storage, a data storage company focused on providing storage for primary application data. It was at the forefront of the adoption of flash arrays in the data centre, moving away from spinning disk technology at a time when flash technology was seen as expensive and reserved only for niche applications if it wasn’t deployed in a tiered architecture.

Pure Storage Cloud Block Store – organisations can deploy a virtual array with all Pure’s functionality on any public cloud platform, enjoy the same benefits as an on-premises deployment and replicate data between the two environments.

Pure Storage Safe-Mode Snapshots – This built-in feature enables the creation of read-only snapshots of production volumes, which cannot be altered, encrypted or deleted. These can be offloaded to a safe location offsite or in the cloud to be retrieved later when needed.

Pure Storage Portworks – Cloud-native applications running in containers such as Kubernetes can be easily provisioned persistent storage with Portworx, by abstracting away the complexity of underlying storage infrastructure and providing a unified storage layer for applications.

Commvault

Commvault, a software company focused on providing data management and protection solutions to enterprise customers. Over three decades in this space and you might be excused if you mistakenly see Commvault as “legacy backup software”. However, over the years, Commvault has proved that “legacy backup software” is a term nowhere near describing the company, as it has continued to be innovative.

Along with providing unmatched solutions for bare metal environments, Commvault, through innovation, provides comprehensive data protection solutions targeted at the cloud.

Cloud Data Management – With this, Commvault helps organisations to move their data between their different cloud platforms, on-premises versus cloud.

Cloud disaster recovery – Customers can automate their DR testing and actual DR across different cloud platforms, providing flexibility all the way to the file level restore.

Cloud Storage – Commvault, in partnership with Microsoft Azure, has launched a cloud backup solution branded Metallic for different requirements, including end-point protection.

VAST Data – “universal storage for all your data”

This company was founded with one aim, to be the next storage platform standard tier with flash, replacing all existing tiers of storage, such as hard drives, across all different environments, including backup data.

While Pure Storage accelerated the adoption of flash into the mainstream production data, VAST Data’s ambitious aim has seen the company accelerating the adoption of flash into the backup space.

With the availability of technologies such as QLC flash, revolutionary data reduction and highly efficient erasure coding, we have seen VAST Data bring flash price points down to palatable levels in the backup space.

Through the scale-out architecture, the system can scale from Petabytes to Exabytes in a single solution with the ability to independently scale capacity versus performance as per the requirements. Ultimately, customers can:

• Accelerate backups at any scale;
• Restore and recover business-critical data and applications in minutes, not days or weeks; and
• Take snapshots of data and offload to S3, with choice of on-premises or the public cloud.

In conclusion, many organisations need hybrid cloud solutions to overcome public cloud problems. Organisations can profit from the cloud while keeping legacy environments by using on-premises and public cloud technologies. Data Sciences can help with compute, networking, storage and backups. Pure Storage, Commvault and VAST Data offer end-to-end enterprise solutions that enhance hybrid cloud adoption. These solutions enable fast IT implementation, resource flexibility, scalability, efficiency and better data protection.

Don’t miss out on the benefits of hybrid cloud solutions. Contact the Data Sciences team today to learn more about how we can assist your organisation in implementing a hybrid cloud strategy and utilising top brands such as Pure Storage, Commvault and VAST Data for improved IT deployment, resource flexibility, scalability, efficiency and data protection. If you would like to have further discussion regarding the topics in this article, please feel free to reach out to Data Sciences Corporation by visiting our website, www.datasciences.co.za.

With the exponential growth of data and given the fact that it is essential to the smooth operation of any business, protecting and backing up your data is critical.

Equally important is the activation of that data, which provides your business with insight. However, this needs to be underpinned by using a partner you can trust. Commvault, a global leader in enterprise backup, recovery, data management and the cloud, partnered with Data Sciences in early 2017, which subsequently extended its reach throughout South Africa and bolstered the company’s service offering.

Click here to find out more about data protection from Commvault.

Further reinforcing the partnership, Data Sciences recently received additional certifications under the Commvault Service Advantage programme. Not only has Data Sciences achieved the prestigious Service Advantage Status, but it has gone the extra mile to be certified as a Service Advantage+ partner.

Johan Scheepers, Country Head at Commvault, said: “Commvault has always partnered with companies who have a great understanding and passion for data, and more importantly understand the need for businesses to activate their data. Our goal is to impart the importance of this and educate the South African market with information, advice and guidance.”

As part of this drive, Data Sciences, in conjunction with Commvault, recently held an event that emphasised the value of activating business data.

Sashen Govender, IT Executive at Rheinmetall Denel Munition, who attended the event, explains: “Data Sciences has delivered a world-class data management system ensuring that our information is appropriately safeguarded and available. Utilising Commvault’s intelligent data services technology, Rheinmetall Denel Munition is assured that the data is reactive from the edge to the data centre and across the cloud.”

Warren Hulley, Regional Executive at Data Sciences, said: “Increasing data volumes along with penalties for poor data collection and handling can no longer be taken lightly. This was one of the key focal points at this joint event, providing customers with an understanding on the importance of activating their data. We emphasised that in doing so, customers would know what data the business had, what it is used for, who owns it and whether it should be retained.”

Further to this, Data Sciences believes that harnessing the data and technology that surrounds us is paramount in driving innovation, developing knowledge and stimulating growth in respective markets.

Moreover, activated data is about gaining insight and giving you foresight. By working with partners like Data Sciences, which is Commvault certified, enterprises can adapt to the ever-changing technology landscape.

“Whether you’ve already embarked on a cloud adoption journey or whether you are about to, working with the right partners is critical to achieving data activation. Businesses therefore need to ensure they select a service provider who can adapt to changing business needs and shift with their customers as they grow,” concluded Scheepers.

For more information on how your business can activate your data and ensure data protection, click here.

Data Sciences Corporation is a provider of innovative technologies to help businesses capture, process, analyse and retain data. The company aims to provide customers with world-class service and support on its products. As part of this commitment, it has joined the ranks of Commvault Authorised Support Program (CASP) partners, becoming only the second organisation in South Africa to attain this status.

“Our CASP partners are effectively an extension of Commvault, allowing us to provide the same level of support from local partners as our customers expect from our global teams. The programme is offered on an invitation-only basis, to carefully selected partners. Partners selected to participate in the programme are empowered to deliver customer support based on industry-leading standards as established by Commvault. Having been a Commvault partner for the past five years, Data Sciences has embraced our methodology and has invested significantly in our product and the required skills matrix, earning them this accolade,” says Gerhard Fourie, District Channel Manager at Commvault South Africa.

This localised support has numerous benefits for Commvault customers. They are able to access support in all 11 official South African languages, from a partner that is located in the same time zone and has an understanding of the nuances of the local market. This offers a far more personalised experience when dealing with the Commvault offering, and removes many of the typical communication barriers. It also allows engineers to be deployed on site at short notice, should this be required to troubleshoot a problem. Customers have peace of mind that critical issues will be resolved in short time frames.

“We always embrace opportunities to further enhance our services capabilities and ensure that our customers have the best possible service experience available. The CASP programme allows us to extend our offering and better bridge the overall service requirements between our customers and Commvault support. It is a privilege to partake in CASP, and this certification will benefit both our business and our customers with a wider range of professional and support services and an enhanced value proposition,” says Isaac Makoto, Business Development Manager at Data Sciences.

“For Commvault, bringing another CASP partner into the fold shows our commitment towards growing our channel locally, as well as to providing the highest levels of support and service. We now have two CASP support partners and multiple certified partners in the market, expanding our technical community with skills and knowledge around our product. Commvault customers can rest assured that they are supported every step of the way, from sales through to implementation and support,” Fourie adds.

Achieving CASP partner status requires training from certified instructors and certification via the Commvault examination board. There is also a practical component that involves handling specific scenarios and tasks, where the speed and accuracy of response is judged. Data Sciences passed all aspects on its first attempt, resulting in the company being awarded Foundation level certification. This is the first of four levels, culminating in Master status. Data Sciences is already making solid progress in skilling up to achieve the second level of Core partner status.

“As a strategic Commvault partner, we function as a cohesive team with common goals and strategies, which creates the springboard for future success. Becoming a certified CASP partner is a milestone, displaying the commitment of both organisations to the partnership. Ultimately, this will see the end customer benefiting from excellent support and service and world-class technology – a win-win scenario for all stakeholders,” Makoto concludes.

Data Sciences Corporation (“Data Sciences” or “the company“), an infrastructure and solutions enablement provider, is pleased to announce it has achieved Elite Partner status with Pure Storage for the fourth consecutive year. Elite Partner Status is the highest achievement within the Pure Storage Partner Program and is designed to support partners by investing in those who are fully committed to Pure.

In partnership with Pure Storage, we are in a position to deliver products and solutions that enable customers to optimise their most valuable asset: their data. This can include accelerating traditional applications using NVMe technology; leveraging data to support AI and ML; migrating workloads to the cloud; and implementing storage as a service models. Over the past several years, Data Sciences has accumulated a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience in transforming our enterprise customers’ data centres by delivering a better customer experience with innovation and simplicity.

“Becoming a Pure Elite partner is by invitation only and we are proud to have met this criteria again,” says Rui de Oliveira, Business Development Director at Data Sciences. “Our continued focus on maintaining this partnership and growing our business together underpins our strategic alliance. Together we work hard to bring technology to customers, which helps them do more with their data and ultimately accelerate their businesses.”

Data Sciences prides itself in bringing innovative data centre technologies to the South African market with a key focus on providing local world-class technical service and support capabilities as demanded by enterprise customers. The partnership with Pure Storage has been successful because of the close collaboration between the two companies over the past several years.

“Data Sciences is a long-standing and dedicated partner who we work with closely across South Africa,” commented Rupert Brazier, country manager, South Africa, Pure Storage. “Together we offer organisations the opportunity to access a modern data experience through Pure’s subscription to innovation. Like Pure, Data Sciences is heavily focused on customer service – we both place high value in going the extra mile for our customers. Data Sciences demonstrates what we value in our channel – long-term strategic partnership, which is focused on exceeding customer needs and solving their challenges.”

Data Sciences Corporation is a solutions and infrastructure-styled business with specific market penetration within the intelligent flash storage segment. This infrastructure facilitates key business processes like online transaction processing, server virtualisation, virtual desktop infrastructure and services enterprise business IT requirements. Our targeted market includes the financial, telecommunications and banking sectors where legislation dictates IT information being kept for a prescribed length of time.

Through innovative technologies, thought leadership and top-tier expertise in delivering enterprise data centre solutions, the team at Data Sciences Corporation is well positioned to deliver differentiating solutions underpinned by world-class services to capture, process, analyse and retain the crucial data that drives businesses. Key to Data Sciences and its clients’ success are its technology partners. As an important pillar to Data Science’s business: strategic relationships with the partner ecosystem are of the utmost importance to leverage innovative and forward-thinking technologies to deliver solutions that are integrated, scalable and reliable.