Gartner Magic Quadrant 2024: Understanding the Shift in Primary Storage Dynamics

Friday, 4 October 2024, 02:24

Gartner's 2024 Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage reveals critical shifts impacting vendors and customers. This report indicates a significant reorientation towards hyperscaler integration, raising concerns about competition and innovation in the storage industry. CIOs must be aware of these changes as they could reshape customer choices and market dynamics.
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Gartner Magic Quadrant 2024: Understanding the Shift in Primary Storage Dynamics

Understanding Gartner's 2024 Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage

As the data storage industry evolves, Gartner's changes to the 2024 Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage Platforms (PSP) are causing concern among vendors and customers. The reorientation toward hyperscaler integration and geopolitical considerations raises critical questions about competition, innovation, and customer choice.

Implications of the Change

Yet, the latest Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage Platforms reveals a troubling shift—a pronounced emphasis on integration with North American cloud platforms. Industry leaders like Huawei, Hitachi, and Infinidat, known for their innovation and global reach, have been demoted from Leaders to Challengers.

  • The change isn’t due to diminished capabilities but reflects Gartner's revised criteria, which disproportionately prioritize platform-native service capabilities tied to North American infrastructure.
  • Traditionally, the Leaders quadrant included companies with broad market share and consistent financial performance.
  • This shift could have significant implications for vendors and enterprise customers and unfairly distort the market.

Revisions Favoring Hyperscalers

The revisions by Gartner heavily emphasize platform-native services, storage-as-a-service, and hybrid cloud architectures, where hyperscalers excel. Gartner's criteria demand a global presence across major geographies, further solidifying the advantage for hyperscalers.

  1. While many traditional vendors maintain strong customer bases in specific regions, they often lack extensive global infrastructure.
  2. This challenges vendors outside the United States, where hyperscalers dominate.
  3. Regional players in Europe and Asia-Pacific risk exclusion from the Leaders quadrant due to limited North American presence.

Future Implications for Vendors and Customers

The criteria shift to favor a hyperscaler-dominant model could reshape competition in the primary storage market, potentially stifling innovation.

  • Without competition, hyperscalers may have little incentive to innovate, leading to a homogenous market.
  • If the Leaders quadrant includes only US-based vendors, it could harm enterprise IT's diversity and innovation.
  • Furthermore, the increasing likelihood of vendor lock-in poses risks for businesses relying heavily on cloud providers.

A Call for a Balanced Ecosystem in Primary Storage

As these changes reshape the landscape, maintaining a balanced ecosystem remains vital. Gartner’s evaluation criteria must reflect the diverse needs of the storage ecosystem, ensuring fair competition and customer choice.

Industry stakeholders must advocate for a market that promotes open standards and innovation. Only by maintaining a diverse market can businesses secure the tailored solutions they need to thrive in a digital and interconnected world.


This article was prepared using information from open sources in accordance with the principles of Ethical Policy. The editorial team is not responsible for absolute accuracy, as it relies on data from the sources referenced.


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