Jan.19.2012

In this Issue...   EDITOR'S PICK: Worldwide Hard Drive Shortage Acts as Catalyst for Emergence of Solid State Drives Case Study: Custom Open Frame Computer for Laser Systems Upcoming Events Employee Spotlight

 

Worldwide Hard Drive Shortage Acts as Catalyst for Emergence of Solid State Drives

By: John Herndon, CCS Systems Engineering Manager

The technology industry is certainly no stranger to influence from the impact of natural disaster.  With large concentrations of component manufacturing facilities based in the Asia-Pacific region, disasters that strike that area can have a devastating effect on supply. The most recent catastrophe occurred in October 2011, when flood waters ravaged Thailand, the manufacturing center for over a third of the world’s hard drives. The flooding resulted in a worldwide shortage of hard drives that is now plaguing the industry.

The effects of the shortage have been detrimental to manufacturers. Although a few companies, such as Western Digital™, have at least some of their facilities back online, production continues to be at limited capacity, and overall output is a fraction of what it was prior to the flooding. Price increases ranged as high as 50-150% in the initial aftermath of the flooding, with the middle tier capacities (500GB-1.5TB) of hard drives being the hardest hit. Although prices have stabilized to some degree since that time, they still remain well above normal.

Analysts have differing opinions regarding the duration of these shortages. Some argue that it will be well into 2013 before the hard drive supply chain rights itself. Others contend that things are already beginning to improve. While there are a variety of opinions as to how long these constraints will last, most analysts agree that Q1 of 2012 will likely see the most severe shortages. 

While waiting for the shortage to subside, some manufacturers have started looking for alternative solutions. Many have investigated the possibility of replacing their hard drives with solid state drives (SSDs). Because the components needed to create SSDs are produced in areas that were not affected by the flooding, SSDs have remained readily available throughout the time that hard drives have been heavily constrained.

A storage medium that has grown steadily in popularity since its introduction to the commercial space, solid state drives utilize flash technology. SSDs are typically higher performing, use less power, and are more rugged than traditional hard drives. Most are capable of withstanding high temperatures and vibration, making them ideal for industrial settings. The main drawback of SSDs is that they are typically more expensive, especially in cases where a high-tier capacity is needed. However, with the recent rise in hard drive cost, the gap between these two types of storage mediums continues to narrow. Some analysts project that the cost of SSDs will drop below $1 per gigabyte in the second half of 2012. If hard drive shortages continue, the difference in cost between the two technologies will become negligible. 

According to analysts from the International Data Corporation, the actual growth rate of SSDs in the year 2011 was about 20% higher than the projected annual growth rate, which could be an indication that some have already made the transition to SSD in the wake of the Thailand flooding. Experts are predicting that the increase in SSD usage could continue as the year progresses.  In addition to comparable cost and higher availability over other similar devices, the emergence of Intel®’s Ultrabook™ (a lightweight but powerful notebook PC) should foster demand for SSDs. Many Ultrabook models will feature SSDs as makers seek to offer maximized performance with lower power consumption. In late 2012, Ultrabooks and other PCs could be bundled with Windows™ 8, which is touted to offer improved SSD support over previous Windows™ versions. 

Since the hard drive shortage has had such a monumental impact on manufacturers and end users alike, it’s important to monitor the situation and explore methods being taken to alleviate the problem. With industry leaders such as Intel® and Windows™ paying more attention to SSD, it may be time for your organization to consider making the switch.  The team at CCS has designed a number of solutions that utilize SSD technology. Interested in working with us to determine whether transitioning to SSD could be beneficial for your project’s needs? Contact us today to learn more.

For Further Reading, Check Out These Links:

• How Bad is the Hard Disk Shortage?
• Hard Drive Prices Rise Due to Thai Floods
• Hard Drive Prices Slide as Thai Flood Aftermath Subsides
• Hard Drives Get Squeezed
• IDC: Thai Floods Create a New Opportunity for Solid State Storage
• SSD Prices Will Fall Below $1 Per GB in 2012, Says IDC
• The Hard Drive Shortage of 2012
• Ultrabook

case study: custom open frame computer for laser systems

Searching for a single supplier who could serve as an all-in-one provider, Prima Power Laserdyne approached CCS-Inc. in need of a self-contained, dual computer system capable of running off a single power supply. Click here to read about the "long lifecycle solution that CCS provided...[that] has not only given us [Laserdyne] the stability that we were looking for, but has also reduced engineering time and rework of documentation, testing, and inspection."

View Case Study

upcoming events

FoxGuard Solutions Exhibiting at EUEC 2012

Click the link above to read more about FoxGuard Solutions' (one of CCS' subsidiary companies) participation in the USA's largest energy, utility, and environment conference.

 

employee spotlight

Name: Mitch Helton
Position: Network Administrator
Time at CCS: 7 months
Responsibilities: Maintain, monitor, and manage all network infrastructure. Manage phone system and respond to escalated user issues via helpdesk ticketing system.
Qualifications: Associate of Applied Science in Computer Networking from Mountain Empire Community College; CCNA and A+ certified.
Favorite Part of the Job: Interacting with CCS employees, continuous learning, and overcoming the challenges that IT brings.

 

 

engineers reading corner

Find out what the engineers at CCS are intersted in by checking out the links below:

• Microsoft Brings Back Drive Extender Features with Raid Style Performance in Windows 8... Read Article
• 802.11ac: Gigabit Wi-Fi Devices will be Shipping in 2012... Read Article

 

CCS is Hiring! Know someone that would be a great fit for CCS? Located in Christiansburg, VA, CCS is always looking for talented people to add to its team. Click here to view a list of current job openings.

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