From Rising Costs to Smarter Storage: The VCF 9.1 Reality

Virtually Speaking Podcast11mMay 5, 2026

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AI-Generated Summary

In this episode of the Virtually Speaking Podcast, hosts Pete Fletcher and John Nicholson welcome Rakesh Khannavarani to discuss the transformative updates in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1, with a deep focus on storage innovation. The conversation centers on how rising hardware costs are being addressed through vSAN’s new efficiency gains—cutting hardware requirements by 50% via software optimizations and real-world workload telemetry. Key features highlighted include true global deduplication across up to 64 nodes, a native S3 object store for Kubernetes and DevOps workflows, and an industry-first cyber recovery solution that integrates compute, storage, and network protection through VMware’s end-to-end platform. The episode also previews the future of storage with the vision of 'Storage 3.0' designed specifically for AI workloads, leveraging GPU Direct and disaggregated fabrics. The tone is enthusiastic and forward-looking, emphasizing practical cost savings and architectural advancements.

Key Takeaways
1

vSAN 9.1 cuts hardware requirements by 50% through real-world workload optimization, not just benchmarking.

2

Global deduplication across up to 64 nodes enables three times the deduplication efficiency compared to traditional arrays.

3

Native S3 object store in vSAN eliminates the need for external S3 solutions for DevOps and backup use cases.

4

Cyber recovery in VCF 9.1 is an end-to-end, automated solution combining storage, compute, and network isolation.

5

Future storage evolution (Storage 3.0) is being built for AI workloads with GPU Direct and disaggregated fabrics.

Chapters
0:00
2 min

Welcome to Storage Land: VCF 9.1 Preview

Hosts Pete and John welcome Rakesh Khannavarani to discuss the latest updates in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1, setting the stage for a deep dive into storage innovations and cost optimization.

2:00
3 min

Cutting Hardware Costs with vSAN 9.1

We realized that even the most demanding applications in the private cloud require a fraction of those IOPS it requires. And we are able to maintain consistent sub-millisecond latency response times with half the hardware.

Highlight
5:00
3 min

True Global Deduplication Across Clusters

Now you can put 18 vSAN ready nodes in a cluster... and at this point it's truly global—you're deduplicating across all the 18 nodes.

Highlight
8:00
2 min

Native S3 Object Store for DevOps & Backups

You don't need to stand up an expensive S3 solution and offer that as a target. No longer.

Highlight
10:00
1 min

Cyber Recovery & the Future of Storage 3.0

Storage 3.0 is going to be storage for AI apps. And that's when these AI admins are going to have a gig.

Highlight
High-Impact Quotes
Storage 3.0 is going to be storage for AI apps. And that's when these AI admins are going to have a gig.
Rakesh Khannavarani16:50
Viral: 90.0
We realized that even the most demanding applications in the private cloud require a fraction of those IOPS it requires. And we are able to maintain consistent sub-millisecond latency response times with half the hardware.
Rakesh Khannavarani4:07
Viral: 85.0
Now you can put 18 vSAN ready nodes in a cluster... and at this point it's truly global—you're deduplicating across all the 18 nodes.
Rakesh Khannavarani7:30
Viral: 80.0
Speakers

Hosts

Pete FletcherJohn Nicholson

Guest

Rakesh Khannavarani
Topics Discussed
Global Deduplication95%VMware Cloud Foundation 9.192%Hardware Cost Optimization90%Native S3 Object Store90%Storage 3.0 for AI88%Cyber Recovery85%DevOps and Kubernetes Integration75%Software-Defined Storage70%
People & Brands

Rakesh Khannavarani

person

15xPositive

vSAN

product

12xPositive

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1

product

10xPositive

John Nicholson

person

6xNeutral

S3 Object Store

product

6xPositive

Kubernetes

other

5xPositive

Pete Fletcher

person

4xNeutral

ACC

product

3xNeutral

GPU Direct

other

2xPositive

NSX

product

2xPositive

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