Author: Rob Pankow
Showing 56 posts.
Rob Pankow
Apr 6th, 2026 | 4 min read
AI Workloads on OpenShift: Best Practices
Learn best practices for running AI workloads on OpenShift, from GPU utilization and data locality to storage performance, checkpoints, and private-cloud operations.
Rob Pankow
Apr 6th, 2026 | 4 min read
Databases on OpenShift: Best Practices
Learn best practices for running databases on OpenShift, including storage classes, topology, backup, branching, QoS, and platform ownership.
Rob Pankow
Apr 6th, 2026 | 4 min read
Unified Storage for Containers and Virtual Machines on OpenShift
Learn how to design unified OpenShift storage for containers and virtual machines without forcing VM workloads and Kubernetes-native applications into separate storage models.
Rob Pankow
Apr 3rd, 2026 | 6 min read
The 2026 OpenShift Data Stack
The 2026 OpenShift data stack is not just containers plus storage. It combines virtualization, Kubernetes-native block storage, and a better database workflow for private-cloud and VMware-exit programs.
Rob Pankow
Mar 29th, 2026 | 4 min read
How to Do Storage Disaster Recovery with OpenShift
A technical guide to designing storage disaster recovery on OpenShift, including RPO/RTO targets, replication patterns, failover runbooks, and recovery validation.
Rob Pankow
Mar 28th, 2026 | 8 min read
HCI Storage for OpenShift: Software-Defined Flexibility vs. Appliance Lock-In
Appliance-based HCI bundles compute, storage, and OpenShift into a single vendor stack — but the hardware lock-in and premium cost often outweigh the convenience. Software-defined HCI gives platform teams the same operational model on commodity NVMe hardware.
Rob Pankow
Mar 28th, 2026 | 8 min read
OpenShift Data Foundation Alternative: What to Evaluate Before Committing to ODF
ODF is the default Red Hat storage recommendation for OpenShift, but it inherits Ceph's operational complexity and performance tradeoffs. Here is what platform teams should evaluate before committing.
Rob Pankow
Mar 28th, 2026 | 8 min read
Replacing vSAN Storage When Moving to OpenShift or Kubernetes
Most VMware migration guides focus on the compute layer — but vSAN is the storage layer, and it does not migrate. Here is what platform teams need to plan when replacing vSAN as part of an OpenShift or Kubernetes transition.
Rob Pankow
Mar 27th, 2026 | 8 min read
Best Openshift HCI Storage Solutions 2026
The best OpenShift HCI storage solutions in 2026 depend on workload criticality, platform maturity, and operating model. Compare simplyblock, OpenShift Data Foundation, and Nutanix.
Rob Pankow
Mar 24th, 2026 | 9 min read
Volume Mobility Across Zones and Clusters for Stateful Kubernetes
Stateful Kubernetes reliability depends on volume mobility strategy across zones and clusters, including failover design, restore pathways, and operational controls.
Rob Pankow
Mar 20th, 2026 | 8 min read
Private Cloud Storage for Proxmox and Kubernetes
A unified storage foundation for Proxmox and Kubernetes helps enterprise teams modernize private cloud estates without splitting operations across VM and container silos.
Rob Pankow
Mar 18th, 2026 | 9 min read
Ransomware Recovery for Kubernetes Storage
Ransomware recovery in Kubernetes depends on immutable restore points, clean recovery workflows, and storage architecture that limits blast radius under pressure.
Rob Pankow
Mar 16th, 2026 | 9 min read
Backup and Restore for KubeVirt and VM Workloads on Kubernetes
Platform teams running containers and VMs together need unified backup and restore workflows that protect both workload types on one storage foundation. This post walks through the tooling, consistency challenges, and RPO/RTO design that make it work.
Rob Pankow
Mar 16th, 2026 | 6 min read
Best VMware Alternatives 2026
The best VMware alternatives in 2026 depend on migration goals, operating model, and workload profile. Compare an OpenShift-native stack with simplyblock, Nutanix AHV, and Proxmox VE.
Rob Pankow
Mar 12th, 2026 | 5 min read
How to make Storage Agentic Ready?
Making storage agentic ready in 2026 means designing for low-latency context retrieval, concurrent state updates, and operational resilience under autonomous multi-step workloads.
Rob Pankow
Mar 12th, 2026 | 8 min read
How to Design a Kubernetes StorageClass for PostgreSQL Performance
Most PostgreSQL issues blamed on Kubernetes are really storage-class mistakes. Here is how to set replication, topology, and expansion for predictable performance.
Rob Pankow
Mar 10th, 2026 | 10 min read
Application-Consistent Backups for PostgreSQL on Kubernetes
Reliable PostgreSQL recovery on Kubernetes requires more than storage snapshots. Teams need clear consistency strategy across snapshots, WAL, and restore workflows. This post covers the full model — from checkpoint semantics to PITR and operator integration.
Rob Pankow
Mar 7th, 2026 | 6 min read
Best Database Storage 2026
The best database storage in 2026 depends on latency consistency, operational model, and scaling trajectory. Compare Simplyblock, Amazon EBS io2 Block Express, and Ceph.
Rob Pankow
Mar 6th, 2026 | 6 min read
Best Postgres Storage in 2026
The best Postgres storage in 2026 depends on latency targets, operational model, and scaling plans. Compare Simplyblock, Amazon EBS io2 Block Express, and Ceph.
Rob Pankow
Mar 5th, 2026 | 4 min read
Simplyblock vs vSAN
Compare Simplyblock vs vSAN for modern stateful infrastructure: architecture, performance, operations, and migration fit for Kubernetes and OpenShift programs.
Rob Pankow
Mar 1st, 2026 | 6 min read
Best Rancher Storage 2026
The best Rancher storage choice in 2026 depends on workload profile and operational capacity. Compare simplyblock, OpenEBS, and Ceph with practical tradeoffs.
Rob Pankow
Feb 27th, 2026 | 8 min read
Best Kubernetes Storage 2026
The best Kubernetes storage in 2026 depends on workload profile, operations model, and performance targets. Compare simplyblock, OpenEBS, and Ceph with practical tradeoffs.
Rob Pankow
Feb 19th, 2026 | 5 min read
Simplyblock vs. OpenShift Data Foundation: A Technical Storage Comparison
A technical comparison of simplyblock and OpenShift Data Foundation for OpenShift teams choosing between NVMe-native block storage and Ceph-based integrated storage.
Rob Pankow
Jan 12th, 2026 | 11 min read
DPUs for Storage: What They Are, and Why They Matter
Data centers changed faster than most storage stacks. NVMe SSDs became standard. Ethernet became faster and cheaper. Kubernetes became the default platform for new infrastructure. At the same time,…
Rob Pankow
Dec 12th, 2025 | 8 min read
Kubernetes Storage: Disaggregated or Hyper-converged?
Modern cloud-native environments demand more from storage than ever before. As Kubernetes becomes the dominant platform for deploying applications at scale, teams are confronted with a critical…
Rob Pankow
Dec 10th, 2025 | 10 min read
NVMe/TCP vs NVMe/RoCE: Which Protocol For High-Performance Storage?
As modern workloads become faster, smarter, and more distributed, the infrastructure behind them must keep up. Enterprise applications, especially those driven by AI, analytics, and cloud-native…
Rob Pankow
Apr 15th, 2025 | 6 min read
Cloud Exit Is Real —Why Cloud Economics Break Down at Scale
When I wrote “Why Companies Are Ditching the Cloud: The Rise of Cloud Repatriation” last year, the idea of moving workloads off the public cloud still felt somewhat radical in mainstream…
Rob Pankow
Feb 26th, 2025 | 5 min read
Top 5 Open Source Software-Defined Storage (SDS) Tools for Enterprises
📅 Updated for 2025 Read Time: 6 min Enterprises today generate and manage petabytes of data, with storage demands growing exponentially. Traditional hardware-based storage solutions lack…
Rob Pankow
Feb 20th, 2025 | 11 min read
Alternative to SAN - Why Software-Defined Storage Wins in the Long Run
NetApp has been a dominant player in the enterprise storage market for over two decades, offering feature-rich SAN and NAS solutions but it's time for an alternative. The landscape of enterprise…
Rob Pankow
Feb 20th, 2025 | 9 min read
Alternative to SAN - Why Software-Defined Storage Wins in the Long Run
SAN systems have been dominant in the enterprise storage market for over two decades. The landscape of enterprise storage is changing. Enterprises are no longer just evaluating storage solutions…
Rob Pankow
Feb 4th, 2025 | 9 min read
How To Reduce Your Cloud Storage Carbon Footprint
Discover practical strategies for data center carbon footprint reduction and storage optimization in the cloud infrastructure.
Rob Pankow
Jan 28th, 2025 | 7 min read
Bare-Metal Kubernetes - Power of Direct Hardware Access
As of 2025, over 90% of enterprises have adopted Kubernetes. The technology has matured, and the ecosystem around containerization technologies is richer than ever. More platform teams are realizing…
Rob Pankow
Jan 21st, 2025 | 9 min read
Database Performance: Impact of Storage Limitations
TLDR: Storage and storage limitations have a fundamental impact on database performance, with access latency creating a hard physical limitation on IOPS, queries per second (QPS), and transactions…
Rob Pankow
Dec 23rd, 2024 | 10 min read
Kubernetes Storage 201: Concepts and Practical Examples
Kubernetes storage is a sophisticated ecosystem designed to address the complex data management needs of containerized applications. At its core, Kubernetes storage provides a flexible mechanism to…
Rob Pankow
Oct 17th, 2024 | 12 min read
NVMe Storage for Database Optimization: Lessons from Tech Giants
Leveraging NVMe-based storage for databases brings whole new set of capabilities and performance optimization opportunities. In this blog we explore how can you adopt NVMe storage for your database workloads with case studies from tech giants such as Pinterest or Discord.
Rob Pankow
Oct 3rd, 2024 | 4 min read
Local NVMe Storage on AWS - Pros and Cons
The debate over the optimal storage solution has been ongoing. Local instance storage on AWS (i.e. ephemeral NVMe disk attached to EC2 instance) brings remarkable cost-performance ratios. It offers…
Rob Pankow
Sep 12th, 2024 | 7 min read
AWS Migration - How to Migrate into the Cloud? Data Storage Perspective
Migrating to the cloud can be daunting, but it becomes a manageable and rewarding process with the right approach and understanding of the storage perspective. Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a…
Rob Pankow
Sep 12th, 2024 | 13 min read
RDS vs. EKS: The True Cost of Database Management
Databases can make up a significant portion of the costs for a variety of businesses and enterprises, and in particular for SaaS, Fintech, or E-commerce & Retail verticals. Choosing the right…
Rob Pankow
Sep 12th, 2024 | 6 min read
What is the AWS Workload Migration Program and how simplyblock can help you with cloud migration?
The AWS Workload Migration Program is a comprehensive framework designed to help organizations migrate their workloads to the AWS cloud efficiently and effectively. It encompasses a range of tools,…
Rob Pankow
Sep 6th, 2024 | 7 min read
Amazon EKS vs. ECS: Understanding the Differences and Choosing the Right Service
When it comes to container orchestration on AWS, two primary services come to mind: Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) and Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) . Both offer robust solutions…
Rob Pankow
Aug 26th, 2024 | 7 min read
Avoiding Storage Lock-in - Block Storage Migration with Simplyblock
Storage and particularly block storage is generally easy to migrate. It doesn’t create vendor lock-in, which is very different from most database systems. Therefore, it’s worth to briefly line out…
Rob Pankow
Aug 11th, 2024 | 11 min read
AWS Storage Optimization: Best Practices for Cost and Performance
Managing storage costs in AWS environments has become increasingly critical as organizations scale their cloud infrastructure. With storage often representing 20-30% of cloud spending, AWS storage…
Rob Pankow
Aug 6th, 2024 | 9 min read
What is AWS Marketplace?
Overview of AWS Marketplace AWS Marketplace is a digital catalog that allows customers to find, buy, and deploy software and services that run on Amazon Web Services (AWS) . It's designed to simplify…
Rob Pankow
Jul 23rd, 2024 | 6 min read
Rockset alternatives - migrate with simplyblock
On June 21, 2024, Rockset announced its acquisition by OpenAI , setting off a countdown for many organizations using their database. If you're a Rockset user, you're now facing a critical deadline:…
Rob Pankow
Jul 22nd, 2024 | 8 min read
What is the AWS Savings Plan? Guide to AWS Discount Programs
As cloud computing continues to transform how businesses operate, Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the largest cloud provider globally, offering scalable and cost-effective solutions for…
Rob Pankow
Jun 28th, 2024 | 10 min read
How to reduce AWS cloud costs with AWS marketplace products?
The AWS Marketplace is a comprehensive catalog consisting of thousands of offerings that help organizations find, purchase, deploy and manage third-party software and services to optimize their cloud…
Rob Pankow
Jun 18th, 2024 | 11 min read
What are AWS Credits and how to get them?
AWS Credits are cash credits provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help offset the costs of using AWS cloud services. These credits can be applied to a wide range of AWS services, such as compute,…
Rob Pankow
Jun 13th, 2024 | 7 min read
How to benefit from AWS Enterprise Discount Program (EDP)
The AWS Enterprise Discount Program (EDP) is a discount initiative designed for organizations spending at least $1M per year on AWS cloud services and committed to extensive and long-term usage of…
Rob Pankow
Jun 5th, 2024 | 7 min read
Simplyblock vs Ceph - Choosing Modern Storage
When evaluating software-defined storage, Simplyblock and Ceph stand out as two major contenders. While Ceph has long been a default choice for many cloud and enterprise environments, its…
Rob Pankow
Apr 30th, 2024 | 11 min read
AI Storage: How To Build Scalable Data Infrastructures for AI workloads?
AI workloads bring new requirements to your AI storage infrastructure, marking a significant change compared to the “ML era” of Big Data storage. The average scale of an AI dataset is multiple times…
Rob Pankow
Apr 17th, 2024 | 7 min read
Block Storage Volume Pooling for the Cloud-Age
If you have services running in the AWS, you’ll eventually need block storage to store data. Services like Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Storage) provide block storage to be used in your EC2 instances,…
Rob Pankow
Mar 13th, 2024 | 7 min read
The Next-Gen of Storage Virtualization for Modern Cloud Computing
Storage virtualization, as a concept, has been around for about 60 years now. However, it became more prominent and practical with the advancement of computing technologies in the late 1990s and…
Rob Pankow
Apr 5th, 2023 | 3 min read
Simplyblock for AWS - Performance Test
Simplyblock's NVMe-oF storage on AWS delivers >128 Gbit/s throughput, 3 GiB/s per GPU, and sub-100µs latency — validated in MLPerf Storage v2.0 and ClickBench benchmarks.
Rob Pankow
Apr 5th, 2023 | 2 min read
Simplyblock for AWS (demo videos)
We have recently conducted a demo showcasing capabilities of simplyblock's high-perfromance block storage on the AWS platform. The demo offers a glimpse into the seamless integration, exceptional…
Rob Pankow
Apr 5th, 2023 | 2 min read
Simplyblock for AWS - Whitepaper
Simplyblock has recognized the limitations of conventional cloud storage services, specifically AWS Elastic Block Storage (EBS) , and has introduced a groundbreaking alternative. This whitepaper…
Rob Pankow
Feb 27th, 2023 | 4 min read
Reducing cloud costs by 30%: a case study on relational databases with hybrid cloud
The benefits of a hybrid cloud operating model are obvious: take the best of both worlds . Flexibility, fast time-to-market, cost-effective high availability and a huge variety of great platform…