{"id":48375,"date":"2025-09-02T08:21:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T07:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/?p=48375"},"modified":"2025-10-02T12:11:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T11:11:56","slug":"raising-the-bar-for-cloud-services-and-enterprise-storage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/2025\/09\/02\/raising-the-bar-for-cloud-services-and-enterprise-storage\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising the bar for cloud services and enterprise storage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bill Tanner, Features Editor, Intelligent CIO North America, talks to Eric Herzog, CMO at Infinidat, and John White, COO at US Signal, about the strategic backbone of modern digital infrastructure. They discuss the critical role of unwavering customer support, continuous innovation, cyber-resiliency and high-performance technology in navigating today’s dynamic and competitive cloud landscape.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John, now that you\u2019ve invested in data infrastructure and launched new services over the past year, what differentiates US Signal from other service providers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer support has always been central to US Signal\u2019s ethos. It’s not just something we do well \u2013 it’s our highest priority. Having worked in this industry my entire career, I was familiar with US Signal\u2019s strong reputation for support and that reputation was only reinforced after I joined.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example stands out: we guarantee that when a customer calls us, they\u2019ll speak to a real person within 30 seconds. As the person responsible for our support teams, I was initially sceptical. But it\u2019s a key performance indicator we actively monitor and it holds true. Whether it\u2019s a network, cloud or data center issue, our customers are speaking with someone who can help \u2212 fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our responsiveness and innovative culture distinguish us. We motivate our teams to create new solutions using emerging technology, boosting engagement. Our OpenCloud, founded on open-source technology, delivers strong performance and continually evolves. Our advantage lies in blending personalized customer service with a dynamic, innovation-focused culture.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Eric Herzog,<\/strong><\/em> CMO at Infinidat<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Eric, what does US Signal\u2019s success with InfiniBox say about Infinidat’s value to service providers like US Signal and enterprise CIOs?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty one percent of our customers are service providers, and they provide extensive IT solutions in demanding markets with compelling services. Why should service providers choose Infinidat? We provide a stable, high-performance foundation for building, whether for cloud, VMware, container environments, application services or storage services. Our infrastructure lets clients focus on innovation, even supporting healthcare CSPs with strict compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We offer consistency. InfiniBox and InfiniGuard systems run for years with zero downtime or complexity. For example, US Signal manages over 27 petabytes with just two admins and a UK Fortune 500 company handles 100 petabytes with four staff \u2013 down from 11 admins for 75 petabytes before switching to Infinidat. This significant reduction in overhead gives a competitive edge, especially against the very large cloud providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of our solutions incorporate InfiniSafe, our cybersecure and cyber-resilient storage solution, ensuring protection against ransomware and cyberthreats \u2212 risks that service providers face just like any other enterprise. This integrated security, paired with hassle-free reliability, makes our solutions an excellent choice for both service providers and large organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n

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John White, COO at US Signal<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

John, if a CIO is considering US Signal, what\u2019s the one message you\u2019d want them to take away during the decision-making process?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our OpenCloud platform stands out with its unique approach. While this makes it highly effective, it also requires CIOs to trust in its potential. Recently, I was in Dallas speaking with a customer, and the questions they asked were quite similar to the ones we frequently encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They inquired about fostering an open-source environment, so we explained our support structure and highlighted our partnership with ShapeBlue, which provides us with expert knowledge. They also asked about our hardware, and we mentioned that we use enterprise-grade equipment such as Dell servers, Arista switches and Infinidat storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation then moved to performance issues: \u201cAre we truly able to compete with the leading public cloud providers?” We directed them to our independent third-party benchmarking results. In many instances, particularly with Oracle workloads, we outperformed Azure\u2019s performance \u2013 something customers can confirm directly on our website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our pricing process works similarly. We provide a calculator that allows customers to input their current inventory data and compare costs. In this instance, our quote was only half of Azure’s price. Naturally, there was some disbelief, but that\u2019s the goal \u2013 to present a strong alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My message to CIOs: embrace new opportunities and stay adaptable as the industry evolves. Multi-cloud isn’t just a trend anymore \u2013 it\u2019s a practical reality, with major providers like AWS and Azure offering integrated management tools. Recent events, such as Broadcom\u2019s acquisition of VMware, provide a perfect moment to reevaluate your strategies. By doing so, you can cut costs, improve performance and free up your teams to focus on higher-value initiatives. If you\u2019re still spending excessive time on routine tasks like maintaining VMs or checking backups, it might be time to see the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John, how is US Signal leading change in the cloud hosting market \u2013 and what\u2019s the value for enterprise customers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our goal is straightforward: ensuring our clients see genuine value. This involves delivering strong Service Level Agreements (SLAs), a solid return on investment, and a service that encourages innovation. We strive for a 100% SLA to guarantee uptime and provide our clients with peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next decade, organizations that emphasize innovation today will have a competitive edge. They should cut operational costs by streamlining repetitive tasks and resolving infrastructure issues to save time and resources. Offering easy-to-use Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)<\/em> with reliable support and SLAs allows customers to concentrate on core priorities such as AI development, Digital Transformation and improving customer experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aim to be a reliable, invisible utility provider while helping customers innovate. Our OpenCloud platform, shaped by customer feedback, offers a flexible, cost-effective alternative powered by Infinidat, giving them control and confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eric, what has Infinidat provided to US Signal, and how has that enabled them to deliver on their private cloud strategy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Broadcom acquisition of VMware, we ensured compatibility across VMware, containers and Red Hat OpenShift, maintaining full certifications and participating in industry events. While many clients still rely on VMware, the move toward containerization is gaining speed \u2013 and we\u2019re prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our technology features a distinctive triple-active controller architecture that differentiates us in the market. Moreover, 70% of support issues are proactively resolved by AI within the storage system, highlighting a proactive support approach. Each customer is also assigned a dedicated technical advisor who works directly with them, bypassing traditional Level 1 and 2 support, and bringing over a decade of enterprise storage expertise from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve proven our excellence through actions, not just words. We\u2019ve received the Gartner Peer Insights Customer\u2019s Choice Award seven times, a recognition driven purely by customer reviews, not analyst opinions. Customers frequently highlight how our systems operate flawlessly for years without outages. For service providers, maintaining uptime means more revenue, while downtime results in refunds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our service provider customers, such as US Signal, aren\u2019t building their own hardware like Amazon or Google do. They don\u2019t have 10,000 engineers. They want to focus their valuable resources on innovation, security and services \u2013 not infrastructure maintenance. That\u2019s the powerful value we deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John, what was US Signal\u2019s criteria for selecting an enterprise storage partner \u2013 and why did you ultimately choose Infinidat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before joining the team, we had completed an extensive evaluation and deployed various arrays. When I came onboard in July 2023, I received a purchase order worth several million dollars for Infinidat. I was initially cautious since I had no prior experience with their solutions, though I had considered Infinidat around 2018 or 2019 in a previous role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team was deeply committed to the relationship, so I made sure to fully understand what I was agreeing to. I contacted our sales rep and said, “Please give me the complete picture \u2013 I\u2019m new here, we have other options under consideration and I\u2019ve worked with many vendors over the years. I need to be confident that Infinidat is a reliable long-term partner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I visited Boston for a day to meet the team, focusing on transparency by reviewing support tickets, hardware failures and maintenance. They accessed our systems in real-time and showed me the logged issues, which were a few. This boosted my confidence in their operational efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I examined their roadmap and SAN architecture, drawing on my extensive storage experience with Dell EqualLogic, Compellent and collaborations with EMC engineers. What stood out about Infinidat was their ability to deliver high-performance hybrid arrays at scale, with impressive IOPS and throughput.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When building our OpenCloud, we hosted a lab bake-off with major vendors, testing scenarios like large sequential reads, random heavy workloads and intense writes. Infinidat consistently outperformed the competition in both performance and cost, making it our top choice. Their flexible commercial model, allowing seamless scaling within the same system, further enhanced their appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We considered all options but favored Infinidat, especially their flexible expansion model. They’ve been highly reliable so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eric, how would you summarize what we\u2019ve talked about here today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My focus is on the importance of supporting customers effectively. Whether we are acting as a vendor or John\u2019s team at US Signal, the key is to stay proactive and ensure customers feel confident that they are supported throughout their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change fuels our industry\u2019s progress. Consider the journey \u2013 from mainframes to smartphones, more advanced than anything IBM created in the 70s and 80s. The iPhone was once just science fiction, and now it\u2019s part of everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why when customers like US Signal want to create their own cloud or open-source platform, we say, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d We support legacy stacks, the container world and partners like Red Hat, Oracle and SAP to stay current.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re helping enterprises transition to containers, which can be challenging for CIOs and CTOs used to VMware. US Signal’s OpenCloud offers a real, innovative alternative \u2013 and we\u2019re proud to support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White glove support is our core. We provide every customer with a Technical Advisor \u2013 and at no charge. The Infinidat Technical Advisor who works with John is part of the package and helps the US Signal team optimize their applications, workloads and use cases. No Level 1 or Level 2 technical support \u2013 if our customers have a real technical support issue, we go straight to Level 3 tech support engineers with a decade or more of real-world support experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Gartner Peer Insights reviews speak for themselves. We\u2019ve won the Customer\u2019s Choice Award seven times, based on enterprise end-user feedback focusing on support, reliability and ease of use. That\u2019s the white glove service that customers want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as US Signal competes with the largest cloud providers through smarter and more agile strategies, we\u2019re carving out our space in the enterprise storage arena. Our unique approach allows us to secure major enterprise contracts and collaborate with top-tier service providers. The key lesson is that strategic, intelligent differentiation leads to success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bill Tanner, Features Editor, Intelligent CIO North America, talks to Eric Herzog, CMO at Infinidat, and John White, COO at US Signal, about the strategic backbone of modern digital infrastructure. They discuss the critical role of unwavering customer support, continuous innovation, cyber-resiliency and high-performance technology in navigating today’s dynamic and competitive cloud landscape. John, now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":48378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,512,34,43,514],"tags":[9230,9215,9218,9219,8793,9234,9231,9228,9222,9217,4338,9236,9229,9235,9227,9220,9221,9233,6049,1081,6050,9223,9216,9225,9232,9224,9214,8935,9226],"class_list":["post-48375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cloud","category-main-story-newsletter","category-more-news","category-top-stories","category-used","tag-ai-driven-it-support","tag-bill-tanner-intelligent-cio","tag-broadcom-vmware-acquisition-impact","tag-cloud-hosting-market","tag-cloud-innovation","tag-cloud-slas","tag-containerization-and-cloud","tag-customer-support-in-cloud-services","tag-cyber-resiliency","tag-data-center-transformation","tag-digital-infrastructure","tag-digital-transformation-strategies","tag-enterprise-cio-challenges","tag-enterprise-cloud-cost-savings","tag-enterprise-storage-solutions","tag-eric-herzog-infinidat","tag-high-performance-storage","tag-hybrid-cloud-storage","tag-infinibox","tag-infinidat","tag-infiniguard","tag-infinisafe-cyber-resilience","tag-infrastructure-as-a-service-iaas-2","tag-john-white-us-signal","tag-multi-cloud-strategy","tag-opencloud-platform","tag-service-provider-it-strategy","tag-us-signal","tag-vmware-alternatives"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48375"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50953,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48375\/revisions\/50953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}