Ross Wilkers
Don Maruca leads the federal sales unit of information storage and security company Quantum, which works with U.S. government agencies to handle large volumes of data and apply new technologies in collaboration and sharing functions.
Maruca joined the company in October 2013 as federal sales vice president and holds two decades of experience from companies such as CA Technologies, EMC, Near Infinity and Sun Microsystems.
Maruca recently spoke to ExecutiveBiz for this conversation to discuss the role of cloud technologies in agencies’ data storage efforts, how industry can help public sector clients manage costs and the “human factor” in decision-making environments driven by technology.
ExecutiveBiz: What’s the biggest pressure that agencies face in their storage challenges?
Don Maruca: Government agencies are getting buried by the amount of data they are collecting and it is only going to increase year over year. Agencies are experiencing that data is growing faster than budgets and they need to look at ways to better manage their data growth because how they did it in the past is not sustainable.
ExecutiveBiz: Where do you see industry at large and Quantum helping in managing in that challenge?
Don Maruca: Being a trusted adviser to government agencies and making them aware of how industry can help with this challenge is very important. Every agency is dealing with legacy infrastructure so it’s important they consider different options by industry so they can evaluate growth needs, cost and performance.
Implementing a tiered storage approach is one option that will allows users to align data value to storage cost to help meet the agency business needs. The tiered approach allows you to store more data, retain it for longer periods of time and keep it accessible for all users.
ExecutiveBiz: Which area or aspect of cloud-based storage do you expect us to hear more about?
Don Maruca: Hybrid cloud solutions will gain more prominence in the new year and offer benefits of multiple deployment models at once that allow you to manage your data differently. All data is not treated equal and having the ability to take advantage of both public and private cloud will provide agencies the best and most efficient solution.
Complexity has been reduced and capabilities have improved that will make it easier for government agencies to incorporate the hybrid cloud model.
ExecutiveBiz: How should industry help agencies think about their strategies to take cost out of their data management budget?
Don Maruca: Government agencies are under pressure to modernize storage infrastructure and meet data challenges with shrinking budgets. Industry needs to reinforce to customers that all data is not equal and it’s about aligning data value to storage costs that will help meet the agencies needs and reduce costs.
ExecutiveBiz: Where does the human factor come into play in these technology and data-driven environments?
Don Maruca: The human factor is very important in any decision, collaboration and sharing of information helps make better decisions. When data is available to multiple users it provides shared access, increased collaboration, efficiency of storage resources and allows projects or decisions to be completed more quickly.
