CXO of the Week: Jaganathan Chelliah, senior director – Marketing, India, Middle East & TIA, Western Digital

Western Digital is a global provider of data infrastructure; its expertise lies in fostering environments where data can flourish. It drives the innovation required to assist consumers in capturing, preserving, accessing, and transforming a constantly expanding variety of data.

At Western Digital, we develop ground-breaking innovations and potent data storage solutions through its Flash and HDD businesses, which are supported by improvements in-memory technology and allow the world to realize its dreams. The Western Digital, SanDisk, and WD brands are a part of Western Digital's data-centric solutions. The most comprehensive data infrastructure portfolio in the market, from scale-out object storage systems to embedded flash, is offered by Western Digital.

We recently interacted with Jaganathan Chelliah, senior director – Marketing, India, Middle East & TIA, Western Digital. He shared important details about Western Digital, his entrepreneurial journey, the company’s growth, and much more. Read below to know more about it.

Introduction

We are the leading global provider of data infrastructure; our expertise lies in fostering environments where data can flourish. Our business drives the innovation required in capturing, preserving, accessing, and transforming a constantly expanding variety of data.

At Western Digital, we develop ground-breaking innovations and potent data storage solutions through our Flash and HDD businesses, which are supported by improvements in-memory technology and allow the world to realize its dreams. The Western Digital, SanDisk Professional, SanDisk, and WD brands are a part of Western Digital's data-centric solutions. The most comprehensive data infrastructure portfolio in the market, from scale-out object storage systems to embedded flash, is offered by Western Digital.

We realise our commitment to sustainability. Hence, Western Digital has made a commitment to ambitious carbon reduction targets approved by the Science-Based Targets project because it recognizes the urgency of combating climate change.

What new developments are you expecting within the surveillance industry in India?

The need for surveillance continues to grow in all parts of the world, including India. According to a recent report by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the Indian Video Surveillance Storage Market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% during 2021-2027. The last couple of years have witnessed a strong shift toward IP-based video surveillance from traditional analog surveillance systems. The adaptation of highly advanced and evolving technologies like AI, IoT, and smart video analytics features like facial recognition have made IP-based video cameras desirable and a value-for-money proposition. This shift in turn is also increasing the need for an advanced, robust, and higher capacity storage infrastructure.

The video surveillance ecosystem has shifted towards IP-based security cameras, with cloud-based solutions, remote monitoring systems, and mobile-based surveillance solutions giving the user control over security from anywhere.

How have storage solutions available in the market evolved to meet the changing needs of the surveillance industry? What kind of infrastructure or storage solutions are required for technologies like AI and facial recognition?

Increased reliance on cameras and additional workload induced by AI functionality require storage providers to continuously innovate to ensure the storage solutions can handle not only existing surveillance solutions but also the advanced solutions that are starting to hit the market today. A high-quality video requires more storage, thus driving the need for higher capacity storage for both cameras and recorders. Additionally, effective AI feature requires faster and more advanced deep learning, which further drives higher capacity and higher performance requirements for storage infrastructure, whether on the back-end servers today or inside the advanced cameras and recorders that are starting to emerge.

Our WD Purple microSD cards deliver high endurance, reliability, and extended temperature range for smart video and different types of surveillance CCTV cameras like wireless, Wi-Fi, IP, DVR, and NVR-based systems. In the event of a power cut or a similar event that disrupts the connection between your camera & DVR, WD Purple microSD cards with sizes ranging from 32Gb to 1Tb allow for uninterrupted storage of security video by acting as a backup. These removable flash drives can supply your edge storage needs as well as additional backup requirements. Similarly, our 22TB WD Purple Pro HDDs drives are designed for advanced AI-enabled recorders, video analytics servers, and deep learning solutions requiring additional capacity, performance, and workload capability.

Our 1Tb purple microSD cards come with high endurance, of 500 Program/Erase cycles, and are specifically designed for 24X7 surveillance cameras & Edge devices irrespective of weather conditions

Which segment has captured a key share of the market? (by storage technology)

Surveillance has lately captured a bigger pie in the market. With the advancement in technology, coupled with increasing smart city projects, the possibility for smart videos now goes beyond just surveillance.

Western Digital answers this growing need with a specialized line of smart video storage purpose-built for demanding, 24x7 operating environments. Our solutions provide reliable storage at each camera and uninterrupted operations regardless of network availability. With a full range of products from microSD cards for in-camera storage and surveillance-class hard drives for video recorders, to enterprise-grade devices and platforms for back-end storage and analytics, customers can customize their system to fit their smart video needs.

How does Western Digital solve challenges associated with the storage of huge amounts of recording and analysis?

The world is generating, preserving, and analysing more data per year than in the previous ten years combined – and is expected to more than double each year going forward. The new wave of applications in AI/ML/DL not only in the surveillance industry but in other sectors as well has led to a massive amount of data generation at a multi-terabyte scale.

Western Digital’s product portfolio includes a full range of smart video storage like microSD cards, (up to 1Tb) for in-camera and cam-to-cloud, WD Purple hard drives for NVR, recorders, and edge gateways, and WD Purple Pro hard drives (capacities from 12Tb to world’s first 22TB HDD) for VMS storage servers, back-end video analytics, and deep learning solutions.

Western Digital not only defines the future of data storage but has created innovative solutions by making prudent technology choices, investing in multiple parallel technologies, and delivering products to the market with exceptional quality and reliability. This disciplined approach to solving industry problems, such as capacity expansion, will evolve the hard drive market for the next decade, and beyond.

What is one thing that sets your product apart from the crowd/competition?

Surveillance systems can be extremely demanding, requiring uninterrupted capture and streaming, endurance for wide weather fluctuations, and adaptability for unforeseen errors. Western Digital offers an unmatched portfolio of storage devices for every need within the surveillance industry. Our product portfolio delivers high endurance, reliability, and extended temperature range for smart video and different types of surveillance requirements.  WD Purple microSD cards allow for uninterrupted storage of security video by acting as a backup. These removable flash drives can supply a customer’s edge storage needs as well as additional backup requirements. We are also launching the world’s first 22TB WD Purple Pro HDDs drives, designed specifically for the advanced AI-enabled recorders, video analytics servers, and deep learning solutions that require additional capacity, performance, and workload capability

How significant has been the role of your channel partners in creating more demand for your surveillance storage products?

At Western Digital, we are a channel-led organisation, and channel partners are a strategic asset for us. We have equipped our channel partners with the right information, products, and tools to reach out to potential customers. Channel partners have expanded the smart video market across categories like banking, smart cities, retail outlets, etc. Channel partners are crucial for our success, and they are a natural extension of our business.

We run consistent and robust partner programs to armor our partners for the changing consumer needs, and market dynamics, and educate them on our products and solutions.

How has Covid impacted the demand for storage solutions, especially in the surveillance industry?

The unprecedented times of the Covid-19 outbreak had an astonishing result on the growth of the surveillance industry. From government entities to small businesses, office premises to private properties, the demand for installing smart video cameras was unparallel. The rise in the need for safety in high-risk areas contributed to the growth of the surveillance technology market. The technology helped individuals monitor their surroundings and manage and control the spread of the virus in the vicinity. In addition to continuous monitoring, the data generated also played a significant role in analysing and overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. The absence of proper data storage could have made the smart video solution space very limited in its scope.

What exciting is coming up from your side in 2022? What change is your company bringing to the industry?

Data is going to continue expanding its importance across industries. Not only it will help in the building of smart cities but also help in order to make decisions about products, services, strategies, and more.

At Western Digital, we understand how people and businesses consume and use data and continuously innovate storage solutions that enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas. We have purpose-built storage solutions, depending on the consumer's needs and current use cases. The surveillance segment requires an effective data management model primarily because of the unique as well as a diverse set of video feeds being recorded today, with high-resolution video content coming through and the need to store all the data. We also have WD Purple Surveillance Hard Drive and WD Purple Pro Surveillance Hard Drive depending on different consumer use cases as storage solutions for surveillance.