Data Management Glossary
All-Flash Array (AFA)
What is an all-flash array (AFA)?
An all-flash array (AFA) is an enterprise storage array built entirely on solid state drives (SSDs) or flash modules, with no spinning hard drives. All-flash arrays deliver low latency and high IOPS for databases, virtual machines, file shares and AI workloads, and most include data reduction features such as deduplication and compression. They come in block, file, object and unified designs from vendors including Dell, NetApp and Everpure.
All-flash is now the largest segment of enterprise storage. IDC reports all-flash arrays generated $5.4 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 42.9% year over year and 52.1% of external enterprise storage revenue. Hybrid flash arrays accounted for 37.5% and all-HDD arrays for 10.4%.
Source: Blocks and Files, reporting the IDC enterprise storage tracker, September 23, 2026
What is the difference between an all-flash array and a hybrid array?
An all-flash array uses only flash media. A hybrid array combines flash, usually as a cache or performance tier, with hard disk drives for capacity. All-flash delivers consistent low latency for every workload. Hybrid arrays cost less per terabyte but slow down when data is not in the flash tier. Many organizations standardized on all-flash for primary storage when flash prices were falling, and now hold large volumes of inactive data on their most expensive media.
Why are all-flash array costs rising in 2026?
AI data centers are absorbing flash and memory supply. Gartner forecasts NAND flash prices will rise 234% and DRAM prices 125% in 2026, with no meaningful relief until late 2027. TrendForce expects NAND contract prices to rise another 15% to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2026, with enterprise SSD the only memory category rising faster than in the third quarter.
Sources: Gartner, April 8, 2026 and TrendForce, September 30, 2026
Supply is tight as well as expensive. Some Komprise customers report storage lead times of 40 weeks or more and vendor quotes that must be signed within 24 to 48 hours or rise 10% to 100%.
Source: Komprise, The Cheapest Capacity You Own Is Already in Your Data Center
This is Memflation, and it changes the economics of every all-flash refresh and expansion.
Why is cold data on all-flash arrays a problem?
Most data on all-flash NAS is unstructured, and most of it is inactive. Komprise customer data shows 60% to 70% of enterprise NAS data has not been accessed in more than 90 days, yet it sits on the same flash as active files and is backed up and replicated along with them.
Deduplication and compression shrink data but do not move it. Cold data stays on flash at flash prices. Built-in array tiering, such as NetApp FabricPool or Dell PowerScale CloudPools, moves blocks into a proprietary format that only that vendor can read, so the next refresh or migration means recalling the data first and paying rehydration and egress costs.
How do you get more value from an all-flash array?
- Measure what is cold. Analyze data by last access time, type, owner and share across every array before planning capacity.
- Tier cold data off flash. Move inactive files to lower cost object, cloud or tape storage with file-level tiering, so users keep access and files stay in native format.
- Ring-fence ROT. Move redundant, obsolete and trivial files out of active shares for owner review instead of keeping them on flash. See ROT Data.
- Right-size the refresh. Buy flash for active data only. See Storage Refresh.
- Keep flash for what needs it. Use freed capacity for active workloads and AI, not for archives.
How does Komprise help organizations get more from all-flash arrays?
- Komprise Flash Stretch: an assessment that analyzes data growth and usage across multi-vendor NAS to show how much flash capacity is reclaimable before a storage quote is signed. Reclaiming 70%+ of primary flash capacity is worth more than $350,000 per petabyte.
- Komprise Intelligent Tiering: file-level tiering with Transparent Move Technology moves cold files off all-flash arrays from any vendor to any NAS, object, cloud or tape target. Costs fall 70%+ with no rehydration penalty, users open files from the same place, and tiered data leaves the backup footprint.
- No lock-in: files stay in native format at every tier, so the next all-flash refresh or vendor change carries no rehydration, recall or egress penalty.
- Global Metadatabase and Deep Analytics: one view of data across Dell, NetApp, Everpure and other arrays, with Komprise Reports that put a cost on cold, duplicate and orphaned data
- Confine: ring-fences ROT on the same share for owner review, without copying data or leaving stubs
- Bulk recall by Deep Analytics query: brings back only the files a user needs, so teams tier aggressively without fear
Komprise analytics and cost modeling help customers see savings before data moves.
Expanding All-Flash Capacity: Buying More Flash vs Komprise
| Evaluation Criteria | Buying More All-Flash Capacity | With Komprise |
|---|---|---|
| Cost exposure | Pay 2026 flash prices for active and inactive data alike | Keep flash for active data; tier cold files at 70%+ lower cost |
| Lead time | Wait on constrained flash supply and short quote windows | Reclaim existing capacity now with Komprise Flash Stretch |
| Cold data | 60% to 70% of NAS data stays on flash, untouched for 90 days or more | Cold files move to object, cloud or tape with Transparent Move Technology |
| Data reduction | Deduplication and compression shrink data but leave it on flash | Tiering and Confine move data off flash; works alongside array data reduction |
| Vendor lock-in | Array tiering such as FabricPool or CloudPools stores blocks in a proprietary format | File-level tiering keeps files in native format, readable on any target |
| Next refresh | Recall tiered data and pay rehydration and egress before migrating | No rehydration, recall or egress penalty; Elastic Data Migration moves data 27X faster over NFS |
| Backup | Every file on the array is backed up and replicated | Tiered data leaves the backup footprint |
| Multi-vendor view | Each array reports on itself | One Global Metadatabase across Dell, NetApp, Everpure, cloud and object storage |
| Proving savings | Capacity bought on estimates | Komprise analytics and cost modeling show savings before data moves |
All-Flash Array FAQs
What is an all-flash array?
An all-flash array is an enterprise storage system built entirely on SSDs or flash modules. It delivers low latency and high IOPS for databases, virtual machines, file shares and AI workloads, and usually includes deduplication and compression. All-flash arrays generated 52.1% of external enterprise storage revenue in the second quarter of 2026, according to IDC.
What is the difference between an all-flash array and a hybrid flash array?
An all-flash array uses only flash. A hybrid array uses flash for performance and hard disk drives for capacity. All-flash provides consistent low latency; hybrid costs less per terabyte but slows down when data falls outside the flash tier.
Why are all-flash arrays getting more expensive?
AI data centers are absorbing NAND flash and memory supply. Gartner forecasts NAND flash prices will rise 234% in 2026 and expects no meaningful relief until late 2027. Some enterprises also report lead times of 40 weeks or more for new storage.
How much data on an all-flash array is cold?
Typically most of it. Komprise customer data shows 60% to 70% of enterprise NAS data has not been accessed in more than 90 days. On an all-flash array, that inactive data is stored, backed up and replicated at flash prices.
Does deduplication solve all-flash capacity problems?
No. Deduplication and compression reduce how much space data takes, but cold data still sits on flash. Moving inactive files to lower cost storage and ring-fencing ROT frees far more capacity, and the two approaches work together.
What is the difference between array tiering and Komprise Intelligent Tiering?
Built-in array tiering such as FabricPool or CloudPools is block-level and proprietary: tiered data is readable only through that vendor, and leaving the platform means recalling it first with rehydration and egress costs. Komprise Intelligent Tiering moves whole files across vendors, keeps them in native format and accessible from the same place, and cuts costs 70%+ with no rehydration penalty.
How do you delay or shrink an all-flash refresh?
Measure how much data is cold, tier it off flash, ring-fence ROT and buy new flash only for active data. Komprise Flash Stretch models reclaimable capacity before a quote is signed; reclaiming 70%+ of primary flash capacity is worth more than $350,000 per petabyte.
Do AI workloads need all-flash storage?
Active AI training, fine-tuning and inference data benefit from flash performance. Cold data does not. Freeing flash from inactive files makes room for AI workloads, and curating which data reaches AI keeps token and storage costs down.
How does Komprise work with Dell, NetApp and Everpure all-flash arrays?
Komprise analyzes and tiers file data on all-flash arrays from Dell, NetApp, Everpure and other vendors over standard NFS and SMB protocols, with no agents or stubs. One Global Metadatabase spans every array, so tiering and cleanup policies apply across vendors from one place.