INSERTING and REPLACING Backblaze to Present Strategy for Future-Proofing AI Initiatives at Gartner® IT Infrastructure, Operations, & Cloud Strategies Conference 2025

Key Terms

retrieval augmented generation medical

Retrieval augmented generation is an AI approach that combines a search of relevant documents with a text‑writing system: the AI first pulls up factual material from a library or database, then uses that material to produce a concise answer or summary. For investors it matters because this makes AI-generated research and press-release summaries more grounded in actual sources—like a researcher quoting files—so the output is usually more accurate and traceable than free‑form AI, though source quality still affects reliability.

rag technical

A RAG (red-amber-green) status is a simple color-coded system used in reports and dashboards to show the health, progress, or risk level of a project, metric, or business area. Think of it as a traffic light: green means on track, amber means caution or potential issues, and red means serious problems. Investors use RAG indicators to quickly spot emerging risks or improvements that could affect future performance and value.

s3-compatible technical

S3-compatible describes a cloud storage service or product that uses the same programming interface as Amazon S3, so existing applications and tools can store and retrieve files without rewriting code. For investors this matters because it lowers the cost and risk of moving data, reduces dependence on a single vendor, and gives companies more flexibility to shop for cheaper or faster storage — like using a common electrical plug that fits many outlets.

egress fees financial

Egress fees are charges a company pays when it moves data out of a service provider’s network or cloud storage to another location. For investors, these costs matter because they can be recurring and scale with usage, shrinking profit margins or making customers think twice about switching providers—similar to a heavy toll on a frequently used bridge that raises the effective cost of doing business and can affect revenue and customer retention.

multi-cloud compute technical

Multi-cloud compute means running a company’s applications and data processing across two or more public cloud providers rather than relying on a single vendor, using each provider’s computing capacity and services. For investors it signals a strategy to reduce reliance on one supplier, improve resilience and negotiate better pricing, while potentially increasing operational complexity and integration costs — like keeping money in several banks to balance safety, access and fees.

independent data layer technical

An independent data layer is a separate, neutral storage and processing layer that collects, verifies and serves data from multiple sources without being tied to any single application or vendor. For investors it acts like an impartial ledger or foundation for a business’s information: it reduces the risk of errors, fraud or vendor lock‑in, makes reporting and compliance easier, and improves the reliability of analytics that drive decisions and valuation.

Head of GTM Patrick Thomas to outline how an independent data layer solves today’s data sprawl and creates long-term AI agility

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Insert after "Meet with Backblaze at Gartner IOCS" paragraph of release issued Dec. 2, 2025, at 1:01 p.m. PT/4:01 p.m. ET: About the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference: Gartner analysts will provide additional analysis on cloud strategies and infrastructure and operations trends at the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conferences 2025 taking place December 9-11, 2025, in Las Vegas. Follow news and updates from these conferences on X using #GartnerIO. Gartner is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

The updated release reads: 

BACKBLAZE TO PRESENT STRATEGY FOR FUTURE-PROOFING AI INITIATIVES AT GARTNER^® IT INFRASTRUCTURE, OPERATIONS, & CLOUD STRATEGIES CONFERENCE 2025

Head of GTM Patrick Thomas to outline how an independent data layer solves today’s data sprawl and creates long-term AI agility

Backblaze, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLZE), the high-performance cloud storage platform for the AI era, today announced that Patrick Thomas, head of go-to-market (GTM), will present a theater session at the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations, & Cloud Strategies Conference 2025 (Gartner IOCS), taking place December 9–11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Thomas’s session will give infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders a strategic playbook for building an independent data layer to overcome data sprawl, optimize storage economics, and create the flexible foundation required for AI and multi-cloud initiatives.

The presentation will address a central challenge facing I&O leaders: decades of accumulated data sprawl and fragmented infrastructure—often marked by vendor lock-in and unpredictable egress fees—are major blockers to delivering AI-driven workloads such as retrieval augmented generation (RAG), inference, analytics, and multi-cloud compute. Thomas will outline how adopting an independent, vendor-neutral, S3-compatible data layer enables organizations to consolidate storage, unlock data mobility, and eliminate cost barriers that impede innovation.

Thomas will also highlight real-world examples of how organizations, including Big Cartel, Decart, urlscan.io, and a Fortune 100 media company, have modernized their architectures with independent cloud storage. Several of these organizations achieved reductions of up to 80% in storage costs while improving performance and unlocking new AI and data-intensive workflows.

“Infrastructure and operations teams are under pressure to deliver both innovation and reliability,” said Thomas. “Backblaze exists to make those teams unstoppable—solving their toughest storage challenges with the performance, transparency, and trust they need to move faster. Gartner IOCS is where those conversations happen, and we’re excited to be part of it.”

Session Details

• Title: Backblaze: The Business Case for an Independent Data Layer—Future-Proof for AI
• Speaker: Patrick Thomas, Head of GTM
• Date/Time/Location: Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 9:50–10:10 AM PST, Gartner IOCS Theater Session

Meet with Backblaze at Gartner IOCS

Attendees can visit Booth 244 in the Cloud Solution Village to discuss their storage strategy and receive a personalized playbook for building an independent data layer. Backblaze experts will be available throughout the conference for tactical and architectural conversations.

About the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference

Gartner analysts will provide additional analysis on cloud strategies and infrastructure and operations trends at the Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conferences 2025 taking place December 9-11, 2025, in Las Vegas. Follow news and updates from these conferences on X using #GartnerIO. Gartner is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

About Backblaze

Backblaze (NASDAQ: BLZE) gives businesses the freedom to innovate without limits by removing the barriers of lock-in, complexity, and cost. Our high-performance cloud object storage accelerates AI workflows, powers data-heavy applications, streamlines media management, and protects critical data. As an award-winning independent cloud, we provide unparalleled levels of interoperability that enable over 500,000 of our customers to reach and serve hundreds of millions of end users in 175 countries around the world. For more information, please go to www.backblaze.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251202691108/en/

Press Contact:

Yev Pusin

Head of Communications

press@backblaze.com

Source: Backblaze, Inc.