As industries grapple with an ever-expanding and complex sea of data, there is a paramount need for rethinking storage and analytics. Traditionally, data is categorized as structured or unstructured, but at AirMettle, we perceive data through a different lens. Most data embodies a semi-structured nature, an overlooked characteristic that holds the key to unlocking unprecedented efficiency in data analytics. Through this revelation, AirMettle has created a Real-Time Smart Data Lake (RT-SDL), a trailblazing software-defined object storage service that astoundingly accelerates Big Data analytics operations up to 100 times compared to conventional methods. In this talk, we will explain our perspective on the nature of data, how this led to the conception of RT-SDL, including how our internal architecture stores and processes semi-structured data. Performance results will be showcased, bearing testimony to the groundbreaking speed and agility that RT-SDL brings to the analytics landscape. Furthermore, we will share insights into our vision for integrating computational storage devices, which would preferably be addressed in standards-based approach.