A host system performs I/O processing functions traditionally performed on storage systems. Metadata about data stored on the storage system may be stored on the host system, including metadata about the data stored in a cache of the storage system. The SSI may be configured to determine whether an I/O operation is a read or write operation. If the I/O operation is a read operation, the SSI may determine from metadata stored thereon whether the data to be read is in cache. If the data is in cache, the SSI may read the data directly from cache over the internal fabric without use of CPU resources of a director, and, in some embodiments, without use of a director at all. If the data is not in cache, the SSI may read the data directly from the physical storage device over the internal fabric without use of a director.