Time to set storage strategy

Although these integrated devices will sell, the real battle for the storage dollar is shaping up in the data center. Several trends are driving demand for more data center storage. As online storage keeps getting cheaper, tape backup solutions become less appealing because of the time required to recover from tape and the sequential nature of tape storage. Plus, the cost per gigabyte of tape storage is staying relatively constant, while the cost per gigabyte of hard drives keeps dropping. As connectivity's cost decreases and its reliability increases, more companies will consider consolidating storage in the data center. Web applications and data warehousing systems both contribute to the consolidation trend. Large companies are also beginning to recognise that heterogeneous system support for storage is mandatory. As corporations deploy storage area networks (SANs) in their data centers, they're looking for solutions that support data storage from UNIX, mainframe operating systems, and Windows-based systems on the same SAN. EMC has always excelled in this area. EMC was built on the premise that companies want to consolidate enterprise storage. Unfortunately, it was also built on the premise that corporations would always have to pay a premium to get the benefits of storage consolidation. When companies like Dell enter the market in full force later this year (Dell is actually using EMC technology to create its own devices to compete with EMC), the cost per gigabyte of enterprise storage will decrease for everyone. Even companies like Cisco -- traditionally a communications company -- are looking at the enterprise storage market as a potential source of new revenue. In fact, EMC technically isn't even the top dog anymore -- HP/Compaq is. With its recent acquisition of Compaq, HP is now the top provider of storage solutions in the industry with a 25 percent market share versus 17 percent for EMC. Of course, what all the players in the storage market must figure out is how to move from the commodity hardware business into the business of providing management software for disparate SANs. The future is software
Most companies don't have the luxury of a homogenous processing environment today, and the same applies for data storage devices. Most data centers have multiple vendors for storage devices. The challenge is to make these devices look like a single storage pool that any of several systems can allocate from. EMC is working to extend its existing management software to work with competitors' storage products. Unisys just released a new storage management software product, called Storage Sentinel, that works with storage arrays from EMC, IBM, Hitachi, and HP and that supports Windows-, Linux-, and Solaris-based servers. Although it's not a Unisys-only solution since it includes other vendors' components, products like Storage Sentinel go a long way toward solving the storage management issues faced by data centers. As you develop and create your storage strategy, you need to realise that storage solutions are following a path similar to that of the personal computer. As the cost of the hardware declines, the cost of the software and personnel to maintain and manage it becomes much larger.

Have your say instantly in the Tech Update forum. Find out what's where in the new Tech Update with our Guided Tour. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

« Previous
1
2
Next »

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

ZDNet UK Live

ike fuelband is great for every healthminded person ! to work out! theres this website called textme4free.com that you can use to text anywhere in...

7 hours ago by bordero on Nike's FuelBand wristband gamifies exercise

> I'm told it's somewhat annoying when people have their Macs stolen > and Apple stores treat the thief as the owner, but there you go. Ouch,...

9 hours ago by BrownieBoy on AMD Ultrathins to challenge Intel Ultrabooks

@kevinmchapman. OK, I acknowledge that 'most' was a gratuitous throwaway comment as an afterthought and too presumptuous. As to proof, as you...

14 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

@BrownieBoy > Works really well for thieves.... >> Nice attempt to deflect the argument by tossing in a point that's totally >> irrelevant, even...

15 hours ago by Jack Schofield on AMD Ultrathins to challenge Intel Ultrabooks

fantastic that the so called piracy bills have been withdrawn. however, these anti-democracy supporters are still in the shadows so lets be alert...

15 hours ago by raskolnikof on SOPA, Protect IP support wavers in face of online protest

Please God no; teach them anything you like - thinking rationally, the uses and misuses of data, what data is and what it's not - but leave the...

18 hours ago by Tony Douglas via Facebook on Kids are the future. Teach ’em to code.

@Jack, > Works really well for thieves.... Nice attempt to deflect the argument by tossing in a point that's totally irrelevant, even it were...

1 day ago by BrownieBoy on AMD Ultrathins to challenge Intel Ultrabooks

Make that 13 people now - I got refused today at Manchester airport. I thought I was up to date on this legislation - I knew of the EU ruling from...

1 day ago by bootlegger on UK airport body scans will not be opt out

Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...

2 days ago by tinycg on Four top iPad apps for people on the move

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

2 days ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

2 days ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

2 days ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint