Untitled Document
STORING UP TROUBLE
From STORAGE Magazine
Vol 5 No 02 - March 2005
SIMPLY ADDING MORE AND MORE HARDWARE AS YOUR DATA EXPANDS MAY NOT BE A
WISE STRATEGY, SAYS RESEARCH COMPANY, THE BUTLER GROUP
The typical business generates huge amounts of data on a daily basis and,
until recently, the way to deal with this rising amount of stored data seemed to
be simple - keep adding hardware, so that the storage limit could be increased.
However, this approach has not worked, according to the Butler Group. “All that
has happened is that organisations have dug deeper and deeper holes into which
their data can fall and be lost,” it says. “Simply adding storage in this manner
does not ensure that the data being stored can be searched or retrieved when
needed, and it has become obvious that the missing piece of the puzzle is
management.”
Companies that have blindly added storage without considering its long-term
management now find themselves struggling to control their information stores,
and are paying far more for the upkeep and maintenance of their storage than is
necessary, it adds. “And because the storage has been deployed in an uncertain,
even haphazard, way, it also represents a serious security risk, particularly if
mobile workers are involved.”
Butler’s ‘Managing Storage of Information’ report explains the issues involved
in controlling storage, and defines best practice in consolidating and
optimising resources. It is possible to implement a cost-effective and
competitive storage strategy, it reasons,and establishes the steps that
organisations need to take now in order to ensure control of the data they must
maintain as an asset.
The report is aimed primarily at IT directors, CIOs, and IT managers,
recognising that individuals with specific responsibilities for storage could
fall into any of these groups.
Key Findings
According to the Butler Group, these are the main bones of contention in storing
data:
Storage is out of control at the majority of organisations. The increasing gap
between storage management ability and the proliferation of storage devices has
to be addressed
The administration overhead of storage is relentlessly escalating. Enterprises
must look to do more with less by optimising the storage environment, and
instigating monitoring and consolidation initiatives
There is a huge pool of unmanaged data on laptops, mobile devices and USB memory
keys. The management and security of this remote data must be tackled
immediately
Organisations must ensure a data protection strategy is in place that covers the
multitude of threats and different storage media
Regulatory requirements mean that the ability to recover data easily and in a
presentable format is more of an imperative
It is becoming increasingly important to develop a business view of data, which
is translated into the type of storage that the data resides on. This tiered
approach to storage can bring significant benefits
Get fundamentals of storage optimisation, compliance, and protection right first
before contemplating any sort of Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) vision
Plans should be put in place to evolve to a utility storage solution over the
next five years.
Butler Group recognises that not every factor will be relevant to all
situations, and that some organisations will already have implemented some of
the components that make up an effective storage solution. Therefore the report
has been divided into segments relating to the different guiding principles of
information storage, to make it easy to locate the sections that relate to
particular issues. Here is a brief overview of each section:
The Introduction
This provides an overview of storage concepts and puts the subject into context.
It includes a description of the features that storage management should
encompass. It also discusses the business drivers, which include the exponential
growth in storage needs, the growing compliance issues, and the requirement to
quickly retrieve specific documents from archive.
Storage Strategy
A strategy needs to be put into place to manage the data during its retained
period, to ensure it is not altered or deleted, and to enable it to be moved
automatically as its status changes. The deployment of storage consolidation and
the adoption of a more centralised approach can bring significant benefits,
including reduction in the system administration overhead, easier data
management, and a simpler infrastructure. Engineering storage on demand
solutions offers the prospect of flexibility to provide for planned capacity, as
well as being able to adjust capability to support changing business needs.
Data and Storage Management
During its life, the value of data changes and so does its status. The lifecycle
reflects this and ensures that the data is stored on the appropriate media
according to its value and age. This may include on-line disk, near-line optical
media or off-line tape. It is now generally recognised that business continuity
and disaster recovery planning are also vital activities. Storage Resource
Management (SRM) has evolved from a tool that monitors and reports on storage as
an isolated entity, to a set of tools and practices that help companies better
serve their stakeholders, and has grown to include management of the system, the
fabric, the application and the storage devices, plus the efficient backup and
recovery of data.
Storage Technologies
This section breaks down the technology components appropriate for managing
storage looking at the architectures that can support an efficient storage
strategy, and the technologies used to underpin storage resilience, security,
and management. The focus is on the implications of storage management,
reviewing the impact in the wider context of storage architecture, and how the
different technologies can be used to meet the demands of the business.
Storage Infrastructure Transformation
Uncovers the issues and advantages of storage management services, along with
why storage management is relevant to the public sector and small to
medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs). Assistance and practicable advice is also
provided for the migration to a next-generation storage solution. A number of
case studies are included that describe the problems specific organisations
experienced with storage management, the implementation of a solution and the
benefits that the deployment brought.
Storage Futures
Outlines Butler Group's opinions as to the future direction of storage
technology and markets.
Vendor Profiles
Supplier summary and contact information for the vendors mentioned in the
Report. More detailed product profiles can be found within the sections of the
report that are most relevant to the offering.
It is important to remember that, just as for Storage magazine’s own expositions
of products and solutions on the market, the Butler profiles contained in the
report are provided as an indication of what is obtainable and should not be
used as a comprehensive review of all the available offerings. Our advice, as
always at Storage, is for each organisation to create its own plan of action,
which must include a thorough evaluation of all the possible solutions that
might your requirements.
About Butler Group
Butler Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of research, events and
subscription services, catering for the specialised needs of all levels of
executive, from IT professionals to senior managers and board directors. The
company can be contacted at: Butler Direct Limited, Europa House, 184 Ferensway,
Hull, East Yorkshire, HU1 3UT, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1482 586149; Fax: +44 (0)1482
323577 or E-mail: support@butlergroup.com
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