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Reassessing Storage Area Network Economics
Storage area networks are demonstrating strong financial returns as the technology continues its move into mainstream computing. This report examines the benefits of storage area network (SAN) technology and looks at adoption rates for small, medium, and large organizations. We also compare adoption rates with the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) experiences of various-sized organizations. We conclude with recommendations for achieving maximum benefits while improving the TCO of this technology. (4 pp., 4 figs.)
November, 2007
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The ABCs of Storage Area Networks
Making the decision to invest in storage area networks (SANs) requires an understanding of the differences between various approaches to managing storage. Unfortunately, the differences are not always clearly understood outside the realm of the enterprise data center. SANs, network-attached storage (NAS), and direct-attached storage (DAS) are sometimes positioned as competing technologies, but in actuality all three are found in today's enterprise IT environments and have distinct applications. This Research Byte provides a primer on these three types of storage management systems and their application.
November, 2007
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SAN Benefits Require Infrastructure Best Practices
As more companies move toward storage capacities near or above the petabyte level, the need to effectively manage storage is growing in importance. According to a recent Computer Economics survey, more than two-thirds of all companies are meeting this need through the deployment of storage area networks (SANs). This report investigates approaches to effectively manage the implementation and ongoing growth in SANs. It also analyzes the key management principles that can help improve the availability, functionality, and reliability of storage systems. Finally, it presents the results of our survey, which provides insights into the economic performance of this technology. (7 pp., 7 figs.)
October, 2006
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IP SANs Deliver Positive ROI
Many companies are finding that storage area networks (SANs) based on IP technology are more economical and effective than SANs based on traditional fiber channel technology. These results are encouraging, but potential users must consider several caveats involved before taking the plunge into IP SANs.
October, 2005
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IP SANs Prove Their Worth
IT managers are drawn to IP storage area networks because of the undeniably lower acquisition costs of IP SANs in comparison to traditional Fibre Channel (FC) SANs. But how do ownership costs and performance of the two architectures compare? IT executives must consider the idiosyncrasies of IP SAN technology in order to capture full returns from the investment.[Executive Summary]
October, 2005
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Storage Area Networks Support Consolidation
Storage areas networks are rapidly increasing in numbers in organizations both large and small. A major reason for SAN popularity is their history of providing positive economic results. Storage consolidation using SANs pays off by reducing the administrative and maintenance effort necessary to support pools of network attached storage devices or other types of distributed storage. Click here to purchase. - $150 (USD)
October, 2004
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Defend Your Storage Area Network
Storage area networks are growing in popularity because of their history of providing excellent returns to organizations that use them. Success in storage security requires a combination of wise use of technology along with good management practices. While SAN security resembles other IT security methodologies in some respects, storage has unique requirements that must be addressed.
August, 2003
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Standardization Boosts iSCSI Economic Potential (2Q03)
The advent of the Internet SCSI standard holds the potential for reducing cost of ownership of SANs. The iSCSI standard marries IP, SCSI, and Gigabit Ethernet technologies to provide a high-speed data path that removes many of the bottlenecks of traditional TCP/IP data transfers. Even though SANs are relatively new technology, they have become widely used. The 2003 Computer Economics Information Systems Spending survey indicates that half of IT sites either are using or implementing SANs.
May, 2003
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SANs Are Beginning to Show Positive Returns
Experience of early storage area networks adopters have experienced excellent ROI. Computer Economics surveys show that two-thirds of the organizations already have a SAN in operation and that all of them are at least breaking even. Interoperability among components from heterogeneous vendors is still a problem, but solutions are emerging.
February, 2003
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The Risks of Storage Area Networks
Storage area networks (SAN) are beginning to demonstrate their utility. The value of transporting storage data at 100 Mbps, without bogging down LANs using tradition network attached storage (NAS), should not be underestimated. On the other hand, SAN technology is clearly an emerging one that suffers from such problems as poor interoperability among heterogeneous Fibre Channel products and inadequate management utilities, which must be resolved.
August, 2002