What's Inside

Features

• • Are full backups a thing of the past? by Kevin Suttle

    In the not-so-distant past, we relied on tape backups for operational recovery, disaster recovery and long-term data retention. But are full nightly backups to tape still needed now that we have new disk-based technologies like snapshots and continuous data protection?

  • Our View: Whom do you trust?

  • SMBs move beyond the VTL interface

  • Ask the Experts: RTOs and RPOs

    Is there a standard ratio between RTOs and RPOs, or are they independent of each other?

  • The lure of open-source backup programs

  • Dedupe myths and methods

    Exaggerated claims, rapidly changing technology and persistent myths make navigating the deduplication landscape treacherous. We list the top five dedupe myths and provide tips to help you get a deduplication product that fits your organization's needs at a competitive price.

  • Small disks, big specs

    Hard disk drives have been around for more than 50 years, but the technology is on the cusp of big changes--SAS, a shift to the 2.5-inch form factor and a steady increase in disk drive capacity--that will affect enterprise storage for years to come.

  • Ballooning storage by the numbers

  • Ask the Expert: NFS vs. CIFS

    What should you consider when choosing between Network File Sharing (NFS) or Common Internet File System (CIFS)?

  • Centralize virtualization at the switch

    There are a number of ways you can virtualize your storage, but because a switch-based virtualization engine works out-of-band, there's no need for server agents, making it the most scalable and highest performing of all virtualization architectures.

  • Backup apps' reporting tools become more versatile

  • Backup software by the numbers

  • Virtual server backup tips

    Virtualized servers yield many benefits, but they can also add complexity to backup operations. There are three main ways to back up a virtual server. Here's how to determine which method is best for your virtualized server environment and storage requirements.

  • New life for NAS

  • Our View: When good admins go bad

• • Storage administrators find some relief for backup headaches

  • Dedupe moves beyond backup

  • Midrange online backup offerings help SMBs get on the cloud

  • CDP in depth

    Continuous data protection (CDP) technology is now a viable alternative to traditional backup software and storage system-based replication software. But CDP products can vary significantly, especially in the context of different storage architectures. Depending on specific environments, companies may have to evaluate very different criteria before settling on a CDP product.

  • Disk-to-disk backup enticing in many forms: Survey Says

    Disk-to-disk backup enticing in many forms

  • No rush to deploy iSCSI

  • DAS revs up for a resurgence

  • LTO top tape format by far: Survey says

  • DC power can cut costs, but conversion isn't easy

  • Price of SAS drives dips

  • Archiving, DR join backup as online services

  • Why are you using a VTL or why have you decided not to use one?

  • What storage product would you like to see on the market that isn't now?

  • Quality Awards IV: On top again: CommVault Galaxy, EMC Retrospect

    CommVault's Galaxy solidified its position as the top enterprise backup product by finishing first for the third time in the four years we've conducted the Quality Awards. Among the midrange products, EMC Retrospect retained its crown as group champion.

• Columns

  • Gen2 virtual tape libraries: Hot Spots by Lauren Whitehouse

    From disaster recovery to capacity optimization and dedupe, the next phase of VTL products promises change.

  • Backup by the numbers: Backup Purchasing

    Results from Storage magazine's most recent Purchasing Intentions survey reveal that respondents will have to expand or alter their backup systems to protect ever-growing data stores.

  • Connecting the backup dots: Editorial

  • Break those backup bottlenecks: Best Practices by Jeff Harbert

    Backup performance tuning is an art, but identifying infrastructure bottlenecks is more of a strict mathematical exercise once you know the important numbers. And understanding the source of existing and potential bottlenecks makes it easier to find and resolve them.

  • Coping with cloud storage: Editorial

  • Migration projects need automation boost: Hot Spots by Bob Laliberte

    If you have a data migration project in the works, challenge your storage vendor, storage software vendor or third-party consulting firm to deliver a solution that reduces the time, risk and cost of your project.

  • Don't get stuck with old backup ideas: Best Practices

    The time has come to shed your traditional, compartmentalized view of backup and embrace a recovery-centric data management focus.

  • Keep it simple, stupid: Part deux: Storage Bin 2.0

    Are you one of those companies that leaves inactive data on the most expensive architecture and applies stringent (expensive) processes to that same data? If so, wise up!

More Premium Content Accessible For Free

• How to improve your virtual server storage setups

  

  E-Zine

  One of the biggest challenges of building a virtual server infrastructure is fine-tuning the storage that supports the virtual machines. Having ...

• Rethinking the way storage architectures are packaged and presented

  

  E-Zine

  Cloud storage, virtualization and the growth of unstructured data have contributed to the way storage architectures are built and used. Virtual ...

• Archiving stays active with LTFS and the cloud

  

  E-Handbook

  While the concept of data archiving has existed for decades, archiving practices that were once considered standard are becoming inadequate. Factors ...