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For anticipated file storage purchases, DAS is still the favored option among respondents, with 35% opting to beef up file-server storage. That represents a six-point jump from last fall, which might suggest a move away from networked file storage; however, 19% chose NAS filers for file storage, a slightly higher percentage than in the previous survey. The file storage options that attracted less attention this time around include file virtualization, NAS gateways and clustered file systems, all of which either dropped or held steady with relatively low numbers.

Virtualization--seemingly always on the verge of wider acceptance--doesn't appear to fit prominently in more storage department plans than last year. "That's something that we're looking at," says Visher at The Timken Co. But there's concern about virtualization's ROI.

Perhaps the most interesting revelation in disk system purchase intentions is the "why" factor. Over the last five years, when asked "What's the key factor in selecting a primary storage vendor?," the leading response has always been functions and features. That criterion topped the list again in the spring survey, but its lead dwindled to a mere four points over technical support and service. This suggests that storage managers may be finding that feature sets are basically equivalent from vendor to vendor, allowing service and support to become differentiating factors.

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37TB
Average capacity to be added in 2007

This was first published in May 2007

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