Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• What are some key considerations for VM data protection?

  In physical environments data protection often means restoring an entire system, but using the same methodology for virtual servers is inefficient.  Continue Reading

• What storage problems can vSphere Virtual Volumes solve?

  VSphere VVOLs allow virtual administrators to self-provision a pool of storage as they see fit.  Continue Reading

• What are protocol endpoints in vSphere VVOLs and how do they work?

  VMware's new VVOLs feature allows storage functionality to be distributed on a per-VM basis. Protocol endpoints are integral to proper allocation.  Continue Reading

• When will NVM Express flash drives appear in laptops and desktops?

  NVM Express flash drives promise capacity and throughput, but there are some factors limiting adoption of the technology.  Continue Reading

• Can I improve VM performance with flash tiering?

  Physical RAM and flash storage are traditional ways to improve VM performance. But the addition of mixed flash holds promise.  Continue Reading

• Are data reduction techniques essential in VDI environments?

  Data reduction techniques can help shrink your storage footprint and costs. Here are some guidelines for incorporating these approaches into your VDI environment.  Continue Reading

• Should I use an all-flash or hybrid array for my virtual desktop environment?

  Taneja Group's Tom Fenton weighs the benefits and drawbacks of using hybrid and all-flash arrays for storage in this expert answer.  Continue Reading

• How can I simplify storage allocation for virtual desktops?

  Find out the easiest methods of allocating storage for a virtual desktop infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Should flash storage be used for backup performance?

  Adding a high-speed flash storage tier to secondary storage can increase backup performance  Continue Reading

• When will 3-D NAND products hit the market?

  Vendors are increasing production of 3-D NAND-based chips. Learn how chip developments can cut costs.  Continue Reading

• Do customer-managed data encryption keys work with sync and share?

  Most sync-and-share products encrypt data, but a growing number of vendors are handing data encryption key management over to customers.  Continue Reading

• Is data sovereignty affected by my cloud provider’s location?

  If your cloud provider stores your data outside of your country, does it mean you still need to follow local laws?  Continue Reading

• Has it gotten easier to virtualize applications that demand high I/O?

  In the past, virtualizing real-time applications and other demanding workloads was avoided. With recent storage improvements, has it become easier?  Continue Reading

• How does RDMA work and why is it advantageous with flash?

  Remote Direct Memory Access is a good way to reduce latency in flash environments and works with InfiniBand and some Ethernet connections.  Continue Reading

• Can I run Hadoop analytics without using HDFS?

  According to analyst George Crump, you might want to think about going with a non-traditional Hadoop architecture.  Continue Reading