Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• 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

• What are the best cloud storage use cases beyond backup and archiving?

  Cloud storage doesn't just have to be for backup. According to George Crump, cloud services can make deploying a new application or disaster recovery environment easier.  Continue Reading

• What should you consider before deploying an all-flash storage array?

  What is the one hidden gotcha that you'd advise users about if they were shopping for an all-flash storage array?  Continue Reading

• Why can't we perform primary storage dedupe on standard disk drives?

  Most all-flash arrays perform primary storage dedupe and/or compression to extend capacity. Why are we are still waiting on that for traditional disk drives?  Continue Reading

• How much control do you have over caching in all-flash storage arrays?

  How much control do you have with all-flash storage arrays? How much control do you have over how arrays handle your data? Do you control the caching?  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between 'usable' and 'effective' flash capacity?

  Vendors often publish numbers for 'usable' capacity versus 'effective' capacity. Can you explain this and how can you plan flash capacity needs with these numbers in mind?  Continue Reading

• Should traditional data centers start using OpenStack Swift and Cinder?

  If your IT department has the skills set, OpenStack object or block storage might be a good idea, analyst George Crump said.  Continue Reading

• When should I use global file locking in the cloud?

  According to analyst George Crump, global file locking isn't required for single-office cloud users, but for multisite organizations it is a top requirement in a cloud service.  Continue Reading