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Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Five must-have data storage security tools for smaller businesses

  Data storage security tools are important to have when trying to seek out storage-related vulnerabilities. Read about the five most helpful tools for SMBs today. Continue Reading

• Factors to consider when implementing Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)

  Learn the differences between implementing Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and iSCSI, the costs of upgrading to FCoE and more. Continue Reading

• What are some examples of SMB data storage products versus enterprise data storage products?

  Greg Schulz explains the differences between SMB data storage products and enterprise data storage products in this ATE. Continue Reading

• What's the difference between SMB data storage and enterprise data storage?

  Greg Schulz discusses the difference between SMB data storage and enterprise data storage in this ATE repsonse. Continue Reading

• Is data deduplication right for your primary storage infrastructure?

  What are the requirements of deduplicating primary storage? Find out what to do before undertaking a primary deduplication project and the vendor options for primary dedupe. Continue Reading

• Optimizing RAID data storage for your business

  Learn how to better optimize your RAID data storage by determining where to house your RAID drives, and what RAID level best fits your business needs.Continue Reading

• Data storage resources needed to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure

  When implementing a virtual desktop infrastructure, you must weigh the benefits against the cost and effort it takes to acquire and maintain a data center infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Data storage for virtual environments: Pros and cons of DAS, NAS, and SAN

  Learn about the pros and cons of DAS, NAS, and SAN storage technologies for your virtual environment.Continue Reading

• Virtual desktop infrastructure deployments: The pros and cons of VDI

  With VDI technology, desktops can be virtualized in a data center, making desktop management much easier, but be aware of the cons of VDI.Continue Reading

• Storage encryption essentials

  To secure your storage environment, identify weaknesses in your system and then choose the storage encryption product that matches your network configuration and specific risks.Continue Reading

• Addressing storage performance bottlenecks in enterprise data storage

  Learn how to address the various types of enterprise data storage performance bottlenecks, including server bottlenecks, storage system bottlenecks and I/O path bottlenecks.Continue Reading

• How to select a storage resource management (SRM) tool

  SRM tools can help you evaluate and leverage your storage infrastructure. Learn the best practices for selecting an SRM tool and how SRM technology can reclaim orphaned storage.Continue Reading

• Data archiving: Three key elements

  Whether you're using a consolidated or unified approach, learn why archiving software, storage hardware and management software should be part of any data archiving system.Continue Reading

• How do I choose the right RAID level for my SMB?

  Greg Schulz explains how to choose the right RAID level for your SMB in this Ask the Expert response.Continue Reading

• What are the best virtualization tools for SMBs?

  Greg Schulz explains the best server virtualization tools for SMBs in this Ask the Expert response.Continue Reading

• Reducing data storage costs for SMBs: Six storage budget tips

  In this tip, learn how SMBs can cut costs for data storage by outsourcing their storage, using data deduplication, negotiating prices, and looking into open-source alternatives.Continue Reading

• What are some popular open-source storage tools and the pros and cons of using open-source storage?

  Greg Schulz explains some popular open-source storage tools and the pros and cons of using open-source storage in this ATE response.Continue Reading

• Storage virtualization solutions for SMBs

  Storage virtualization isn't just for large enterprises. There are many affordable solutions for the SMB, too.Continue Reading

• Managing enterprise data storage more efficiently, Part 3: Reduce operating expenses using technolog

  Enterprise data storage managers can reduce expenses through capacity planning, writing scripts to automate storage, outsourcing and taking a long-term view on efficiency.Continue Reading

• Tips for an effective data deduplication implementation

  When implementing data deduplication into a storage environment, users need to know their data, test vendor dedupe claims with their actual data and avoid deduping compressed data.Continue Reading

• Green data storage solutions for SMBs

  When it comes to green storage, it's all about the basics. Review your current setup and start with the obvious.Continue Reading

• How to select a storage automation product

  Features to look for include a configuration management database with a scalable data collection mechanism, operationally focused reporting, a service portal and task automation.Continue Reading

• Making sense of regulatory compliance and data storage for SMBs

  Keeping abreast of the latest government regulations that can affect your SMB can be difficult. Learn about regulatory compliance best practices in this tip.Continue Reading

• Data classification best practices for tiered storage

  Classifying data for tiered storage may sound simple, but it's not. Learn best practices for effective tiered storage, including capacity planning and data archiving technology.Continue Reading

• Choosing a storage system for data archiving

  Learn whether a unified, multiprotocol storage system or a consolidated storage system is best for archiving data in your business. Which one allows the index and content to share space, and eases management?Continue Reading

• Server-based operating systems vs. PC-based operating systems

  Greg Schulz explains the differences between server-based operating systems and PC-based operating systems in this ATE response.Continue Reading

• Clustered network attached storage (NAS) for SMBs

  Should you use a clustered NAS for your SMB?Continue Reading

• Green storage best practices control costs, increase energy efficiency

  Green storage best practices control power and cooling costs, and increase energy efficiency in your data center. Tiered storage, consolidating storage arrays, solid-state drives (SSDs) and MAID can help.Continue Reading

• Data retention policies and procedures for SMBs

  Data retention isn't just something larger enterprises can afford to worry about; it's also important for SMBs to have data retention policies and procedures in place.Continue Reading

• Best practices for using server virtualization in your storage environment

  Among the best practices to consider when using server virtualization, and VMware in particular, are monitoring virtual machine performance and eliminating single points of failure.Continue Reading

• Security benefits of storage area networks

  Jeff Boles explains some of the security benefits of storage area networks (SANs) in this Ask the Expert question.Continue Reading

• Best practices for effective thin provisioning

  Thin provisioning allows storage capacity that has been allocated to various apps or servers, but not actually consumed, to be shared. This allows you to use less disk capacity.Continue Reading

• Ten signs you're ready for a storage area network (SAN)

  Storage area networks (SANs) used to be reserved for larger enterprises, but that's changing, and SMBs are implementing SANs. Here's 10 signs you're ready for a SAN.Continue Reading

• Controlling unstructured file data storage growth: Five storage reduction tips

  By its nature, unstructured file data storage is uncontrolled and a quite unruly. Here are five tips on how to reduce your file data storage growth.Continue Reading

• Three tips for ensuring a user-friendly email archiving system

  User acceptance is crucial to an email archiving project. Learn how complete integration, offline access and mobile access ensure a user-friendly email archiving system.Continue Reading

• Networked data storage for SMBs: Five signs you need to ditch direct-attached storage

  This tip looks at strategies for moving from direct-attached storage (DAS) embedded within physical servers, to network-attached storage (NAS) or a storage area network (SAN).Continue Reading

• How SMBs can save on disk array power costs

  Disk arrays draw substantial power to keep disks spinning and make cooling systems work harder to dissipate the heat they throw off. Here are seven ways to cut a disk system's power requirements in an SMB environment.Continue Reading

• How storage blades work in today's data centers

  This podcast explains how storage blade technologies work with server and storage virtualization, as well as with Cisco Systems' new unified computing system (UCS).Continue Reading

• Top tips when evaluating a storage automation product

  When choosing a storage automation product, evaluate the size and complexity of the environment, the degree to which the IT infrastructure is growing and outsourced functions.Continue Reading

• Tiered data storage strategies for SMBs

  The goal of tiered storage is to get data on the appropriate storage system. For SMBs, three tiers typically suffice: primary, which is generally a midrange Fibre Channel or NAS option; secondary, such as SATA disk; and tape.Continue Reading

• Reducing storage network complexity with FCoE

  Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) enables companies to retain an existing Fibre Channel (FC) infrastructure, keep existing FC management tools in place, provide the same level of performance (with data center Ethernet) and lower costs.Continue Reading

• SaaS shopping list for SMBs

  Storage-as-a-service (SaaS) companies have changed how they operate. Learn what to look for when shopping for an online data backup provider with this product features checklist.Continue Reading

• Clustered storage essentials: What to ask your vendor

  Here are eight esstential questions to ask your clustered stoage vendor. .Continue Reading

• Blade storage for SMBs: The pros and cons

  The blades in blade chassis are server blades, with storage being some combination of direct-attached storage, network-attached storage or a storage area network. Learn about the pros and cons of blade storage for SMBs.Continue Reading

• Five tips to save data storage costs for SMBs

  SMBs are storing new data at alarming rates. Most SMBs have budget reduction initiatives, but have little control over the amount of data produced. In this tip, we'll review five opportunity areas for SMBs to achieve data storage cost savings.Continue Reading

• The value of easy-to-use SAN storage

  Storage-area network (SAN) storage is in a period of major change—it's getting much easier. In tight economic times, it makes sense for storage pros to consider these easy-to-use options despite some of their drawbacks.Continue Reading

• SAN storage consolidation checklist

  Learn about the critical questions you need to ask and answer before considering a storage-area network (SAN) storage consolidation project.Continue Reading

• Using NAS NFS with VMware ESX: Technology pros and cons

  NAS NFS can be an efficient network storage methodology when dealing with VMware ESX and thousands of virtual machines, but NAS performance can be an issue.Continue Reading

• What you need from a third-party storage service provider

  Third-party data storage vendors can help SMBs with limited resources make strategic decisions and navigate data storage. This tip will help you make the important decisions that are involved in selecting third-party support.Continue Reading

• File virtualization technology considerations for SMBs

  NAS filers implemented to address unstructured data growth are now taking up large amounts of IT administrators' time. This tip explores file virtualization and how presenting multiple NAS boxes as one pool of storage can ease storage management ...Continue Reading

• A case for 8 GB Fibre Channel

  Since 4 GB Fibre Channel (FC) was introduced, there have been significant changes in data centers, including server virtualization, a focus on power and cooling, and the rapid acceptance of solid-state disk (SSD). These factors, combined with the ...Continue Reading

• Thin provisioning storage products for SMBs

  Thin provisioning can provide many benefits for data storage infrastructures in SMBs. In this tip, Ann Silverthorn explores what SMBs should look for in thin provisioning storage products.Continue Reading

• Storage area network options for SMBs

  While many SMBs are increasingly looking to deploy a storage area network (SAN), many experts agree that a full-scale deployment could be overkill. This tip takes a look at the various storage area network options that are available for SMBs.Continue Reading

• Choosing a midrange network-attached storage (NAS) system

  Midrange network-attached storage (NAS) appliances can be an affordable solution for SMBs in today's do-more-with-less economic climate. Learn how to choose the NAS system that best fits your storage environment.Continue Reading

• Fibre Channel SAN versus iSCSI SAN: Cost and scalability considerations

  Buying a new block-based storage array can be tough decision for data storage managers at SMBs. In the second part of our series on Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage area networks (SANs), we will discuss the cost and scalability considerations of each...Continue Reading

• Fibre Channel SAN versus iSCSI SAN: Reliability and performance

  Buying a new block-based storage array can be tough decision for data storage managers at SMBs. In this first part of our series on Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage area networks (SANs), we'll compare the reliability and performance of these ...Continue Reading

• How to determine a NAS system's scalability

  This tip covers scalability limitations of a network-attached storage (NAS) system, including maxed managed file limits, IOPS and throughput limits, and capacity limits. It can help you avoid application outages that occur when storage reaches ...Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of storage capacity management tools

  Learn what storage capacity management tools can and can't do by looking at the operational problems they're attempting to solve.Continue Reading

• SAN management tips in 2009 for SMBs

  The data storage management landscape in changing in SMB environments in 2009. In this tip, Greg Schulz discusses some storage area network (SAN) management tips and trends for SMBs in the new year.Continue Reading

• How your SAN will evolve

  We asked storage vendors, industry analysts and technologists serving on storage industry associations about where they saw the SAN heading. There may not be sweeping architectural changes in five years, but there will be changes in the basic ...Continue Reading

• Top SMB storage tips of 2008

  Addressing storage issues became increasingly difficult for many IT managers in SMBs in 2008. For your convenience, we've collected our top 10 storage tips geared toward the SMB market from the past year.Continue Reading

• Top five SAN tips of 2008

  Here are the top five SAN tips of 2008, based on our readers' interest, covering such topics as SAN purchasing, protocols and LUNs.Continue Reading

• Top five NAS tips of 2008

  Here are the top five NAS tips of 2008, based on our readers' interest, covering such topics as NAS consolidation, NAS interconnects and protocols.Continue Reading

• How to evaluate and purchase a SAN

  The Royal Horticultural Society's network manager Martin Taylor guides users through the process of evaluating and purchasing a SAN.Continue Reading

• iSCSI vs. Fibre Channel for SMBs

  Deciding whether to use iSCSI or Fibre Channel to build your storage area network (SAN) can be crucial to effectiveness of the implementation. This tip discusses the pros and cons of iSCSI and Fibre Channel in the SMB market.Continue Reading

• Secure DAS without breaking the bank

  Whether you're using direct-attached storage (DAS) for primary data storage, backups or archiving, there are a ton of security issues affecting storage confidentiality, integrity and availability. Here are four DAS security issues SMBs can't afford ...Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of solid-state drives for notebook computers

  A solid-state drive (SSD), like the name suggests, consists of flash memory, similar to what's in USB flash drives or Secure Digital media cards. This tip discusses the The pros and cons of solid-state drives in an SMB environment.Continue Reading

• How to make smarter storage purchasing decisions

  When do storage buyers have the most leverage? What's the most important factor when deciding on a data deduplication solution? How do you avoid storage stovepipes? Storage Decisions speakers can help you make smarter storage purchasing decisions.Continue Reading

• What are the key differences between SATA II vs. SATA I?

  New SATA II-based drives will make their way into the enterprise because of three features: port multipliers, port selectors and native command queuing.Continue Reading

• Considerations when selecting a data storage VAR

  Data storage for SMBs has moved beyond basic email and data files to include increasingly larger file formats like podcasts and video streams. In this tip, Martha Young outlines considerations SMBs should make when selecting a data storage VAR.Continue Reading

• High performance computing demands special backup approach

  For storage administrators, the increasing popularity of HPC servers translates into unique backup challenges.Continue Reading

• Show-me state shows how to consolidate storage

  Whether it's the result of a merger or just good housekeeping, at some point in time storage managers will have a storage consolidation project. The Missouri state government embarked on a major storage consolidation project that included numerous ...Continue Reading

• How to choose a SAN switch for SMBs

  Storage environments in SMBs can range from a few servers and a couple of terabytes, to hundreds of servers and hundreds of terabytes. In this tip, Greg Schulz discusses some of the features to look for in a SAN switch in iSCSI, FCl, FCoE or ...Continue Reading

• Do you really need NAS?

  There are no short, hard-and-fast rules when it comes to determining if a small to midsized business (SMB) needs network-attached storage (NAS). In this tip, Tory Skyers discusses the advantages and disadvantages of networked storage in an SMB ...Continue Reading

• Getting started with data deduplication

  When it comes to data storage, many small to midsized businesses (SMBs) have requirements similar to those of larger firms. This tip answers the questions that SMBs should be considering when getting started with data deduplication.Continue Reading

• FAQ guide: How Fibre Channel over Ethernet can consolidate networks

  Storage analyst Greg Schulz answers the questions he hears most about FCoE, including where it fits in the market, when FCoE products will become available, and how it compares to iSCSI and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.Continue Reading

• Secure your iSCSI storage

  A Fibre Channel (FC) storage-area network (SAN) is physically no more secure than an iSCSI one; it's just far more difficult to get to. In this tip, Mark Arnold discusses best practices for small to midsized businesses (SMBs) to secure their iSCSI ...Continue Reading

• Top questions to consider when consolidating SANs

  Small-midsized businesses (SMBs) frequently deal with disparate storage area networks (SANs). Many start with an entry-level system and later add a larger, more sophisticated one. In this tip, Marc Staimer discusses the top questions to consider ...Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of thin provisioning

  Most storage area networks (SANs) have a section in their marketing material entitled "Thin Provisioning," but what is it, how does it work and why does it matter? In this tip, Mark Arnold discusses how thin provisioning can help with both the ...Continue Reading

• How to forge the perfect relationship with your enterprise storage vendor

  You want your storage problems solved, you want to save money, and you want to see storage solutions work as advertised. The vendor sales representative wants your business. So why are good business relationships in the storage arena so rare?Continue Reading

• Will SaaS storage services decrease how much storage capacity is purchased?

  Expect to see a shift toward less spending for in-house storage capacity by enterprises.Continue Reading

• How SMBs can ensure storage security

  With minimal time and a small budget, many small and midsized businesses (SMBs) often struggle to achieve reasonable information security. In this tip, Kevin Beaver discusses the keys areas that SMBs can address to ensure data storage security.Continue Reading

• The rising cost of cheap SMB storage

  The commoditization of data storage has been consistently driving its acquisition costs down. However, hidden costs have surfaced as SMBs struggle to manage growing amounts of data. This tip discusses some of the pitfalls of "cheap storage" and ...Continue Reading

• Does a storage device exist inside a NAS unit or is it connected externally?

  Business continuity expert Pierre Dorion discusses network-attached storage.Continue Reading

• How will the market for virtual tape libraries change?

  Virtual tape libraries have been the easiest way to integrate disk into existing data protection infrastructures, but in a year or two, VTLs that do not have deduplicating technologies will generate little revenue.Continue Reading

• SMB capacity planning: Focusing on energy conservation

  To avoid IT service delivery disruptions, SMBs can put a storage capacity planning program into place. This tip discusses how a capacity plan can forecast what storage performance, availability, capacity and energy requirements will be needed in the...Continue Reading

• How does content-addressed storage differ from backup?

  The term content-addressed storage (CAS) refers to systems that store data in such a way that an object cannot be duplicated or modified once it has been stored. In this tip, Russ Fellows discusses how CAS differs from backups and how this ...Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting SAN performance issues

  SAN troubleshooting is tough because good design is not always obvious and Fibre Channel standards make interoperability a concern. This tip will review some common problem areas with SANs, describe how to diagnose problems and offer some ...Continue Reading

• Tiered storage for SMBs

  If an SMB hasn't already deployed an iSCSI SAN or NAS filers, they're probably about to. This tip discusses how SMBs can increase the cost savings of consolidating storage by implementing tiers of storage instead of throwing everything on the same ...Continue Reading

• Moving from DAS to NAS

  As the volume of data and the number of users in SMBs grow, direct-attached storage (DAS) becomes harder to manage. In this tip, Rick Cook discusses how SMBs can benefit from adding storage to their existing networks in the form of NAS.Continue Reading

• Data storage security issues for SMBs

  Federal compliance is as complex for the SMB as it is for the large enterprise. This tip discusses how your business can implement a secure business and technology storage environment to ensure it meets the required standards.Continue Reading

• How to boot from a SAN

  Not too long ago, the idea of storing a server's operating system on the SAN was treated with skepticism. Now, with the growing adoption of iSCSI storage, some SMBs moving to networked storage are reconsidering having their servers boot from shared ...Continue Reading

• Reduce storage spending with effective data management

  SMBs can achieve significant data storage savings by getting a better handle on data management, and the earlier you start the better.Continue Reading

• Data protection for virtual server environments

  The loss of a physical server that supports multiple virtual machines can have a very significant impact on SMBs and all of the applications supported on those servers. Check out this tip to learn how your business can re-architect its data ...Continue Reading

• Is an email archiving service right for your business?

  Many SMBs haven't realized that all emails are business records that need to be properly managed. While doing nothing originally incurs no cost, when a breach occurs, the real cost of doing nothing is revealed. This tip discusses the various email ...Continue Reading

• How to consolidate NAS boxes

  By now, we all know that network-attached storage (NAS) can provide benefits for small-midsized businesses (SMBs). However, managing more than a few NAS devices quickly becomes a burden, swapping the value out of NAS simplicity. This tip discusses ...Continue Reading

• Data footprint reduction for SMBs

  For SMBs wanting to address green storage issues, as well as data management issues, establishing a holistic data footprint reduction strategy is a must. This tip discusses how your business can address these issues while boosting overall data and ...Continue Reading

• Improve your storage energy efficiency

  SMBs are increasingly facing energy challenges. With IT budgets being stretched thin, this tip discusses how SMBs can implement energy efficient solutions to maximize budgets, help the environment and qualify for energy incentive rebates.Continue Reading

• Determining the number of drives in a RAID group

  How many drives in a RAID group will it take to give you the performance you need for a database or email or file server, or for that new VMware implementation?Continue Reading

• Determining the right SAN protocol

  Which transports and protocols should you use in your SAN? Here are suggestions on when to use iSCSI, Fibre Channel and InfiniBand.Continue Reading