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A Better Outlook for Information Management (Continued)
Fibre Channel Options
Despite the advance of network-based technologies to access storage, the fibre channel industry has not been resting on its laurels. Known for its high-speed data access rates, fibre channel is increasing its margin by developing newer, faster switches. Though the 10 gigabit (G-bit) switch has been in the making for some time, the newly ratified 4 G-bit switch will certainly be more popular in the short run (see Resources).
That's because 4 G-bit fibre channel is much more versatile than 10 G-bit. First, it's twice as fast as current switches. Second, its pricing should be comparable to current switches. Third, virtually all switch vendors have stated that they are going to support the new standard. And fourth, unlike 10 G-bit fibre channel, it is backward-compatible with both 1 G-bit and 2 G-bit switches, making it easier to integrate with current hardware. This is all thanks to a recent vote by the Fibre Channel Industry Association that decided, by a large margin, to support the 4 G-bit standard. The vote should go a long way toward helping fibre channel maintain its supremacy in large storage systems.
One thing is clear. More and more storage solutions are becoming hardware agnostic; that is, they are becoming more standardized and hardware independent. Both manufacturers and customers realize that proprietary solutions have a short lifespan in the marketplace. Having broadly accepted operating systems such as Windows talk to storage technologies from any vendor is a major advantage for customers, especially customers who have not yet invested in centralized storage (see Resources) because it will simplify the way storage solutions are put together.
Take the First Step
Although advances in new technologies will help your storage situation both in the short- and long-term, they cannot do the work for you. It is clear that organizations are now faced with both a need to manage vast amounts of storage and a need to protect this asset well.
But don't make the same mistake others have. Storage costs might be going down (according to the META Group, there is a 35 percent decline in cost per GB per year), but it is still important to review the value of the information you intend to store and protect. The best way to do this is through information categorization. Few organizations have even considered this aspect of storage management. You might find that at the end of this exercise, you'll have a lot less to keep and protect than you thought you had in the first place.
About the Authors
Danielle Ruest and Nelson Ruest (MCSE) just released their third book, Windows Server 2003 Pocket Administrator (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 2003), an everyday administration reference. Their second book, Windows Server 2003, Best Practices for Enterprise Deployments (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 2003), is a step-by-step guide for designing enterprise networks with this new operating system. They are also authors of Preparing for .NET Enterprise Technologies (Addison-Wesley, 2001), a book on mastering change in the enterprise. Both work for Resolutions Enterprises (www.reso-net.com), a small Canadian consulting firm that provides services in the information architecture and change management fields. Both can be reached through infos@reso-net.com.
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Pricing and protocols
