Finding a place for your stuff

By: Keith Baskin, Softchoice Storage Solutions Expert

5 top storage solution questions to ask yourself

“Sometimes you’ve got to move,

you’ve got to get a bigger house.

Why? Too much stuff! You’ve got to

move all your stuff. And maybe put

some of your stuff in storage. Imagine

that – there’s a whole industry based

on keeping an eye on your stuff!”

-George Carlin

Storage always makes me think of the late, great George Carlin’s classic comedy routine about stuff.

Carlin had no idea. That’s because data – the kind of stuff IT decision makers lose sleep over – is growing at

a mind-boggling rate and has made finding smart, cost-effective ways to expand hardware and virtualize

storage one of their top priorities.

So how should you decide on the mid-range storage solution that’s right for your organization? This eBook

will go through five questions to ask yourself to help you figure it out.

What’s the management interface?

One claim virtually all storage vendors make is that their solution is easy to use, a benefit that’s usually

centered around the graphical user interface (GUI). But don’t be fooled, it’s not simply about easy on-screen

navigation – though that’s important. True ease of use depends on the functionality available in the GUI,

elements like a visualized task flow, an integrated video instruction set and browser-based capabilities that

allow for access from any platform. Remember, the degree of navigational difficulty that takes advantage of

this sort of functionality varies widely between vendors.

Does it include storage tiering software?

Ensure your solution can dynamically move data to the optimal tier when needed so network storage

complements your application needs. Robust tiering software tackles this challenge, enabling the use of

solid state drives to cost-effectively improve the performance of data-intensive tasks and applications.

How easily and efficiently can you add more storage?

Scalability is a key hardware attribute – maybe the hardware attribute. Most midrange systems are modular,

offering the ability to start small and add capacity by adding expansion enclosures. You want to be able to

mix enclosures with 2.5” and 3.5” HDD and SSD drives of various capacities to provide maximum flexibility.

Also look for independent scaling of performance, both capacity and software, which will allow you to

protect your investment without having to change the base platform.

Can you migrate data between systems while keeping applications running?

Being able to migrate data with zero downtime can help reduce your overall total cost of ownership

and the complexity of your IT infrastructure at the same time. And you’ll be able to perform migrations

during business hours instead of in the dead of night. Look for a provider that can deliver intelligent

storage migration services that ease the process of migration by insulating applications and data from

the underlying physical infrastructure.

Is the functionality you need already built in?

Just because you’re in the market for a midsize solution shouldn’t mean you have to compromise on features

usually only offered to the big boys. You’ll want a solution that provides a host of vital functionalities

built in, not as add-ons – like virtualization, thin provisioning and storage performance monitoring. It’ll

make administration easier and disk storage utilization more efficient. And to be safe, make sure you’re

covered with pre-installed advanced software including asynchronous remote block mirroring and snapshot

capabilities for high availability and disaster recovery protection.

To meet these demands and allow businesses to respond to a rapidly changing marketplace, IBM

Storwize® V7000 is a virtualized storage system to complement virtualized server environments that

provides unmatched performance, availability, advanced functions, and highly scalable capacity never

seen before in midrange disk systems.

IBM Storwize® V7000 is a powerful

midrange disk system that has been

designed to be easy to use and enable

rapid deployment without additional

resources. Storwize® V7000 is virtual

storage that offers greater efficiency and flexibility through built-in SSD optimization and “thin provisioning”

technologies. Storwize® V7000 advanced functions also enable non-disruptive migration of data from

existing storage, simplifying implementation and minimizing disruption to users. Made up of SVC code, XIV

interface, and DS8000 firmware/code, this combination takes the best functionalities that users love and

dumps them into the V7000.

About Keith Baskin

Mr. Baskin has been active in the storage industry

since 1994. He continues to serve, and has served in,

architectural roles around various storage technologies

including: Virtualization, Enterprise Storage Management,

Backup/Recovery, Compliance, Archive/Litigation

Protection, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuance, Performance, SAN,

De-duplication, Storage for Databases, Replication, Tape/Optical and storage

management standards (SMI-S).

Keith Baskin has worked several speaking engagements, domestically and

abroad, and has been published in Storage Magazine.

Connect with us today. 1.800.268.7638 | www.softchoice.com/ibm