Networking World: Are you too small for most storage vendors?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: MIKE KARP ON STORAGE IN THE ENTERPRISE
09/15/05
Today's focus: Are you too small for most storage vendors?

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* It appears that small businesses are just too small for some
storage vendors
* Links related to Storage in the Enterprise
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by ProCurve Networking by HP
Network World Executive Guide: The Evolution of Management
Technologies

With applications and infrastructures growing more sophisticated
and demanding, network and systems management technologies are
more critical than ever. Elevating their focus from bits and
bytes, these networked systems are being called on to close the
gap between IT and business services. Read about the future of
management, including BSM and emerging automation tools. Learn
about 'hot spots' and 'best products' in network management.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=114626
_______________________________________________________________
WIRELESS LANS BUYER'S GUIDE: THE GOODS ON 185 PRODUCTS

We've compiled the largest buyer's guide ever on wireless LAN
equipment. Whether you're looking for an access point, PC Card
or trying to decide between 802.11a, b or g, take a look at the
information that vendors have provided us. We've got the goods
on 185 products. Click here for more:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=114032
_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: Are you too small for most storage vendors?

By Mike Karp

One of the first things many small children learn is that
sharing is a good thing. This makes for nicer people, happy
families and quieter siblings. Many business people and IT
managers find value in sharing as well. When it is time to
collaborate on a development project or have several people
access a database, there isn't much that beats shared data as a
way to increase efficiency.

Networked storage - both storage-area networks and
network-attached storage - now provides many companies with
faster, shared throughput. Virtualize that networked storage and
IT managers find they also maximize the heck out of disk usage
and have a more manageable and efficient storage operation.

What a pity it is then that so few smaller businesses have
afforded themselves the benefit of shared data. After all,
smaller companies often must compete with much larger firms,
many of which make IT investments that they feel will provide
them with some competitive advantage.

Why are so many companies in this segment still locked-in to
direct-attach storage? The issue, of course, is price.

There is an opportunity here for the vendors to offer some
really useful service to the small and midsize business (SMB)
segment, but until quite recently most have paid little more
than lip service to building useful solutions for this segment.
While a few companies have rolled out some pretty interesting
iSCSI-based SAN solutions, and a few (Emulex comes to mind) have
built Fibre Channel SAN technology suitable for smaller mid-tier
companies, most packages aimed at SMBs are just too costly for
much of the market they propose to serve. Look closely at many
of these packages and you realize that the vendor's definition
of SMB often means "small enterprise," or at best companies with
between 100 and 1,000 servers. Not much help to a 50- or
100-person firm, I'm afraid.

Lately things have been getting a bit better. IBM recently
introduced its DS400 package, a bundle that includes a Fibre
Channel array and switch that starts out at under $17,000 with
500G bytes of storage, and EMC offers its Clariion AX100 with a
dual-controller and four Fibre Channel HBAs for around $10,000.
These offerings will clearly place some pressure on the iSCSI
vendors, although you wouldn't be unfair if you asked just how
responsive smaller companies would be to learning Fibre Channel.
Certainly, for the midsized IT operations that already have
Fibre Channel infrastructure (and more importantly, Fibre
Channel knowledge) in-house, these will be interesting
alternatives.

Still though, not much help there for the smaller firms, needful
though they may be. And yet... would your small business (or
department in a large company) be interested in basic SAN
capability, including a virtualized storage pool of half a
terabyte, for under $400?

Next time I'll tell you what I've found.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. McAfee, Omniquad top anti-spyware test
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstoragealert6931>

2. Google hacking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6693nlstoragealert6886>

3. Supermarket chain freezes Internet access
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6649nlstoragealert6887>

4. Cisco tackles RFID in the network
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage7100>

5. What's the best way to protect against spyware?
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstoragealert6932>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Mike Karp

Mike Karp is senior analyst with Enterprise Management
Associates, focusing on storage, storage management and the
methodology that brings these issues into the marketplace. He
has spent more than 20 years in storage, systems management and
telecommunications. Mike can be reached via e-mail
<mailto:mkarp@enterprisemanagement.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by ProCurve Networking by HP
Network World Executive Guide: The Evolution of Management
Technologies

Archive of the Storage newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/stor/index.html

Breaking storage news and analysis:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/storage.html
_______________________________________________________________
WEBCAST: Winning with Endpoint Security

Protecting an enterprise from worms and other attacks is a
struggle. Learn proactive strategies for making sure that no
matter who your users are, or how they access your network, you
are protected.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=114056
_______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE

IS IT THE NETWORK OR THE STORAGE THAT'S THE PROBLEM?

Midsize and larger businesses often find their IT topology has
become a complex mix of servers, networks and storage systems.
Many of these companies also route long-haul traffic over
fiber-based networks - metropolitan-area networks, WANs and
private optical networks. Who's responsible when a
storage-related problem occurs on a fiber network? For more,
click here:

<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage7101>
_______________________________________________________________
May We Send You a Free Print Subscription?
You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered
at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by
receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply
today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2

International subscribers click here :
http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html
_______________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail
newsletters, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx>

To change your e-mail address, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx>

Subscription questions? Contact Customer Service by replying to
this message.

This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com
Please use this address when modifying your subscription.
_______________________________________________________________

Have editorial comments? Write Jeff Caruso, Newsletter Editor,
at: <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>

Inquiries to: NL Customer Service, Network World, Inc., 118
Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

For advertising information, write Kevin Normandeau, V.P. of
Online Development, at: <mailto:sponsorships@nwfusion.com>

Networking World

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Are you too small for most storage vendors?

No comments: