This white paper looks at what it takes to deliver a broad set of network storage solutions that address the ongoing needs of IT managers while accommodating their current business requirements. Learn more today!
W H I T E P AP E R M i n i m i z i n g t h e I m p a c t o f E c o n o m i c D i f f i c u l t i e s b y M i g r a t i n g f r o m D AS t o N e t w o r k e d S t o r a g e Sponsored by: HP Richard L. Villars February 2009
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y moc. In today's difficult economy, businesses of all sizes have to do more with less — cdi. smaller budgets and fewer resources. At the same time, IT departments have to deal ww with growing data creation, access, and retention requirements of employees, w customers, partners, and governments. One way that many IT staffs can help their 510 businesses deal with this situation is to make the transition from internal or direct-4.53 attached storage (DAS) to networked storage, if they have not already done so. 9.805. Originally, networked storage — especially SANs — was an option only for larger F businesses with the budget, staff, and expertise to best implement the technology. 002 Today, implementing networked storage solutions makes it possible for IT teams at 8.2 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to improve reliability while boosting the 78.8 effective use of other IT resources. These improvements can lessen the impact of 05. these tough economic times on business responsiveness and future spending. P AS Consolidating storage workloads on networked storage has the following advantages: U 1071 ! Lowers the cost (by up to 50% in many cases) of buying and managing storage 0 A for multiple servers and provides even more benefit when deployed together with M , server virtualization mahgni ! Doubles or even triples utilization rates for storage systems and allows mar businesses to safely and easily leverage low-cost, high-capacity storage tiers for F t backup and old files eertS n ! Improves availability while reducing the time (up to 90%) and effort required to eep set up, back up, and restore applications and information S 5 :sr HP, a leading provider of server and networked storage solutions designed to meet etra the needs of organizations large and small, can help companies make wise IT uqd investments. Working with HP's business partners enables a company to create an IT aeH environment that better accommodates the ebb and flow of a business while lab providing a foundation for future operational flexibility. olG
R U N N I N G A B U S I N E S S I N T O D A Y ' S D I F F I C U L T E C O N O M I C E N V I R O N M E N T
Around the world, ongoing economic and business uncertainties are placing a growing strain on organizations. They are struggling with slowing or declining sales, increasing costs of operations, and concerns about their ability to raise cash for needed investments. IT environments along with the people installing and maintaining them are not immune from the pressure to reduce spending and cut back on staff, but they are also strategically positioned to help companies better navigate difficult times.
By making savvy investments in IT solutions, SMBs can boost business efficiency, lower ongoing operating costs, and minimize future capital expenses, all while helping companies better respond to the needs of their own hard-pressed customers. In today's information-based economy, these demands make enhancing the value of existing and planned IT investments while simultaneously reducing the costs of IT operations a critical concern.
One of the IT sectors where SMBs must balance these diverse goals is in the area of storage. Despite tightening budgets, business and regulatory requirements for better, faster, and more reliable access to information are driving major, unavoidable increases in information creation, protection, and long-term retention. Key issues faced by SMBs include the following:
! Organizations that have shifted to digitalized information (e.g., x-rays, design documents, video surveillance, high-definition video, or digital records) cannot simply shift back to film or videotape.
! Financial advisors, regional banks, healthcare providers, and utilities cannot simply ignore mandated data retention policies by turning off email archiving and emptying file servers.
! Small businesses and companies ... [download for more]
