Unified Storage: All storage is incorporated into a single, unified operating platform. This enables massive consolidation opportunities and significantly simplifies data management and staff training time. When combined with the storage efficiency features listed below, a Unified Storage deployment provides the greatest opportunity for storage efficiency.
Data deduplication is a hot topic right now. It is the automated process of removing duplicate files from volumes of storage. Data duplication assigns a unique signature to every block of data in a given volume. If more than one data block with the same signature is discovered elsewhere in the volume, all other but the original are deleted and replaced with the smaller footprint of a reference/pointer to the original.
Three of the most common applications ripe for deduplication are within virtual machines, on user file servers and within back-up volumes. At its most effective, data de-duplication can enable organisations to reclaim up to 95% of storage space. Thin provisioning eliminates the common practice of over-provisioning storage based on anticipated future needs.
Instead it provides ‘just-in-time' provisioning – the flexible allocation of required storage to an application on the fly from a consolidated networked storage pool. A larger pool of unused storage enables administrators to defer the purchase of new hardware or even decommission older arrays. This can both reduce storage costs directly and yield the soft savings from reductions in data center space and associated power and cooling requirements.
Dual-parity RAID - Caching technology: Allows the use of higher density, lower cost SATA drives by providing production resiliency and performance in a cost effective way.
Dual-parity RAID safeguards data from double-disk failure without impacting performance. Snapshot technologies: Snapshot takes a point-in-time copy which provides an instant backup, takes up minimal storage space and does not affect the performance of the system. It allows businesses to recover data quickly and easily with the touch of a button, maintaining data availability and preventing data loss by protecting valuable information assets.
Virtualisation: Storage efficiency and virtualisation go hand in hand. They both offer incredible savings for customers. When people are trying to save money, storage efficiency and storage optimised for virtualised environments are both great tools for helping to drive out costs.