Buying leading-edge products is not the best option for most
businesses, but make sure you do not get caught out as your needs
expand or technology takes a change in direction.
To get the most from storage technology, a business should develop
a strategy which details where it wants to be in the next three
years and how it is going to achieve this position. A data storage
strategy should be based on sound capacity planning procedures and
a good knowledge of business directions.
Why is this important? A firm should avoid having to buy storage in
a hurry. Time should be taken to put storage requirements out to
tender to at least two suppliers. Capacity planning can give an
indication as to how much storage will be needed for the next 12
months, but it is difficult to predict beyond that.
A business should plan its storage requirements based on its
business plans. For example, if a business wants to increase its
turnover by 200% next year, a storage plan must be able to cope
with the growth.
If the business plan is to consolidate after previous high
growth, the storage needs will be different. If a business is
planning to replace a room full of paper documents with electronic
storage next year, fixed-content storage options should be
investigated now.
Businesses need to be aware of technology directions. It is always
tempting to buy the latest storage server, but what is really
needed is technology that meets storage needs. One good strategy is
to be tucked in just behind the leaders. The latest and greatest
storage devices will be expensive, but suppliers are usually keen
to cut deals and to sell older technology.
However, beware of shifts in technology that could leave you
moving forward while the rest of the world turns right. Similarly,
any storage product that leaves a business locked to a particular
supplier should be avoided - there will be less room for bargaining
when it is time for an upgrade.
It is tempting to simplify storage provision by adopting a "one
size fits all" strategy. This can be expensive as it means all data
will have to satisfy the most exact requirements before it can be
stored. The data storage pyramid is still appropriate. Data that
needs very fast access at all times needs to be on top-quality
mirrored disc.
A middle class of data which needs to be accessed in tens of
seconds can live on slower discs."Stale" data that has not been
accessed for several weeks can be migrated off to tape.
This hierarchical structure is well established in mainframe
systems and is just starting to mature on open systems. However,
remember that data on tape is still primary data and two copies of
it is needed, which should also be factored into a cost
justification equation.
Large companies with a substantial growth rate could benefit from
bulk-buying by purchasing a year's worth of storage at once. These
purchases could coincide with suppliers' end-of-quarter or
end-of-year sales periods as these are usually the best times for
negotiating discounts.
Storage purchases can also be "bundled" with server purchases
for maximum bulk discounts. A typical storage controller can
support 20 or more terabytes of disc capacity, but if this is not
bought in one go, a maximum upgrade price can be negotiated and
written into a contract.
Remember to include cache, connectivity and software upgrades as
well as disc. Maintenance costs can be high, especially for open
systems disc.
Try to negotiate a "free" three-year maintenance deal as part of
the purchase, and get future maintenance charges capped. Smaller
companies may find storage on demand deals more appropriate.
Remember that technology is just part of the cost equation.
Consider how much effort will be required to run and manage the
storage or any extra effort end-users may have to put in to make it
work. A few thousand pounds might be saved by running the storage
at 90% full, but end-users will spend time coping with resultant
space issues.
Finally, an exit plan is needed when older storage becomes too
unreliable and expensive to maintain. If hardware is being replaced
that is less than three years old, a business has not got full
value for money. A replacement plan for storage could also form a
consolidation exercise, with software included. Check your software
to ensure it is still adding value and its function is not
duplicated elsewhere.
Jim Armstrong, storage architect at Standard Life, is speaking
on "Instant back-up, five terabytes in five minutes - how to
enhance efficiency of your storage strategy" at Storage Expo 2003
on 15
October
www.storage-expo.com