In Depth
In Depth
Storage
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Storage 101: Self-encrypting drives' benefits and limitations
Self-encrypting drives are a cost-effective way to ensure compliance in certain situations. We look at self-encrypting drives, what they’re good for and their limitations Continue Reading
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A guide to choosing and using all-flash array storage
We take a look at the considerations when devising an all-flash array storage strategy, and what enterprises can do to get the most out of the technology Continue Reading
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Match cache and storage tiers to app needs with new storage media
How to match cache and storage tier needs to the dizzying array of solid state media now available, including flash, QLC/TLC, NVMe, storage-class memory, NVMDimm and MRAM Continue Reading
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Virtual storage appliances in the cloud from the big five
We survey the big five storage hardware makers’ cloud offerings. Virtual storage appliances available range from storage and backup/data protection to nothing at all Continue Reading
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Hybrid cloud a key milestone on the road to cloud storage
The cloud seems to lend itself to use as a storage location. There are lots of bumps in the road, however, and hybrid cloud should be a key medium-term aim for organisations Continue Reading
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Container storage: Docker in flash, HCI and software-defined
We look at what flash array, hyper-converged infrastructure and software-defined storage makers are doing to provide persistent storage for container-based deployments Continue Reading
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Data protection for containers: Why and how to do Docker backup
Containers such as those from Docker are agile, lightweight and can be short-lived, but they and their data often need to be protected. We look at the key options available Continue Reading
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Cloud HCI survey: Cloud functionality in hyper-converged infrastructure
We look at how you can use hyper-converged infrastructure to build private clouds and link up with public cloud services to develop hybrid and multi-cloud working Continue Reading
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Containers and storage: Array suppliers’ container capabilities
We look at what the big five storage array makers – Dell EMC, Hitachi, HPE, IBM and NetApp – are doing to provide persistent storage for container-based deployments Continue Reading
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Cloud storage: Amazon vs Azure vs Google vs IBM Softlayer
Computer Weekly looks at the biggest four cloud storage providers, how they stand in the market, the products they offer, and which offers the widest range of products and features Continue Reading
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How the internet of things and edge data impact data storage
Remote device data poses challenges for the datacentre, but edge processing, analytics and the cloud can help businesses profit from the promise of the internet of things Continue Reading
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NVMe over Fabrics brings benefits of NVMe to shared storage
NVMe over Fabrics – with NVMe carried over Fibre Channel, Ethernet, Infiniband and other protocols – could revolutionise shared storage. We look at how the market is shaping up Continue Reading
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Intel Optane DIMM aims at persistent storage on the motherboard
Intel to make 3D Xpoint flash available to applications in a tier below RAM and above storage, with in-memory databases, analytics and high performance computing set to benefit Continue Reading
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Cloud NAS offers file access across on-site and in-cloud
We run the rule over cloud NAS products that allow customers to build single-namespace file systems, including between in-house datacentres and public cloud storage Continue Reading
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Storage 101: The final flash generation? QLC vs MLC, TLC, SLC
QLC flash products have arrived in the market, but with a limited performance profile, has NAND flash come up against the realities of the physics that make it possible? Continue Reading
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Flash vs 3D Xpoint vs storage-class memory: Which ones go where?
New media provide a range of options to speed workloads, from “old-fashioned” flash to storage class- and persistent memory. We help you exploit the storage performance hierarchy Continue Reading
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Software-defined storage: Startups bring innovation to SDS
We survey the startup suppliers pioneering new approaches to software-defined storage, including block, file and object, and VM and container-oriented approaches Continue Reading
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Object storage is inching into Australian enterprises
Even as Aussie firms such as Bauer Media and Redbubble are lapping up object storage, others are facing visibility and analytics issues with the technology Continue Reading
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Storage class memory set to upset hardware architectures
Storage class memory and persistent memory products are set to add a layer of superfast storage media between bulk drives and memory, pushing performance to five million IOPS Continue Reading
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Who needs hybrid cloud object storage?
Hybrid cloud object storage products are an emerging category. But what use cases are driving their emergence? And which suppliers lead the way? Continue Reading
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Data recovery disasters: Kroll Ontrack on how it helps enterprises bounce back
Data recovery expert Kroll Ontrack provides a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges enterprises and consumers face getting their files and information back when disaster strikes Continue Reading
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SSD Raid 101: The essentials of flash storage and Raid
Flash storage is mainstream, but what do storage professionals need to know about Raid when used with SSDs? We look at Raid fundamentals, and supplier implementations Continue Reading
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DR 101: The disaster recovery plan and disaster recovery strategy
We walk through the key steps and essential building blocks required to develop a disaster recovery strategy and how to write a disaster recovery plan Continue Reading
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Hybrid cloud file and object pushes the frontiers of storage
A single environment across on-premise and cloud environments is possible with a new class of product that builds file systems and object stores with hybrid cloud Continue Reading
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Storage 101: How to create, share and manage a LUN in SAN storage
Despite pronouncements from some, the days of the logical unit number (LUN) are not over. We look at the LUN in SAN management: How to create, share, provision and manage a LUN Continue Reading
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Disaggregated systems try to unlock the NVMe conundrum
NVMe can unlock the true potential of flash, but storage controllers put a bottleneck back in the I/O path. We look at how suppliers are trying to solve the problem Continue Reading
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Cloud DR: Key choices in cloud disaster recovery
Flexibility and low cost make the cloud well-suited to disaster recovery, but there is no one-size-fits-all route to cloud disaster recovery. We look at the key choices Continue Reading
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Hyper-converged infrastructure 2018 technology and market survey
We look at the latest in hyper-converged infrastructure – server and storage hardware nodes that can be built into scale-out clusters – and the players in the market Continue Reading
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Net gain? Why networks matter when it comes to hyper-convergence
The rise of hyper-convergence is radically changing how enterprises manage their IT estates, but its effect on the network has yet to be fully realised Continue Reading
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Private cloud storage 101: Key components and hardware options
Private cloud makes consumption of storage easier for the user and simplifies delivery for the IT department. We walk through the key components and the platform choices Continue Reading
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Storage in containers: The answer to persistent storage needs?
With compute requirements often fragmented, short-lived and bursty, traditional storage architectures can struggle to cope – so is storage in containers the solution? Continue Reading
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Storage briefing: The evolution of software-defined storage
The evolution of software-defined storage, from simple software products to those that offer scale-out, hyper-converged, NVMe, public cloud and container functionality Continue Reading
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Cloud-to-cloud backup: What it is and why you need it
Applications that run in the cloud are protected, but only so much. For full protection of data generated by cloud-based apps you need cloud-to-cloud backup Continue Reading
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The death of the mainframe is greatly exaggerated, says CA
With mainframe software tools forming a key part of its overall growth strategy, CA Technologies remains proud of its mainframe heritage Continue Reading
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Key choices in Docker container storage deployment
Containers often need persistent storage, but how do you achieve that? We look at the key options, including Docker volumes versus bind mounts, and Docker Volume Plugins Continue Reading
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OpenStack vs hyper-converged: Open-source cloud in the datacentre
We look at how to deploy OpenStack on hyper-converged infrastructure and how HCI suppliers’ products can support deployment of the open-source cloud in the datacentre Continue Reading
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Hyper-converged choices: DIY HCI software deployments
What are the advantages of do-it-yourself hyper-converged infrastructure deployment and who are the key suppliers of HCI software? We run the rule over the DIY hyper-converged market Continue Reading
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GDPR brings serious implications for data storage
New European Union data protection regulations put tough requirements on organisations that store “personally identifiable data”. We look at what is needed to achieve compliance Continue Reading
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Why immutable buckets are a worthy risk management tool
Immutable buckets offer businesses benefits in terms of data compliance, backup, archiving and security Continue Reading
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Datacentre decisions: Converged vs hyper-converged infrastructure
Converged and hyper-converged infrastructure are ready-tested ways to put compute and storage into the datacentre. But which should you choose for your deployment? Continue Reading
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NVMe flash storage: What are the deployment options?
NVMe offers to unleash performance potential of flash storage that is held back by spinning disk-era SAS and SATA protocols. We run through the key NVMe deployment options Continue Reading
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Cloud data portability: Obstacles to it and how to achieve it
Cloud providers are very keen to get your data into their systems but sometimes it can be difficult or costly to move it elsewhere. We look at solutions to cloud portability Continue Reading
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Understanding analytics and storage performance
Analytics workloads place specific demands on storage. We take a look at the workload profiles of analytics use cases and the storage platforms available to support them Continue Reading
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Backup testing: What to test, when to test, how often to test
We run the rule over what’s involved in backup testing in virtual and physical server environments, how often you should test and the key pitfalls to avoid Continue Reading
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How to tune storage performance for different workloads
We run the rule over what’s needed to get the best storage performance for databases, virtual servers and desktops, web and email servers and analytics use cases Continue Reading
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Time to restore from backup: Do you know where your data is?
Making a backup is only the start of the process. You must be sure you can restore, that backups contain what you need, and that they will work with the applications that need them Continue Reading
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Australian startups find their way in the cloud
Public cloud services have empowered Australian startups to scale up and go global from day one Continue Reading
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Storage performance 101: Server, array and fabric/network basics
We look at the key performance attributes of storage media in use today, and the choices and basic tuning steps you can take to get the most from your storage Continue Reading
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Storage 101: Object storage vs block vs file
We recap the key attributes of file and block storage access and the pros and cons of object storage, a method that offers key benefits but also drawbacks compared with SAN and NAS Continue Reading
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Private cloud: Orchestration, storage and containers
We look at the key requirements and components of private cloud – including the use of container platforms – and the impact of private cloud on storage in the datacentre Continue Reading
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DevOps done right: Creating a collaborative and supportive business culture
Cultivating a supportive and collaborative business culture is considered central to getting DevOps to take hold in an organisation. We take a look at what this entails Continue Reading
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Storage 101: Queue depth, NVMe and the array controller
We look at queue depth and fan-out and fan-in ratios. With NVMe they could become a thing of the past, but for now there’s still a bottleneck at the storage array controller Continue Reading
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Moore’s Law is running out – but don’t panic
Can system performance continue to improve to cope with the burgeoning needs of datacentres Continue Reading
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NVMe: PCIe card vs U.2 and M.2
We talk NVMe form factor choices – add-in card vs U.2. vs M.2 – and their uses, for primary storage or cache, with Server StorageIO founder and analyst Greg Schulz Continue Reading
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Hybrid cloud 101: Using the cloud as a storage tier
We look at what’s possible when it comes to hybrid cloud, what types of data and what hybrid cloud architectures can combine on-premise and cloud storage capacity Continue Reading
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Backup 101: Incremental vs differential vs synthetic full backup
Backup methods pros and cons: Full, incremental, differential, synthetic full, incremental forever, and reverse incremental. We set out the advantages and drawbacks of each Continue Reading
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NVMe over fabrics vs Fibre Channel, Ethernet, Infiniband
NVMe over fabrics takes the built-for-flash advantages of the PCIe-based protocol, and allows NVMe to be sent via Fibre Channel, Ethernet and Infiniband networks Continue Reading
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Disaster recovery testing: technology systems to test DR
In this concluding part of a two-part series, Computer Weekly looks at ways of testing disaster recovery plans, with methods including array-based replication and hypervisor-based approaches Continue Reading
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Storage briefing: NVMe vs SATA and SAS
NVMe brings blistering performance gains over existing HDD-era disk protocols, and is a straight swap-in for PCIe server-side flash with array and hyper-converged products on the way Continue Reading
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Disaster recovery testing: A vital part of the DR plan
Disaster recovery provision is worthless unless you test out your plans. In this two-part series, Computer Weekly looks at disaster recovery testing in virtualised datacentres Continue Reading
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Software-defined storage: The pros and cons, and what is available
Software-defined storage is a rapidly rising trend in the datacentre, but what are the advantages and disadvantages of building your own storage, and is it suitable for all organisations? Continue Reading
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Docker storage: how to get persistent storage in Docker
Docker, by default, doesn’t come with persistent storage, which presents an issue to some workloads customers that want to run in containers – however, there are ways to achieve persistent storage Continue Reading
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Lauri Love: the student accused of hacking the US
How did a brilliant but fragile computer science student from a rural English town end up facing life imprisonment in the US? Computer Weekly speaks to Lauri Love Continue Reading
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Blockchain and the promise of cooperative cloud storage
Blockchain technology allows distributed retention of encrypted data and is at the heart of cooperative cloud storage Continue Reading
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SAP Hana storage 101
If you're starting down the road towards SAP Hana in-memory analytics you'll need to understand its storage requirements. Here are some basics to get you started Continue Reading
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Overcoming the scale-up challenge of enterprise DevOps adoption
CIOs and IT leaders share their advice on what enterprises can do to accelerate the spread of DevOps within their organisations Continue Reading
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It makes sense to go hyperscale/hyper-converged
Hyperscale computing and storage are the norm for web giants. Hyper-converged scenarios make it possible for small and medium-sized enterprises to gain the advantages of combined server/storage nodes Continue Reading
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PCIe SSD: Cache vs storage tier
Adding PCIe flash is a popular way of speeding up application response times, with more rapid I/O guaranteed, but should PCIe SSD be added as cache or as a tier of storage? Continue Reading
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Amazon S3 storage 101: Object storage in the cloud
Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) has emerged as a de facto standard for accessing data in the cloud. We run the rule over S3, its key attributes and what you need to know to use it with your applications Continue Reading
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CW@50: Storage – From punched cards to flash and the cloud
Since the launch of Computer Weekly in 1966, we have moved from a world of punched cards and paper tape to one where flash and the cloud have revolutionised data storage Continue Reading
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Datacentre heat reuse: Why aren’t more operators doing it?
With the datacentre industry’s sustainability habits coming under increasingly close scrutiny, we find out why operators are not rushing to reuse their waste heat Continue Reading
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Microsoft’s underwater datacentre: The pros and cons of running subsea facilities
Underwater datacentres can help providers save on land costs and cooling, but at what cost to the environment? Continue Reading
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Cloud storage appliances: What they are and who provides them
We look at the cloud storage appliance market – everything from local gateway presentation of the cloud, via hybrid cloud, to the new generation of cloud-resident appliances Continue Reading
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Unaligned I/O: A storage performance killer
As the stack piles higher – with virtual servers, their virtual disks and guest operating systems – the scope for unaligned or misaligned I/O to affect performance increases Continue Reading
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NAS vs object: Which one for large volumes of unstructured data?
Both NAS and object storage offer highly scalable file storage for large volumes of unstructured data, but which is right for your environment? Continue Reading
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Interview: James Bamford on surveillance, Snowden and technology companies
Investigative journalist and documentary maker James Bamford was among the first to uncover the secrets of the US National Security Agency and its global surveillance Continue Reading
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Disaster recovery planning: Where virtualisation can help
The disaster recovery planning process is not fundamentally technology-centric, so when can virtualisation make it quicker and easier to restore services after an unplanned outage? Continue Reading
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Top five things to know about flash and storage tiering
Automated storage tiering boosts storage efficiency and saves money, but why is tiering different from caching, why is it suited to use with flash and how do suppliers differ? Continue Reading
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Snapshots: Hypervisor vs Array
Snapshots are a valuable part of the data protection toolkit, but where is it best to run them from – the hypervisor or the storage array? We look at the pros and cons Continue Reading
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Object storage: Cloud vs in-house
Object storage is a rising star in data storage, especially for cloud and web use. But what are the pros and cons of cloud object storage or building in-house? Continue Reading
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EU Data Protection Regulation: What the EC legislation means for cloud providers
With the European Commission's data protection rules set to drop before 2016, take a look at what the changes mean for the cloud and datacentre community Continue Reading
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Virtualisation and disaster recovery: DR features in Hyper-V
We run the rule over the key functionality in Microsoft Hyper-V that can help with disaster recovery, including backup, migration, high availability and replication Continue Reading
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Virtualisation and disaster recovery: DR features in VMware
The key areas of functionality in VMware that can help with disaster recovery – including VMware backup, migration, high availability and replication Continue Reading
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Flash in NAS file access storage: Does it need it – and, if so, how much?
While flash is rapidly going mainstream for primary storage with the all-flash datacentre, does NAS file access storage need flash – and, if so, how much? Continue Reading
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OpenStack Swift 101: the object store for OpenStack apps
We run the rule over the OpenStack Swift object storage architecture, its key components, how it achieves resiliency and the data protection methods in use and development Continue Reading
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All-flash vs hybrid flash for virtual desktop storage
With massive random I/O and a huge bias towards writes, virtual desktop storage – especially for the more feature-rich VDI 2.0 – requires the speed of all-flash and hybrid flash storage Continue Reading
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OpenStack Cinder: Block storage on the open-source cloud platform
OpenStack Cinder 101: The fundamentals of Cinder, how it is implemented, how to provision it, how it works with third-party storage arrays, its features and more Continue Reading
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How to cull old, potentially risky data
Unused data is a potential security risk, with old spreadsheets, reports and email containing industry secrets and laced with company gossip. If it's no longer useful, it's time to delete it Continue Reading
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VMware vs OpenStack: How they handle storage
The opportunities and challenges presented by the two virtualisation environments when it comes to storage, backup and disaster recovery. Continue Reading
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OpenStack Manila: File access storage for the open source cloud
OpenStack Manila is the file level access method in development by the open source cloud platform. What is it, how does it work and when will it be ready? Continue Reading
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Erasure coding vs Raid for disk rebuilds
Erasure coding as a means of data protection has emerged with object storage and offers an alternative to Raid systems Continue Reading
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Docker storage 101: How storage works in Docker
Docker nails some of the shortcomings of virtualisation, but what about Docker container storage? Continue Reading
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Mobile device management (MDM) vs backup
MDM tackles the challenge of mobile devices flooding the enterprise, but it doesn’t mean you can stop worrying about mobile data protection Continue Reading
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Top five things you need to know about VMware Virtual Volumes
VMware’s Virtual Volumes (VVOLs) promise a revolution in storage for virtual machines, but what are the key things you need to know? Continue Reading
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$/GB vs $/IOPS and how to compare enterprise storage pricing
While raw drive prices are pennies per GB, the actual cost of enterprise storage is much higher. Finding a baseline can save you money Continue Reading
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How to combat VM sprawl
VMs are easy to create, but when unmanaged they proliferate around your infrastructure. Here, we explain VM sprawl and how to combat it Continue Reading
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Cloud storage: The top five things that go wrong – and how to avoid them
Cloud storage provides cost savings and ease of management, but there are pitfalls – and here are the top five things that can go wrong Continue Reading
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Thin provisioning – hypervisor vs array
Thin provisioning can be done at the storage array or virtualisation hypervisor. We look at the pros and cons of each – or both Continue Reading
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Top five issues in VM backup
Virtual machine backup is a vital task for IT departments. But pitfalls abound. We look at the top five issues encountered in VM backup Continue Reading
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Flash storage 101: How solid state storage works
Why flash writes are troublesome, why endurance is limited and what suppliers are doing to overcome these issues Continue Reading