Storage management and strategy
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News
27 Aug 2024
AI innovation key to UK business, but obstacles threaten progress
AI is seen by IT leaders as essential, but it requires innovation, skills and infrastructure – all of which are under pressure from day-to-day firefighting, energy costs and cyber threats Continue Reading
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Podcast
21 Aug 2024
Podcast: Ransomware and what data storage can do about it
We talk to NetApp’s Chris McKean about ransomware attacks and the role of data storage in protecting against them Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Jan 2016
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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Feature
20 Jan 2016
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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Feature
12 Jan 2016
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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E-Zine
11 Jan 2016
How open source is beating proprietary software
In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide assesses the impact of open source software on corporate IT and how its growth is underpinning the digital revolution. We examine the prospects for cloud in financial services as regulators give their approval. And we ask if Uber is really part of a new business model for the so-called sharing economy. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
24 Dec 2015
Top 10 storage stories of 2015
The year 2015 in storage was dominated by the continued rise of flash and Dell’s purchase of EMC, but there were steady upticks in trends such as hyper-converged and software-defined storage Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Dec 2015
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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Feature
26 Nov 2015
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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Feature
26 Nov 2015
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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Feature
02 Nov 2015
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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News
13 Oct 2015
VMware reacts to the cloud and containerisation
At VMworld Europe, VMware restates products and roadmap visions that see it react to the perceived inevitability of the cloud, while also getting a grip on containers Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Oct 2015
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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News
30 Sep 2015
Legal documents reveal HP's failings over Autonomy
The board of Hewlett-Packard (HP) knew about Autonomy’s failings – yet voted the $11.1bn acquisition through regardless, internal memos have revealed Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Sep 2015
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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News
10 Sep 2015
Cloudian boosts object storage HyperStore compliance features
Distributed object storage software maker Cloudian upgrades HyperStore with added granularity of data protection features that can help meet compliance requirements Continue Reading
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News
26 Jun 2015
Computer Weekly European User Awards 2015 winners revealed
The winners have been announced for the Computer Weekly European User Awards 2015. See who made the top spots Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2015
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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Feature
05 Jun 2015
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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Feature
05 Jun 2015
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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Guide
27 May 2015
Guide to LUN configuration and virtualisation
LUN storage configuration has long been a cornerstone of storage management. The LUN – a chunk of storage created from RAID partitions on a SAN – presents a logical volume of capacity to an individual server. That’s still relevant today in the era of virtualisation. Many users retain physical servers that need a one-to-one connection between host and LUN. But, the role of the LUN is also changing with the rise of server and desktop virtualisation. It now forms a container for the logical objects used by VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V etc. In this guide you will find all you need to know about LUNs, LUN configuration and management, including their use in virtualised environments. Continue Reading
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Guide
15 May 2015
LTFS tape NAS: What it is and how to build it
In storage, cost is everything. So, imagine a storage medium with the frugal cost profile of tape and access times of NAS. Well, it already exists. Since 2010 the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) has allowed access to tapes as if they are spinning disk. Part of the LTO-5 tape format, LTFS partitions the tape, with one containing indexing information for all the data on the cartridge and the other contains the actual data. Marry this capability to a hardware NAS protocol front end with a disk cache and you have the potential for rapid access to massive amounts of data held on tape. Tiered storage is now mainstream. We have super-rapid flash for virtual machines and their data; Fibre Channel and 15k SAS for other fast access use cases. After that there is high-capacity SATA for bulk data, but here is where LTFS could start treading on the toes of disk vendors. That’s because, in some cases, where the use profile of data requires long retention and infrequent but relatively quick access, LTFS tape now rivals large capacity SATA as a nearline store. Maybe that’s why LTFS has failed to set the world on fire; there are just too many disk vendors who see it as a threat. Nevertheless, LTFS is worth looking at. And in this ComputerWeekly.com Guide you’ll find articles on why LTFS should be taken seriously and explanations of how tape NAS works and who sells products. Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2015
EMC predicts return to double-digit sales growth
Storage giant's EMEA chief claims downbeat first quarter results are as bad as things will get for EMC, and that normal service will soon resume Continue Reading
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News
05 May 2015
VCE takes wraps off "hyper-converged" VxRacks to fast-track users to the cloud
EMC-owned converged infrastructure specialist expands portfolio of cloud-enabling platforms Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2015
Load DynamiX adds OpenStack protocols to storage testing product
Storage testing and validation provider adds OpenStack Swift and Cinder support to existing protocols in its Enterprise version 2.6 hardware Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Apr 2015
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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Feature
01 Apr 2015
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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Photo Story
17 Mar 2015
VM backup down as a priority while disaster recovery still tops to-do lists
Our survey finds VM backup increasingly “job done”, while disaster recovery, cloud storage, flash storage and mobility remain high priorities; but where is mobile backup? Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Mar 2015
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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Feature
27 Feb 2015
$/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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News
06 Feb 2015
Symantec continues cloud investment in spite of poor Q3 results
Symantec has reported third quarter 2015 revenue of $1.64bn, a drop of 4% compared with $1.70bn over the same period in 2014 Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Feb 2015
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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Feature
04 Feb 2015
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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News
28 Jan 2015
Wellcome Trust builds 1,728-core grid for DNA analysis
The Wellcome Trust Centre has deployed a high-performance computing cluster based on Fujitsu servers Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2015
Amatis Networks waves goodbye to LUN woes and deploys Tintri hybrid flash
Managed service provider Amatis Networks deploys Tintri hybrid flash to slash latency and cut time-consuming LUN storage management overheads Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Jan 2015
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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Feature
09 Jan 2015
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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Feature
10 Nov 2014
Key challenges in storage and virtualisation, and how to beat them
Server virtualisation brings benefits but increases storage-capacity needs. Here we survey the key challenges and what to do about them Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2014
Interview: The IT powering animated movie-making
Video special effects require similar processing to oil and gas, but lack the budget, says head of technology at Illumination Mac Guff, Bruno Mahe Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2014
EMC buys out Cisco’s stakes in VCE as year-on-year revenue jumps 9%
Storage giant EMC has reported a 9% increase year on year for the third quarter of 2014, thanks to revenue rises across its divisions Continue Reading
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E-Zine
13 Oct 2014
Why has HP split?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, HP has announced plans to split the company in two – we look at the reasons and assess the future prospects for the IT giant. We examine the best practice in security policy to support a bring your own device (BYOD) scheme for staff mobile technology. And we find out how one company moved its entire datacentre from Berlin to London. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
15 Sep 2014
The IT challenges facing an independent Scotland
In this week’s Computer Weekly, as Scotland goes to the polls to vote on independence, we assess the IT challenges the country would face. We look at the products available in the fast-growing market for object storage. And we ask if it will be worth migrating to future version of Windows given the rise in mobile usage. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jul 2014
Microsoft adds StorSimple hybrid storage arrays to Azure cloud service
Azure users get more storage, archiving and disaster recovery from 1 August 2014 with Microsoft's StorSimple 8000 series hybrid storage arrays Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2014
Airbus deploys modular datacentre strategy to boost HPC capacity
The aircraft manufacturer has deployed HP's performance optimised datacentres (PODs) to increase its high performance compute capabilities for its engineers Continue Reading
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E-Zine
27 Jun 2014
CW Europe - July 2014 Edition
In this issue of CW Europe we investigate how changing your storage can make the world of difference to your company’s carbon emissions. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
23 Jun 2014
Betting on World Cup success
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to gambling site Betfair about the IT challenges of preparing for the football World Cup. We examine the strategy of cloud software pioneer Salesforce.com as it grows its role in the IT department. And we explain erasure coding – an emerging method for protecting storage hardware. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Podcast
18 Jun 2014
Voice recording compliance: What it is and how to achieve it
Voice recording compliance is subject to the regulation by the FSA, PCI, and Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jun 2014
Backup vs replication, snapshots, CDP in data protection strategy
Best practice data protection strategy combines backup with snapshots, CDP and replication for different levels of recovery Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2014
Facebook shares lessons learnt from deploying Raid in HDFS clusters
Facebook deployed Raid in large HDFS clusters to increase capacity and reduce data replication, but it faced many challenges Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Apr 2014
Erasure coding vs Raid as a data protection method
Erasure coding is mooted as a potential successor to Raid and backup software Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2014
HDS upgrades its mainframe-friendly VSP G1000 enterprise storage array
Hitachi Data Systems launches the Virtual Storage Platform G1000 enterprise storage array, which boosts capacity, performance and lifespan for the storage virtualisation platform. Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2014
Data set to grow 10-fold by 2020 as internet of things takes off
IDC’s Digital Universe study predicts the world's data will amount to 44 zettabytes by 2020, 10% of it from the internet of things Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2014
Cloud archive pros and cons and the questions to ask providers
A cloud archive offers a flexible and cost effective alternative to in-house archiving where maintenance is outsourced, but what are the key questions to ask a potential supplier Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Mar 2014
Cloud storage options in Scandinavia
It has never been faster or cheaper to store data in the cloud and Scandinavian businesses have taken up cloud storage with gusto Continue Reading
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News
31 Dec 2013
CW500 Club in 2013
Computer Weekly's CW500 Club attracts the top IT leaders in the UK to talk to their peers about the topical challenges they face Continue Reading
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News
28 Dec 2013
Top 10 storage stories of 2013
Users tackle virtualisation and growth of data and suppliers battle over flash storage and software-defined storage, while big data and hyperscale emerge into the mainstream Continue Reading
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Podcast
11 Dec 2013
What’s new in ISO 27001: 2103 for storage and backup?
This year, ISO 27001: 2013 was published, putting more emphasis on mapping risk to an ever-expanding and mobile IT infrastructure. But what is new in ISO 27001: 2013? Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2013
Business-defined storage will help reconnect businesses with IT, says Forrester
Business-defined storage and datacentres will make IT more business-centric, according to Forrester Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Oct 2013
Big data storage: Hadoop storage basics
Hadoop changes the game for enterprise storage. We look at how Hadoop crunches big data, its key storage requirements and survey the vendors Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Sep 2013
Nirvanix failure – a blow to the cloud storage model?
Cloud storage firm Nirvanix has given customers a deadline to retrieve their data. Are the reasons for its failure specific to Nirvanix or a real blow to cloud storage overall? Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Aug 2013
Cloud file-sharing for enterprise users
Cloud file-sharing services have become near-ubiquitous among enterprise users. We survey the risks, benefits and alternatives to Dropbox Continue Reading
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Opinion
13 Aug 2013
The data fragmentation challenge
Few organisations have policies to guide where data should and should not be stored. The result: data fragmentation Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jun 2013
What’s wrong with flash storage: And what will come after?
Flash storage has taken the enterprise by storm, but its days are numbered due to an unfavourable combination of technological obstacles and manufacturing economics Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2013
Inadequate datacentre infrastructure is a barrier to big data analytics
Inadequate datacentre infrastructure and siloed work practices are preventing UK enterprises from benefiting from big data analytics, shows study Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2013
Users’ top datacentre pain points
Storage, network bandwidth, cost and scalability are among the biggest datacentre concerns, say users at Dell Enterprise Forum US Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2013
UCL turns to private cloud to solve its data storage woes
University College London is building a storage infrastructure in the cloud that will scale up to 100PB Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2013
Big data security: getting a grip on multiple data sources
Big data analyses multiple data points, but how do you ensure that ecosystem is secure? In this podcast, Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, outlines the key steps in achieving big data security Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2013
Storage Through the Looking Glass
This analyst report aims to help you take a much needed step away from the technical detail of storage to create some strategic perspective. Continue Reading
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Podcast
08 Apr 2013
Big data storage: Defining big data and the type of storage it needs
Big data storage: What is big data, what compute/storage system configurations are used for big data analytics, and what type of storage infrastructure does it require? Continue Reading
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News
25 Mar 2013
Best practice in enterprise storage
Sean Sadler, head of infrastructure solutions at Kings College London, gives best practice advice on enterprise storage for big data. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Mar 2013
How to tackle big data from a security point of view
Before leaping into big data, companies must be clear what they are trying to achieve, otherwise their investment will be wasted Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2013
Businesses wasting billions storing unnecessary data
CIOs are urged to rethink their backup strategies following warnings that companies are wasting billions on unnecessary storage Continue Reading
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News
28 Dec 2012
Top 10 storage stories of 2012
Top storage stories from 2012 reflect the rapid pace of virtualisation, big data, the proliferation of mobile devices and new twists on storage technologies such as tape and RAID Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2012
Data to grow more quickly says IDC’s Digital Universe study
IDC’s annual Digital Universe study finds data set to expand to 40 Zettabytes by 2020. Emerging markets and machine-generated data will account for increasing proportions of it. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
16 Nov 2012
Digitising the BFI National Archive
The BFI has the largest film archive in the world, with 200,000 films and nearly 900,000 TV shows in its collection. Of that, 75% is British. The institute is undergoing a major digitisation programme in under to preserve its wealth of social history and bring the archive’s treasures to millions. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Nov 2012
Software-defined datacentres demystified
As datacentre managers increasingly rely on software and automation, what can a software-defined datacentre bring to the enterprise? Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2012
Cheshire Constabulary polices network with SolarWinds
Police force in Cheshire uses SolarWinds’ infrastructure monitoring tools to keep its IT out of trouble Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2012
Big Data Analytics
IDC explores the initial impact that Big Data is having on organisations, its impact on IT architectures, delivery models and future roadmaps. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
24 Sep 2012
The future of computing at IBM Zurich research labs
Chips powered by the sun and cooled by water are just some of the long-term research projects at IBM's Zurich labs Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Sep 2012
Tune Raid performance to get the most from your HDDs
Tune Raid performance at the storage controller to match application I/O demands to optimal hard drive (HDD) performance Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Aug 2012
Guide to Windows Azure: Part 3 - How to configure local storage resources
Our Windows Azure tutorial series continues with an explanation of usage of local storage in Azure cloud services. Learn how to best configure local storage. Continue Reading
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Podcast
27 Jul 2012
Storage Radio: Symantec CEO switch, Proximal Data releases AutoCache
In our latest Storage Radio podcast, join SearchStorage.com’s executive editor Ellen O’Brien and senior news editor Dave Raffo as they discuss the future of Symantec. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Apr 2012
HPC storage requirements: Massive IOPS and parallel file systems
We survey the key vendors in HPC storage, where huge amounts of IOPS, clustering, parallel file systems and custom silicon provide storage for massive number crunching operations. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2012
Virtual machine storage optimisation methods explained
Virtual machine storage for virtual desktops and servers has to deal with heavy and random I/O patterns. We survey the key methods of optimising storage for virtual machines. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Oct 2011
Big data storage management challenges and how to deal with them
Big data storage management is becoming an important concern. This tip will help you deal with your big data storage management challenges. Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2011
Richard Gere loves EMC, so it probably isn’t worried about NetApp haters
Our monthly wade through the slime of the storage blogosphere has found an EMC Symmetrix making Richard Gere look animated, and some rather odd Spam in NetApp’s back yard Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2011
Bad Sectors – Dell, HP refresh storage ranges
Dell has announced new EqualLogic products, HP has announced a ‘storage federation’ and the VCE alliance has received a boost from a global partner. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2011
NetApp trials University alliance to tackle skills shortage
NetApp will try to introduce certifications in its products to the curricula of nine Australian universities, to address a shortage of people skilled in operating its products. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jul 2011
EMC’s caveman creed, HP says FAST is its idea, Pillar crumbles
The storage blogosphere has thrown up a fascinating EMC video explaining how cave painting is like social media. Seriously. Also HP says EMC’s FAST is its idea. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2011
Dell and EMC "Still get together when the kids are around"
EMC and Dell have reached an "amicable separation rather than a nasty divorce" and still get together when it's important, says EMC's marketing CTO Chuck Hollis. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Jun 2011
Five types of tape for backup or archive
There are plenty of tape formats to choose from when you are looking for a backup or archival medium. Here are five of the most common formats to consider. Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2011
How Google runs its storage and more from the storage blogs
Google has posted a paper that outlines its storage architecture, and that’s the choicest morsel in a month when the usual blogosphere protagonists have gone easy on each other. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Apr 2011
SMB storage: What can you outsource to cloud storage and backup services?
SMB storage: Cloud storage and backup offer many cost-saving advantages to SMBs, but drawbacks too, so what exactly can you outsource to the cloud right now? Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2011
HDS, NetApp and EMC all agree on big data
HDS, EMC and NetApp have all picked up on the same ‘Big Data” theme in recent blogs, but is NetApp struggling to ship enough FAS 3200 units to meet demand? Continue Reading
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Feature
07 May 2010
Data migration projects: Avoid data migration errors with automation, orphaned storage remediation
Learn the top three things users should do when planning a data migration project, what data migration tools you should have, describe some of the most common data migration errors, and describe some storage environment challenges when migrating data. Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2010
Geoscience Australia selects IBM 3592 cartridges as its tape migration extends beyond ten years
Geoscience Australia selects IBM 3592 cartridges as its tape migration extends beyond ten years Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Nov 2009
Performance metrics: Evaluating your data storage efficiency
Learn how performance metrics can evaluate the efficiency of your enterprise data storage resources in terms of capacity utilization, performance and data protection. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jul 2009
Managing enterprise data storage more efficiently: Part 1
Storage managers must learn to improve storage efficiency though smarter spending, while taking steps to reduce operating expenditures during budget crunches. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jun 2009
Green storage best practices control costs, increase energy efficiency
Green storage best practices control power and cooling costs, and increase energy efficiency in your data center. Tiered storage, consolidating storage arrays, solid-state drives (SSDs) and MAID can help. Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2009
Sectors - NetApp says EMC Centera loses data, gets slapped by blogosphere
NetApp has tried to smear EMC, starting a blogosphere brawl which embroiled Symantec but may have left egg on its face. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2008
Clariion array update blurs line between EMC platforms
A bigger, faster Clariion with advanced features, which first appeared in the Symmetrix line, has industry observers wondering about the increasing overlap between EMC systems. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2008
SNW Roundup: Sun adds data deduplication to VTL
Sun comes out with VTL Prime, a virtual tape library with FalconStor's data deduplication; Attune gets into file archiving; and SGI, Fujitsu and Dot Hill launch storage systems. Continue Reading