Drew Robb

Earlier articles in this series have focused on the definition of Software-Defined Storage (SDS) as well as tips on how to implement it. Now we review some of the vendors involved, beginning with what the leading storage vendors are up to in this space. We’re also covering some of the challengers and startups who aim […]

It’s a little known fact that flash-based storage can be too much for most systems. Designed back in the days when slow hard disk drives (HDDs) carried out the reading and writing of data, today’s channels for information transport often can’t cut it when loaded up with flash. The result is bottlenecking applications: the combined […]

It’s a little known fact that flash-based storage can be too much for most systems. Designed back in the days when slow hard disk drives (HDDs) carried out the reading and writing of data, today’s channels for information transport often can’t cut it when loaded up with flash. The result is bottlenecking applications: the combined […]

OpenStack is a booming area of the storage ecosystem. From a handful of attendees a couple of years ago, more than 6,000 showed up at the recent OpenStack Summit in Vancouver. That said, OpenStack is something of a specialized area. A tiny fringe of the storage universe is enraptured by it while the rest wonders […]

Software Defined Storage (SDS) is a somewhat clunky term that some of us hoped might disappear by now. But it has hung in there and gathered momentum in recent months. That said, buyer beware! One IT pro’s SDS is another IT pro’s marketing hype. Here are ten important tips, gotchas and points to consider for […]

In an earlier Flash Buying Guide, we covered the top vendors in flash data storage, according to the last Gartner Magic Quadrant (MQ) for All Flash Arrays (AFAs). In part two, we take up some of the other flash array candidates, including several that Gartner categorized as Visionaries in its MQ. Kaminario Version 5 of […]

Flash, flash, flash. If some vendors were to be believed, the obvious thing to do with any and all storage would be to throw out the tape, dump the direct attached storage (DAS), jettison the disk arrays and convert them all to flash. Such a strategy may work for certain environments. But it could be […]

How things change. For years, even decades, people have been getting rid of tape. They bought into the idea that disk was the way to go and that tape was “old hat.” But the realities of a Big Data world and the advances in tape technology, density, reliability and usability have brought the realization to […]

In an earlier disk array buying guide, we covered those companies named as the leaders by Gartner in its Magic Quadrant (MQ) for General Purpose Disk Arrays (EMC, HP, NetApp, HDS, IBM and Dell).  This time, we cover those named by Gartner as the Challengers and Visionaries. As it’s quite a list, we can’t give […]

We have recently been posting buying guides concerned with the latest disk arrays. Let’s follow those up with a story on disk array implementation. In some cases, old arrays are just fine and will last you long into the future. But in others, they can become a liability. So which should you retain and which […]

The disk array remains the core element of any storage infrastructure. So it’s appropriate that we delve into it in a lot more detail. Gartner recently released a Magic Quadrant (MQ) for General Purpose Disk Arrays, which Gartner analyst Stanley Zaffos defines as being those that “address shared storage requirements within a single system that […]

It’s a foolish data storage professional who considers that tape isn’t worth paying attention to. The fact of the matter is that tape continues to be the medium of choice for the bulk of stored data and its usage is growing. “Data storage and archiving requirements aren’t slowing down, so solutions that allow for smarter […]