Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• Examining the future of the RAID volume

  Expert Jon Toigo provides a set of tips to answer key questions regarding RAID's place in today's storage world, and whether it will be replaced. Continue Reading

• Hypervisor comparison: VMware vs. Microsoft vs. Red Hat

  VMware has had the dominant enterprise-class hypervisor, but there are others worth reviewing. This tip details how Microsoft and Red Hat compete. Continue Reading

• IT asset management best practices for any data center

  Choosing a data center asset management tool depends on how the infrastructure functions, the mix of hardware and software in action and more factors. Continue Reading

• Explore new AWS offerings for developers and enterprises alike

  This Amazon Web Services guide contains expert insights on three AWS offerings -- AppStream, Kinesis and WorkSpaces -- while touching on other issues. Continue Reading

• How does a scale-out NAS environment affect storage management?

  Phil Goodwin explains how scale-out NAS systems simplify storage management through a single point of control and by combating performance problems. Continue Reading

• Are SSDs necessary to perform analytics on big data efficiently?

  Storage expert Phil Goodwin explains how SSDs can speed up analytics, but solid-state technology is only needed in certain types of environments.Continue Reading

• Backup targets: Tape libraries and VTLs

  Tape drives, tape libraries and virtual tape libraries are among the popular backup target options available today.Continue Reading

• Is LRDIMM the best memory option for an enterprise server?

  Load-reduced DIMM allows for more memory and decreased latency than on-server memory typically has. So how does it compare to other DIMM designs?Continue Reading

• A tiered storage model is different from caching

  In this podcast, Evaluator Group strategist Randy Kerns looks in-depth at today's tiered storage model, including how it differs from flash caching.Continue Reading

• Getting started with ITIL service management

  Promised cost savings, alignment with business, and operational efficiency are encouraging more organizations to take up ITIL service management.Continue Reading

• February 2014: Products of the Year

  Storage magazine's February issue reveals the 2013 data storage products of the year, describes 10 common DR mistakes, and explains how to configure storage for big data files.Continue Reading

• More faith in cloud backup services compared to last year

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• Choosing storage for streaming large files in big data sets

  Learn how to select storage that can both scale and perform to effectively stream large files in big data environments.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V networking: The three virtual switches that fuel connectivity

  In this Hyper-V networking primer, learn about the three virtual switches behind Microsoft virtualization connectivity.Continue Reading

• Agile ALM tools have pitfalls to acknowledge

  While venders only discuss the benefits of using Agile ALM tools, test expert Amy Reichert reveals the possible pitfalls.Continue Reading

• Choosing the right data snapshot approach

  Independent backup expert Brien Posey compares the various methods for creating a data snapshot in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• BPM workflow management software answers IT manager's call

  An inside look at how an IT manager researched workflow management software to determine how to best meet his organization's growing needs.Continue Reading

• Comparing performance and cost of DRAM vs. NAND

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland compares the performance and cost of DRAM to NAND flash in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• How NAND flash degrades and what vendors do to increase SSD endurance

  Storage Switzerland senior analyst Eric Slack digs into the technical aspects of SSD cell degradation and how vendors are increasing SSD endurance.Continue Reading

• External storage might make sense for Hadoop

  Using Hadoop to drive big data analytics doesn't necessarily mean building clusters of distributed storage; a good old array might be a better choice.Continue Reading

• Building a better archival storage strategy

  This guide walks through important tips and considerations regarding storage archive design strategies and technologies.Continue Reading

• How Agile ALM tools shape business agility

  Learn how Agile ALM tools can increase agility in businesses.Continue Reading

• Amazon's data flow PaaS: AppStream and Kinesis

  Learn why AppStream and Kinesis are different kinds of data flow services.Continue Reading

• Is Amazon CloudSearch superior to do-it-yourself search tools?

  Big data can be incredibly valuable for enterprise business intelligence. But to extract that value, you must choose the most appropriate search tool.Continue Reading

• How DRAM or NVRAM cache can reduce flash SSD write amplification

  DRAM/NVRAM caching provides SSD systems with better performance while reducing flash SSD write amplification.Continue Reading

• Products of the Year 2013 finalists

  Find out the 52 products in the running for the Storage magazine and SearchStorage.com 2013 Products of the Year awards.Continue Reading

• RISC vs. CISC explained for data center systems

  The role of RISC processors in data center equipment is hotly debated, but new RISC designs are proving that it isn't just a CISC game.Continue Reading

• Amazon Kinesis: When to use Amazon's new big-data processing service

  In this expert answer, Chris Moyer offers advice on using Amazon Kinesis for near-real-time processing of streaming big data.Continue Reading

• Using the RESTful API as an onramp to object storage

  RESTful APIs are essential in moving data on and off of object storage systems. Expert Marc Staimer describes the three options currently available.Continue Reading

• Creating a reliable and fast SAN network design with iSCSI

  There are three tenets of designing an iSCSI network correctly. Proper iSCSI deployment yields affordable and reliable network access for the SAN.Continue Reading

• FAQ: AWS takes on real-time processing with Amazon Kinesis

  Amazon Kinesis was launched at the 2013 AWS conference. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions to help you decide if it's right for you.Continue Reading

• Figuring out when 16 Gbps Fibre Channel storage networking makes sense

  Moving to 16 Gbps FC makes sense for IT shops with new and heavily virtualized servers, solid-state storage and test firm president advises.Continue Reading

• Data archiving technology to keep on the radar

  Archival storage options are expanding, getting more resilient and less costly. Find out which technologies are making an impression.Continue Reading

• Should you migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2?

  It's time to seriously consider migration plans for Windows Server 2012 R2. Learn best practices, what's new and more.Continue Reading

• Deciding why and when to use an integration framework

  An integration framework is an important tool for managing the movement of data between applications and organizations.Continue Reading

• Social media loosens up sober BPM

  Companies are switching from closed-door BPM to a more democratic approach, and their cue comes from the madding crowd of social media.Continue Reading

• Evaluate your data center requirements and data security issues

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• Modern Infrastructure Impact Award winners

  The votes are in, and the winners determined. The first edition of the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards gave prizes to winners in eight categories, which reflect the big topics affecting data center professionals today. Cloud computing, ...Continue Reading

• PaaS adoption upswing predicted for 2014; will it last?

  The Platform as a Service market could heat up next year, but what is PaaS, exactly? And will it eventually be subsumed under other cloud categories?Continue Reading

• December 2013: Hot technologies for 2014

  Storage magazine's December issue predicts data storage trends for 2014, discusses tools to manage storage for virtual servers and presents Quality Awards for tape storage systems.Continue Reading

• Counting down the top cloud computing vendors of 2013

  Though it may be clear to cloud pros and experts which vendor 'won' this year, the more interesting story is who is making the case to take them down.Continue Reading

• Five questions to ask when choosing a data archiving technology

  Many factors need to be considered when determining what the right archiving platform is for you. Jon Toigo highlights the most important in this tip.Continue Reading

• TCP offload's promises and limitations for enterprise networks

  TCP offload products free up limited CPU resources in network-intensive data centers. But TCP offload is no panacea and can introduce more problems.Continue Reading

• AWS re:Invent: Securing the cloud-based virtual desktop

  Following AWS re:Invent, Mark Nunnikhoven, a principal engineer for Trend Micro Inc., talks about cloud security and Amazon WorkSpaces.Continue Reading

• How a shared virtual disk can benefit a Windows Server data center

  With the introduction of Windows Server 2012 R2, shared virtual disks have capabilities to improve failover clusters in a few ways.Continue Reading

• Your next job may be 'network programmer': What you'll need to know

  SDN brings flexibility to networking, but this will require engineers to gain new skills in order to fill the emerging role of network programmer.Continue Reading

• A look inside the DevOps movement

  DevOps is a culture, not a job or procedure for an IT team. That said, there are DevOps tools and organizational strategies to help you get there.Continue Reading

• Pivotal's open source PaaS play arrives in-house

  Pivotal's latest offering includes private PaaS for enterprises. Sounds great in theory, but will it work across multiple platforms?Continue Reading

• Major changes in data center fire suppression standards NFPA 75 and 76

  Fire standard changes can add a lot of work and expense to a data center operator's job, but the updates to NFPA 75 and 76 address real safety risks.Continue Reading

• No faults here: Advanced techniques to attain more reliable servers

  A new generation of reliability features can keep busy servers running in the face of serious fault conditions.Continue Reading

• Running PowerShell scripts can ease Windows virtualization tasks

  Put PowerShell cmdlets to work with Windows virtualization by automating setup, maintenance and configuration tasks in your organization.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 R2 makes VM migration faster, smoother

  The Windows Server 2012 R2 release continues to push the trend of faster and less disruptive VM migrations in the data center.Continue Reading

• Compression eases Live Migration process in Windows Server 2012 R2

  By using Live Migration compression, smaller VM files are transferred more quickly between systems and have fewer resent or dropped packets.Continue Reading

• How Remote DMA improves Live Migration in Windows Server 2012 R2

  The RDMA feature can use high-throughput, low-latency data exchanges to improve Live Migration's performance in Windows Server 2012 R2.Continue Reading

• Five tips for selecting system management tools

  Too much granularity? Not enough? Need alerts? Maybe not. There are five considerations for systems management tools -- and cost isn't one of them.Continue Reading

• Big data storage and analytics

  There are two basic types of big data analytics—synchronous and asynchronous—but both have big data storage appetites and specialized needs.Continue Reading

• Comparing DIMM-connected flash vs. PCIe flash benefits

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses DIMM-connected flash as compared with PCIe flash benefits in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• API design: How to properly build an application program interface

  Don't let your entire API project go awry. Knowing the applications well is just one way to nail the design and foster developer loyalty.Continue Reading

• Complete guide to Hadoop technology and storage

  Learn how Apache Hadoop works, some of its benefits and drawbacks, and what it means for big data and cloud storage.Continue Reading

• Essential Windows Server 2012 R2 system requirements

  Before upgrading to Windows Server 2012 R2, read up on hardware requirements to ensure there are enough resources to preserve performance.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Spaces boosts performance

  Three new features in Windows Storage Spaces -- storage tiering, write-back caching and dual parity -- boost storage performance.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Spaces addresses storage growth demands

  Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Spaces offers an alternative to traditional SAN storage and includes updates for virtualizing shared storage.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Spaces suits SSD deployments

  With the new storage tiering feature, Storage Spaces in Windows Server 2012 R2 works best with solid-state-drive devices.Continue Reading

• Erasure coding tradeoffs include additional storage, disk update needs

  Erasure coding tradeoffs include requirement for additional data storage, need to update extra disks for redundancy purposes, UC professor cautions.Continue Reading

• Private Cloud as a Service delivers OpenStack, ensures governance

  SaaS-based private clouds gives enterprises the benefits of cloud -- faster development times and self-service portals -- without all the management angst.Continue Reading

• How the colocation data center stacks up to cloud, on-premises builds

  Colocation data centers used to be about proximity. Not anymore. C7 CEO Wes Swenson says colo is about the best location and infrastructure options.Continue Reading

• Erasure coding brings trade-off of resilience vs. performance

  IT's decision on using erasure coding in storage rests on data importance, durability more than amount of data, says storage consultant Marc Staimer.Continue Reading

• What to consider when storing data in the cloud

  Storage administrators who want to keep data in the cloud need to consider collaboration regulations, cost factors and performance requirements.Continue Reading

• Frequently asked questions about server automation tools

  Server automation tools save time and reduce errors. But what should tools offer, and are point systems or suites the way to go? Find out in this FAQ.Continue Reading

• Storage Products of the Year 2013: Nomination Form

  DEADLINE EXTENDED: Products qualify for entry if they were new/significantly upgraded and first shipped after Nov. 1, 2012, and before Oct. 26, 2013. Winning products will be highlighted in February.Continue Reading

• Physical building properties to evaluate during server room design

  Does your server room have space to grow? What's the best mechanical system for it? Start with these questions to develop a good server room design.Continue Reading

• Big data storage architecture: Categories, strengths and use cases

  We explore distributed nodes, scale-out NAS, all-SSD arrays and object storage as choices for a storage architecture for big data.Continue Reading

• Eleven cloud computing industry movers and shapers

  As the cloud computing industry matures, a handful of CTOs, CEOs, analysts and other IT pros stand out as the most influential in the market.Continue Reading

• Programming thread-safe mainframe applications with the CICS ENQ command

  Thread safety in mainframe applications means better vertical integration. Take full advantage with the CICS ENQ command.Continue Reading

• Correcting misconfigured ESXi shared storage settings

  IT shops that started small may find they need to update their ESXi shared storage settings to prevent significant issues when a host fails.Continue Reading

• If IT had a hammer: Choosing among IaaS, PaaS and SaaS

  Enterprises tend to use the latest technology to solve all of its IT problems. But if your apps are nails, is IaaS, PaaS or SaaS really the hammer?Continue Reading

• Choosing among IaaS, PaaS and Database as a Service for a cloud database

  Regardless of which cloud database you choose, multiple factors must come into play, ranging from costs and availability to feature support.Continue Reading

• Microsoft hikes Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter edition pricing

  Microsoft made changes to its license pricing, upping the cost of Windows Server 2012 R2 by as much as 28%. It also discussed a new licensing option.Continue Reading

• Use Windows Server 2012 R2's Storage QoS feature to boost performance

  Learn how the new Storage QoS feature in Windows Server 2012 R2 can boost storage performance and make the best use of capacity.Continue Reading

• Mobile development: The pros of HTML5, hybrid, native applications

  Whether to make use of a hybrid, HTML5 or a native application depends on each specific situation.Continue Reading

• SaaS application testing: Keep performance tests in mind

  Performance testing must be a high priority for SaaS application testers. Learn why and pick up tips on how to test a SaaS system's performance.Continue Reading

• PaaS market heats up with Red Hat OpenShift, Savvis AppFog buy

  PaaS made headlines last week, but it's still difficult to gauge the true level of interest in Platform as a Service in the enterprise world.Continue Reading

• Q&A: Anderson talks BYOD management in Windows Server 2012 R2

  Microsoft's Brad Anderson talks about changes to expect in Windows Server 2012 R2 features, including some to security and enterprise mobility.Continue Reading

• Q&A: Microsoft's Brad Anderson talks Windows Server 2012 R2

  Microsoft's Brad Anderson discusses new features in Windows Server 2012, including a faster update cycle and cross-platform integration.Continue Reading

• Private PaaS eases enterprise governance, cloud security concerns

  Enterprise IT is seeing the value of private PaaS on the path to true public PaaS. But don't ditch your existing IaaS architecture.Continue Reading

• IaaS infringes on acceptance of true PaaS cloud architecture

  Despite the many benefits of a true PaaS cloud architecture, IaaS vendors are marking their territory by offering pseudo PaaS.Continue Reading

• Can object storage systems be used with file-based apps?

  Learn how to use applications such as Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server with object storage systems on the back end.Continue Reading

• Feature highlights of EMC's ViPR

  Dave Raffo, senior news director at SearchStorage, highlights some features of EMC's newly announced ViPR software-defined storage platform.Continue Reading

• MRAM technology likely choice as post-flash solid-state storage

  NAND flash-based storage is becoming a common alternative, but NAND flash could soon be replaced by newer forms of non-volatile memory like MRAM technology.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V 3.0’s virtual Fibre Channel feature explained

  Microsoft MVP Brien Posey walks users through the process of establishing virtual Fibre Channel connectivity from a virtual machine to SAN storage.Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of backup tape encryption

  Independent backup expert Brien Posey outlines what's good and what's bad about backup tape encryption in this tip.Continue Reading

• Five ways admins can embrace Windows Server 2012 Remote Management

  As Microsoft encourages Windows admins to deal with servers offsite, here are some easy steps they can use for Windows Server 2012 Remote Management.Continue Reading

• An application security guide for software testers

  This guide explains what's involved in addressing application security form a software tester's perspective by presenting common threats and strategies to deal with them.Continue Reading

• Choosing between colocation services or an on-premises data center

  Here are a few collected tips that might help you choose between data center colocation services and building a new data center on-site.Continue Reading

• XaaS marks the spot with enterprise IT

  To promote public cloud benefits over its shortcomings, vendors are creating Anything as a Service to match specific enterprise needs.Continue Reading

• April 2013: Rethinking storage architectures

  Storage magazine's latest issue describes alternatives to traditional storage systems. Also in this issue: cloud backup and keeping tabs on disk usage.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing services: Lease vs. own

  Many services and applications can be handled by cloud computing providers. But enterprises should look carefully at cost before deciding whether to lease or own.Continue Reading

• How application integration maintenance is like taking care of a car

  Forrester analyst Randy Heffner offers some best practices and his predictions for software integration management.Continue Reading

• Wrestling with the concept of private PaaS

  Enterprise IT pros anxious about maintaining security and control in public cloud are looking to private PaaS, but it may not alleviate all worries.Continue Reading

• Centralized vs. decentralized SDN architecture: Which works for you?

  Two SDN architecture models -- centralized and decentralized -- have much in common, but key differences center on the use of the OpenFlow protocol.Continue Reading