Evaluate

Evaluate

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

• Best data storage products 2018: Products of the Year

  For the 17th straight year, 'Storage' magazine and SearchStorage award gold, silver and bronze to the best storage hardware and software products and services of the year. Continue Reading

• Cloudian HyperStore 7

  New multi-cloud capabilities vault object storage specialist Cloudian to first place with its HyperStore product. Judges were particularly impressed with its functionality. Continue Reading

• Broadcom Brocade SAN automation

  Broadcom automates SAN management using a command-line interface and open source tools connecting to Brocade fabric and switches in a storage area network. Continue Reading

• HPE Nimble Storage arrays

  Our Products of the Year judges give HPE's all-flash arrays high marks for built-in analytics, automation, ease of use and price-to-performance balance for midmarket enterprises. Continue Reading

• Virtual Instruments VirtualWisdom 5.6

  With the latest version of VirtualWisdom, Virtual Instruments adds greater automation to both the discovery and resolution of storage system and network management issues. Continue Reading

• Pure Storage AIRI

  AIRI is a preconfigured hardware stack for data-intensive analytics. It combines Pure Storage's all-flash FlashBlade and Nvidia Tesla-based DGX supercomputers.Continue Reading

• Portworx PX-Enterprise

  PX-Enterprise, which helps users deploy persistent storage with containerized applications, stood out among other competitors for its innovation and value.Continue Reading

• Quobyte Data Center File System 2.0

  Startup Quobyte's 'up-and-comer' distributed parallel file system caught judges' attention as being easier to deploy, operate and manage in high-performance environments.Continue Reading

• Data storage startups to watch in 2019

  Failure is a more likely outcome than success for a storage startup. Still, intrepid newcomers offer innovative technologies in cloud, backup, convergence and flash.Continue Reading

• 7 misconceptions about the NVMe protocol and NVMe technology

  See what you need to know to avoid some of the common misperceptions about NVMe technology and making possibly expensive mistakes with your organization's NVMe architecture.Continue Reading

• Advantages of object storage and how it differs from alternatives

  File and block storage might provide better performance, but granular metadata and near-infinite scalability make object storage equally beneficial.Continue Reading

• Get multi-cloud storage off on the right foot

  See the questions to ask and the various players to query as you get started with your multi-cloud strategy. Success is all about gathering the right information upfront.Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud vs. multi-cloud storage: Choose wisely

  Stuck deciding between hybrid and multi-cloud? When it comes to cloud storage, it's important to choose the right approach for the task at hand, which will vary by business.Continue Reading

• 6 steps to how blockchain storage works

  See how blockchain technology has the potential to provide a secure and reliable enterprise data storage environment with our step-by-step guide to blockchain data storage.Continue Reading

• The top 5 data storage questions we answered in 2018

  As storage continues to evolve, many readers still are curious about the basics. In 2018, common data storage concerns included RAID, capacity and different storage architectures.Continue Reading

• New NVMe interface specification focuses on management

  An NVMe management interface builds on the existing standard, allowing users to monitor NVMe devices. NVMe-MI may represent a significant step forward for the technology.Continue Reading

• See how file system structure can drag down NVMe performance

  Find out what matters when it comes to file system design and how to prevent file systems from becoming bottlenecks to achieving optimal performance in NVMe-based storage systems.Continue Reading

• Data storage industry trends revealed in top 2018 news stories

  AI, NVMe over fabrics and the cloud were must-read data storage stories in 2018, as were Tintri's struggles and Dell EMC's product moves. See the news that mattered as the year closes.Continue Reading

• Test your grasp of 3D NAND flash technology

  Adoption of 3D NAND flash is on the rise and fueling growth in the NAND market. Take our quiz to find out what matters about this key technology.Continue Reading

• NVMe performance leap depends on all-flash array architecture used

  All-flash NVMe-based storage arrays could bring a big improvement in performance depending on the array architecture you use. We look at what you can expect.Continue Reading

• When traditional data center technology trumps hyper-converged

  Committing to a conventional data center rather than a hyper-converged approach is sometimes the smarter move. We take a look at some reasons to steer clear of HCI.Continue Reading

• 4 NVMe storage array options to consider

  Here's what you need to know to pick the NVMe array that provides your organization with the performance improvement it needs and also fits its budget.Continue Reading

• Automated data management is a crucial part of IT's future

  Automating data management will play an important role in helping us cope with the coming zettabyte apocalypse, a time when the amount of data generated will overwhelm storage resources.Continue Reading

• Predictive storage analytics can watch your storage for you

  Don't ask if your next storage array or software will have predictive analytics. Ask what those analytics can do for your specific systems and applications.Continue Reading

• Why more enterprises choose to park information on cloud platforms

  Continue Reading

• How blockchain data storage may revolutionize the enterprise

  Blockchain for data storage promises to bring added trust, reliability and security to storage, but is it ready to become a mainstream technology? Experts offer their views.Continue Reading

• NVMe fabric options include Fibre Channel, RDMA

  Planning NVMe over fabrics? Then get to know all about the Fibre Channel and RDMA fabric options to decide which of the two approaches fits your network best.Continue Reading

• StorOne storage is set to disrupt the software-defined market

  StorOne's TRU Storage technology raises the bar for software-defined storage by gathering together universal pools of storage across disparate hardware that any workload can use.Continue Reading

• New memory technologies challenge NAND flash dominance

  Cost and scaling limits mean planar NAND flash as we know it will slowly cede its pre-eminent place in the memory hierarchy to emerging technologies such as 3D XPoint.Continue Reading

• IT migration success hinges on minimizing downtime

  Data, software and hardware migration projects should, but don't always, fully exploit the features and settings of the new environment and minimize application downtime.Continue Reading

• Break the performance bottleneck with these storage, network tips

  Continue Reading

• 4 different file systems and how they're evolving

  As computing and data centers change, so must the next-generation file system evolve. Here's what you should know about the file systems in use today and where they're headed.Continue Reading

• Storage admin roles and responsibilities follow convergence and cloud

  With their jobs under constant assault, what must storage administrators do to stay relevant as data center technologies and the data storage world converge and change?Continue Reading

• Cloud-based predictive analytics seeing wider adoption

  A predictive analytics tool can give your storage strategy a boost by addressing storage issues before they even occur. What should you look for in a predictive analytics product?Continue Reading

• 5 tips for making flash-based SSDs work with unstructured data

  Using flash storage effectively for unstructured data requires upfront analysis of cost, capacity and performance, as well as continued tracking of a rapidly changing flash market.Continue Reading

• With NVMe-oF, who needs rack-scale PCIe?

  NVMe over networks is winning out as the best way to offer shared, flash-based storage systems, with Dell EMC, NetApp, Pure Storage, Western Digital and startups in the game.Continue Reading

• VSphere vs. KVM: Assessing hypervisors in hyper-convergence

  Hyper-converged infrastructure has become a complex and competitive segment of the data center architecture market in recent years and so too has the architecture's support for hypervisors. Examples of hyper-converged hypervisors vary, and, over ...Continue Reading

• NVMe over FC is happening, and it's time to prepare

  The extent to which the recently published FC-NVMe standard lowers performance latencies in Fibre Channel SANs will be interesting to watch in the coming months.Continue Reading

• Data governance best practices exploit big data

  Emerging technologies, such as AI and IoT, in the age of big data mean there's more data than ever to benefit from and for data governance policies to manage and secure.Continue Reading

• Why upgrading to a Gen 6 Fibre Channel network is a good idea

  Upgrading to a next-gen Fibre Channel network provides the added performance needed to meet the demands of evolving technologies and workloads, along with other benefits.Continue Reading

• 6 features your multi-cloud management tools should have

  When evaluating cloud management platforms, IT decision-makers should make sure they have these key functions and that they meet their organization's specific requirements.Continue Reading

• Why Intel Optane SSDs have 'failed'

  Why haven't SSDs built on 3D XPoint taken off yet? Don't blame the technology; blame the marketing behind Intel Optane. New Optane NVDIMMs could fare better.Continue Reading

• Move to NVMe technology will depend on need and speed

  As a replacement for the SCSI storage protocol, NVMe can provide more responsive storage and lower latency. But transitioning to NVMe in the data center requires thorough planning.Continue Reading

• How NVMe technology and NVMe over Fabrics will change storage

  NVMe-oF is taking NVMe's benefits to the next level, letting devices based on the technology be used over distances and scaling to a larger number of devices.Continue Reading

• NVMe-oF and its many benefits take NVMe to the next level

  NVMe over Fabrics is revolutionizing the storage market by making full use of data center capacity and becoming an effective replacement for SAN environments.Continue Reading

• NVMe flash storage is shaking things up

  The development of the nonvolatile memory express protocol is a huge step forward in allowing enterprises to maximize the benefits inherent to flash storage. NVMe puts storage closer to the CPU, reduces latency and increases the amount of parallel ...Continue Reading

• Catch the next wave of digital IT transformation: Learning tech

  IT learning technologies, such as machine learning and AI workloads, are gaining traction and could be the next wave of IT investment that drives competitive advantages.Continue Reading

• Understanding data storage and its import eludes younger IT folks

  Jon Toigo has a lot to say about the consistent disparagement and disregard many young people in the IT industry show toward data storage technology and management.Continue Reading

• The challenges of flash enterprise storage and how to beat them

  Blazing fast all-flash data centers raise important issues. It's expensive to equip DR sites and then there's all that stale data. Find out how to counteract these issues.Continue Reading

• NVMe market and technology rapidly evolve

  The tipping point of NVMe acceptance is fast approaching as more enterprises consider adopting the technology to maximize SSD flash investment and performance.Continue Reading

• How NVMe technology will rock the enterprise storage boat

  NVMe flash speeds up storage and radically alters server connectivity. How will enterprises adopt NVMe storage and how well will it work with existing technologies?Continue Reading

• Storage conferences aren't what they used to be

  If you're an IT pro looking for a good storage user conference these days, you'll probably have to go through one or more of your storage vendors to find one.Continue Reading

• Storage networking technologies explained

  Make sure you know the differences among network fabrics, such as Ethernet, Fibre Channel and InfiniBand, before making decisions about your storage network infrastructure.Continue Reading

• 5D data storage and the future of optical technology

  Researchers say revolutionary 5D optical storage could protect hundreds of terabytes of data for billions of years, far beyond the capabilities of current storage media.Continue Reading

• 3D NAND technology: What it is and where it's headed

  Following a recent NAND flash shortage, 3D NAND is seeing renewed interest from consumers and vendors. Discover what makes the technology a compelling flash memory option.Continue Reading

• Why object storage is becoming an alternative to RAID

  RAID is a well-established storage technology, known for being reliable and secure. But as data volumes grow, more flexible, effective RAID alternatives are gaining a following.Continue Reading

• Adoption of 32 Gbps Fibre Channel being driven by flash

  Flash, along with more and bigger workloads and more demanding applications, is driving businesses to switch from 8 Gbps and 16 Gbps FC to 32 Gbps FC storage environments.Continue Reading

• Clarifying what cloud and virtualized data storage really mean

  Cloud storage doesn't always mean the public cloud. Virtualization and virtualized data storage aren't always about virtual servers and desktops. Find out what's really going on.Continue Reading

• A deep dive into guest clustering for shared virtual storage

  When using shared VHDX files to host a guest cluster shared volume, there are some considerations to take into account, such as physical connectivity and potential limitations.Continue Reading

• Molecular memory could boost HDD density

  Researchers working with molecular storage have discovered a way to create smaller hard drives with more density. But don't expect to see the technology on the market anytime soon.Continue Reading

• Container applications need backup: Who knew?

  The concept of containers, ephemeral applications running across private and public clouds, has grown in popularity over the last few years. It has quickly become clear that the transient nature of containers and container applications isn't ...Continue Reading

• Use object storage technology to fight ransomware infection

  Done right, object storage reduces the likelihood of a successful ransomware attack and, in some instances, lets you get data back without paying a ransom.Continue Reading

• Office 365 data protection, the enterprise and you

  Gain a better understanding of Microsoft Office 365 security and storage management features and how the popular cloud-based productivity and collaboration suite really works.Continue Reading

• MAMR hard drives could shake up the storage industry

  Microwave-assisted magnetic recording technology may be the next breakthrough HDD technology, promising lower cost and higher reliability than heat-assisted magnetic recording drives.Continue Reading

• Edge computing technology can ease bandwidth pressure points

  Stockpiling data at endpoints makes sense in a growing number of applications. With storage at the edge, concerns about storage bandwidth and data costs can be mitigated.Continue Reading

• The storage administrator skills you need to keep up today

  To meet changing enterprise IT needs, storage admins must acquire a new set of skills. If not, they risk being bogged down in an outmoded, outdated career rut.Continue Reading

• Block, file and object storage interfaces enable integration

  Explore the capabilities, as well as the strengths and weaknesses, of some storage vendors' products that support and integrate block, file and object interfaces.Continue Reading

• Managing storage for IoT data at the enterprise edge

  Edge computing, the cloud and internet of things data are changing the way businesses store, analyze and manage all the information generated at the perimeter of the enterprise.Continue Reading

• Does SSD overprovisioning have storage benefits?

  While overprovisioned SSDs have less usable capacity available, that space is put to good use. The majority of SSD manufacturers overprovision their drives, and for good reason.Continue Reading

• The AFA market faces unprecedented and rapid commoditization

  Prices of all-flash arrays have nosedived. Massive discounts due to fierce competition are contributing to rapid and unprecedented commoditization of all-flash arrays and changes in the AFA market. Meantime, the demand for AFAs is shrinking because ...Continue Reading

• IT spending priorities for 2018 include cloud and flash storage

  More than half of respondents to our survey have larger IT budgets this year, and their storage spending is focused on ways to manage massive data growth.Continue Reading

• IoT initiatives and other emerging workloads force data center change

  Internet of things projects and other new technology, such as analytics and machine learning, are tied to software-defined storage and public cloud use, changing the face of IT.Continue Reading

• Many enterprises aren't prepared for a cloud service outage

  Some businesses have no idea what a cloud outage will cost them and who takes responsibility for restoring data and workloads, the customer or the cloud service provider.Continue Reading

• Three trends causing the rapid commoditization of AFA storage

  Advancing technology and changing market forces have shifted the dynamics in the all-flash array market, opening it up to new challengers and benefiting customers.Continue Reading

• NVMe technology is but a first step toward bigger things

  NVMe is an inevitable move forward for flash technology that begins the transition to storage-class memory and will lead to even more significant storage advances.Continue Reading

• AFA storage tackles big data analytics challenges

  The latest generation of all-flash array storage is delivering the high performance and low latency required to support petabyte-scale big data analytics workloads.Continue Reading

• How open source Ceph compares to Linux Ceph products

  Ceph software-defined storage is available for free, thanks to its open source nature. However, in some situations, a commercial Linux Ceph product could be the way to go.Continue Reading

• Four situations where a multi-cloud strategy makes sense

  Many businesses can benefit from using multiple cloud services, especially if they need to ensure reliability, protect privacy, remain flexible and optimize the cloud experience.Continue Reading

• Leading hybrid storage arrays offer flexibility, scalability

  By examining how leading hybrid storage systems address scalability, system management and company size, your organization can select the array that will best meet its needs.Continue Reading

• Seven ways to unlock the power of all types of unstructured data

  New storage services have emerged to help IT pros maintain and deliver access to ever-larger and more valuable data sets, particularly all types of unstructured data. These include data sets for big data analysis, DevOps, storage self-service and ...Continue Reading

• How to get the full benefits from NVMe flash storage

  Consolidate and increase the density of your organization's workloads in a flash storage system to take full advantage of NVMe's parallelism and reduced latency.Continue Reading

• Latest data storage technology takes application-centric approach

  These data storage strategies support the use cases customers want without breaking the bank or forcing them to buy technology they don't really need.Continue Reading

• SAN purchase and deployment criteria by the numbers

  Capacity and application needs drive businesses to deploy new storage area network systems, while criteria such as number of LUNs and multipathing are key to purchasing decisions.Continue Reading

• Learn storage techniques for managing unstructured data use

  Rearchitect storage to maximize unstructured data use at the global scale for larger data sets coming from big data analytics and other applications.Continue Reading

• A multi-cloud strategy provides more options and headaches

  The days of the cloud as a single, homogenous entity are long gone. Going forward, you'll likely have a multi-cloud storage strategy and work with multiple service providers.Continue Reading

• Hybrid storage array vendors offer simplicity, ease of use

  Although hybrid arrays are similar in functionality from one system to another, subtle differences in features can make one array more appropriate for a given application.Continue Reading

• Ten ways to protect intellectual property and trade secrets

  Industrial espionage is on the rise, and more data means more risk. Find out how to control the growth of data stores and secure your organization's most valuable assets.Continue Reading

• Primary storage optimization overcomes a range of challenges

  Enterprises turn to different products, technologies and tools to optimize primary storage, overcome data storage challenges and make networked storage deployments more efficient.Continue Reading

• NVMe SSDs: Is there a need for all this speed?

  Everything you should know to decide if nonvolatile memory express is right for your enterprise and, if it is, how to plan for the future of flash storage.Continue Reading

• The danger of ageism in the tech industry and ignoring the past

  Monolithic storage rules the day in spite of the advent of software-defined storage, because vendors and enterprises ignore data storage history and discount experience.Continue Reading

• The future of flash storage: Is NVMe right for your enterprise?

  Cracks in the SAS and SATA protocols started to appear with the rise of SSDs and the exponential performance improvements they delivered over HDD technology. This led to the development of the nonvolatile memory express protocol to exploit flash's ...Continue Reading

• Is demand for data storage or supply driving increased storage?

  Figuring out whether we're storing more data than ever because we're producing more data or because constantly evolving storage technology lets us store more of it isn't easy.Continue Reading

• Embrace IT digital transformation and the new tech landscape

  The digital economy is increasingly defining business, and IT's relationship to business and the bottom line is becoming tied together more tightly.Continue Reading

• Ceph vs. Swift: Two object storage systems for different needs

  Some cloud object storage experts think that Ceph is better than Swift, but that isn't true. The fact is that both options can work, but your workload needs matter.Continue Reading

• Five reasons to consider data warehouse as a service

  DWaaS offers benefits that are unmatched by on-premises counterparts, including improved agility and cost-effective big data storage.Continue Reading

• Software-defined storage benefits to sway SDS holdouts

  Software-defined storage is often misunderstood, yet the technology offers some advantages over traditional storage systems for many organizations.Continue Reading

• Violin Systems and StorOne lead way to shared storage

  Two companies head toward a future of shared enterprise storage resources, moving away from siloed software-defined and hyper-converged approaches.Continue Reading

• Market for software-defined systems due for a correction

  Software-defined storage seems to relegate hardware to the sidelines, but that may change as hardware-centric offerings become attractive alternatives to software-on-COTS options.Continue Reading

• The best enterprise storage systems and services of 2017

  For 16 years, Storage magazine and SearchStorage have recognized the best enterprise storage systems with our annual Products of the Year awards. For this year's competition, vendors submitted new and upgraded products from the past year ...Continue Reading

• Time for a flash storage system refresh: What's next?

  The second wave of flash storage systems in the enterprise must be about optimizing flash performance and density, not just IOPS, and being faster than its hard disk predecessor.Continue Reading