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• Software-defined data center architecture basics for beginners

  The physical, virtualization and management layers of an SDDC make it possible to pool the physical components into logical resources, regardless of the underlying hardware. Continue Reading

• MTTR (mean time to repair)

  MTTR (mean time to repair) is the average time required to fix a failed component or device and return it to production status. Continue Reading

• Which enterprise NVMe SSD vendor is right for me?

  Picking an NVMe drive is an important decision. Consider thermal control, proprietary software and drive architecture to make the right choice. Continue Reading

• Data storage considerations for a DevOps environment

  Having good storage can make all the difference when it comes to DevOps. As more organizations get on the DevOps bandwagon, see how storage has changed to match. Continue Reading

• NAND flash memory basics: Comparing SLC, MLC and TLC NAND

  NAND is the most popular type of flash, but there are many different types, and they each serve a different purpose. Do you know your NAND flash basics? Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • What is a distributed file system (DFS)?
  • What is virtual memory?
  • What is an mSATA SSD (mSATA solid-state drive)?
  • What is a clustered network-attached storage (NAS) system?

  • What is cloud NAS (cloud network-attached storage)?
  • What is direct-attached storage (DAS) and how does it work?
  • What is RAID (redundant array of independent disks)?
  • What are optical disks and how do they work?

  View All Definitions

• NOR vs. NAND flash memory: What companies need to know

  NOR and NAND flash memory each suit different use cases, and companies looking at a flash memory product need to know the difference before they buy.Continue Reading

• Manage multiple clouds for security and strong data backup

  Multi-cloud environments have a lot of benefits to offer organizations, but IT administrators need to know how to automate and secure disparate clouds.Continue Reading

• Three reasons to consider a multi-cloud storage strategy

  Storing data in multiple clouds is a fairly new strategy, but it's useful for companies that want to control cloud costs, protect privacy and ensure their data is always available.Continue Reading

• How to get the best SSD performance

  Want to make sure you get the best performance from your SSDs? Throw it back to your school days and do some thorough research before you buy solid-state drives.Continue Reading

• The latest on emerging memory technology

  Nonvolatile DIMMs and phase-change memory products such as 3D XPoint are the latest memory techs that storage administrators should be on the lookout for.Continue Reading

• Beat VDI deployment challenges; find the best VDI storage

  Companies that want to stand up a VDI deployment can choose from a variety of storage options, from traditional storage technologies to more creative approaches, such as layering.Continue Reading

• Hard disk vs. flash storage: The fight of the century?

  When deciding which storage method you want in your corner, the benefits of flash storage are very appealing. But should you forget about hard disk arrays entirely?Continue Reading

• Get ready for Gen 6 Fibre Channel technology

  Some think Fibre Channel will go the way of the dodo thanks to Ethernet, but the evolution of flash will cause companies to make the leap to 32-gig FC eventually.Continue Reading

• Open source technology promises to alter enterprise storage

  Open source storage software could alter the face of the industry by cutting costs and delivering greater flexibility over existing storage infrastructure.Continue Reading

• How can I guarantee the best Ceph performance?

  Ceph object storage performance is largely based on network speed, but journal disks and the right file system for object storage devices also play a role.Continue Reading

• Private cloud implementation guide

  Wondering how to pull off a private cloud deployment? Plan ahead, design for the future and make sure you have built up the right knowledge base.Continue Reading

• Is OpenStack enterprise-ready?

  Companies wondering whether OpenStack is ready for prime time in the enterprise should first consider whether their IT administrators are ready for OpenStack.Continue Reading

• Four tips for building a Swift object store

  OpenStack Swift doesn't have to be scary. You can use the command line, zones and access control lists to make object storage management a little easier.Continue Reading

• What private cloud implementation barriers should I plan for?

  There are many factors to consider when building a private cloud, so planning is crucial. Policy changes and hardware choices are just some challenges that may arise.Continue Reading

• USB flash drive

  A USB flash drive -- also known as a stick, thumb or pen drive -- is a plug-and-play portable storage device that uses flash memory and can attach to a keychain.Continue Reading

• Take a deep dive into software-defined storage products

  Understanding the software-defined storage market is key to getting real value from an implementation, as is proper research and planning before making any product or vendor decisions.Continue Reading

• Get the most value out of your SDS systems by making smart choices

  There are many choices you face when looking to implement an SDS infrastructure. Making the right ones will help you get the most value from software-defined storage.Continue Reading

• How to build a private storage cloud

  Building internal cloud storage must account for elasticity, choosing the right platform, allowing for workflow, and stack deployments and public cloud integration.Continue Reading

• A dozen data storage vendors to watch in 2017

  Hyper-convergence, solid-state, software-defined storage and the cloud have revolutionized the way we deploy, manage and secure storage. How the dozen leading data storage vendors presented here navigate the challenges and opportunities created by ...Continue Reading

• Server-side caching defined and clarified

  Server-side caching, or flash storage installed in the server itself, is deployed to accelerate application performance. Placing the flash as close to the application as possible reduces latency and improves performance.

  Over the past couple of ...Continue Reading

• Server-side flash technology lifts solid-state adoption

  Server-side solid-state storage is more ubiquitous than ever due to growing capacities and rapidly dropping flash technology prices. There are a many ways to install flash technology in a server, though there are decisions to make before you buy. We...Continue Reading

• Complete guide to server-based storage in its modern forms

  From hyper-convergence to the cloud, better understand direct-attached storage and its many forms with this essential guide.Continue Reading

• What is eventual consistency in object stores?

  Eventual consistency in object stores can be an issue because object storage is spread over many nodes and up-to-date data may not always be available.Continue Reading

• What are protocol endpoints in vSphere VVOLs and how do they work?

  VMware's new VVOLs feature allows storage functionality to be distributed on a per-VM basis. Protocol endpoints are integral to proper allocation.Continue Reading

• For maximum benefits of virtualization, storage management is key

  Server virtualization increases the complexity of storage management and forces administrators to pay even closer attention to issues such as available bandwidth and overprovisioning. Approaching management and provisioning in the same way as in a ...Continue Reading

• orthogonal

  Orthogonal concepts have their roots in advanced mathematics. They are also associated with software development, storage and networking.Continue Reading

• How do hardware profiles work in Microsoft Virtual Machine Manager?

  The Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager allows the creation of hardware profiles, which help to provision virtual storage. Brien Posey explains how to use the tool.Continue Reading

• What criteria are most important when evaluating cloud storage costs?

  With cloud storage pricing models varying so much, it makes sense to compare summaries of these criteria to be sure you make the right choice.Continue Reading

• How is big data changing data archiving strategies?

  Analyst Jon Toigo explains why performing analytics on big data sets means that data is no longer considered cold, reducing the importance of archives.Continue Reading

• Essential guide to desktop and laptop solid-state drives

  Essential guide to laptop and desktop SSDsContinue Reading

• The case for cloud storage: Cloud considerations and strategies

  Before deploying your cloud storage project, learn about cloud storage use cases, how to do a cloud cost analysis and keeping data safe in the cloud.Continue Reading

• The need for application-aware storage

  Server virtualization leads to unpredictable workloads. Application-aware storage could be the answer.Continue Reading

• Are more than five nines of availability really possible?

  When cloud durability is added to the mix, cloud providers are able to tout a high number of nines of availability.Continue Reading

• What is object storage technology (and why should you care)?

  Object technology offers scalability, economical operation and better data management; but it's very different from file and block storage systems.Continue Reading

• What you need to know about flash caching

  Using solid-state storage as cache can boost server and application performance dramatically, but the kind of flash cache you choose is critical.Continue Reading

• Three considerations to ensure data storage efficiency

  Vendors often claim their products cut out storage inefficiency, but administrators can make a difference as well with some planning.Continue Reading

• Working with OpenStack storage: Tips on Cinder, Swift and the cloud

  This guide explores the block, object and cloud storage offerings from OpenStack, one of the most sought-after open source storage platforms.Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Wikibon CTO: Erasure coding can help reduce data backup costs

  Erasure coding can help reduce the data needed for backups and lower the cost of backup and recovery over the traditional approach, Wikibon CTO says.Continue Reading

• What you need to know about improving iSCSI performance

  Storage expert Dennis Martin discusses how technologies like Data Center Bridging, CHAP, IPsec and iSCSI offload adapters affect iSCSI performance.Continue Reading

• Define SSD: Top terms you need to know

  How do you define SSD? Check out this list of important SSD terms. The list includes terms you should know and some that may seem obscure.Continue Reading

• RAID with SSD: A primer

  While RAID is still a storage standard, questions remain about RAID’s relevance with SSDs. This tip will explore the basics of using RAID with SSD.Continue Reading

• iSCSI storage area networks explained

  In part two of our series, we examine the features of an iSCSI SAN to help you decide if it's the best SAN technology for your SMB.Continue Reading

• virtual SAN appliance (VSA)

  A virtual SAN appliance (VSA) is a software bundle that allows a storage manager to turn the unused storage capacity in his network's virtual servers into a storage area network (SAN).Continue Reading

• EDRM: Best practices when preparing for an e-discovery request

  We list the nine stages of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), and tell you why the preservation and collection stage is so important to data storage pros.Continue Reading

• Thin provisioning storage brings utilization and capacity benefits, but with a caveat

  Thin provisioning storage can deliver capacity and utilization benefits to enterprise data storage environments, but it's been hobbled by concerns over capacity allocation overload and sluggish support from major vendors.Continue Reading

• Tutorials on data storage from SearchStorage.com

  Check out these data storage tutorials on network-attached storage (NAS), solid-state drive (SSD) technology, tiered storage, Fibre Channel, storage-area networks (SANs) and more.Continue Reading

• Virtual desktop infrastructure tutorial: Part 2

  In Part 2 of our virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) tutorial, we'll discuss which new products promise to make VDI simpler.Continue Reading

• Fibre Channel SAN switches tutorial

  Learn all about Fibre Channel SAN switches with these articles on selecting the right switches and the best practices for managing FC switching environments.Continue Reading