Things To Consider In Storage Virtualization

Storage virtualization reduces the complexities in storage system's development, maintenance and management. However, switching to a storage virtualization solution requires study of various parameters so an enterprise can be benefited with such change.

Operations of organizations depend on the data they use for their purpose; be it the business development department or accounts department or any other core functional department. Each branch of an organization makes use of data for its operations with the size of data being quite a bit even for a small organization. Data management, in such cases, becomes more of a problem than a solution, for the workforce.

Storage virtualization helps the workforce as well as the IT department of any organization to efficiently manage and maintain large amount of data by making use of virtualization. This technique reduces the complexities in the designs of storage systems which are often difficult and time-consuming for IT department. It allows the access of storage system using the network-related tools and techniques through an online environment. Generally, two main formats of storage virtualization are there:

• File virtualization helps to optimize the storage resources by providing virtualization at the file-level of a computer system. File servers follow the protocols of file virtualization and can be considered as one of its example.
• Block virtualization is the process of virtualizing a whole block of memory for the purpose of the user which is simpler, richer and secure in a user's perspective. NFS i.e. network file system or RAID systems are some of its examples.

However, the latest technology may not be the best solution for an enterprise if it doesn't satisfy the current needs and requirements and so is the case with storage virtualization. A variety of factors need to be considered before switching the whole storage infrastructure over a virtualized channel. Factors like:

• Cost benefits: The major concern before any kind of transition in business practices is that any change should bring about some cost benefits to the organization after it is fully in place. Examining the impact of storage virtualization on the expenditure is one of the factors which can contribute in the decision of choosing such transitions.
• Business objectives: The technology change should maintain or rather enhance the approach for achieving business' objectives. It is desired that storage virtualization should enhance the operational efficiency of the business and eventually contribute in the business development policies.
• Down time: The down time during the transition should be quantified and final conclusion should be made if the business is ready for such breaks in its operations during the time of switching.
• Capacity & Speed: Post-transition capacity of the virtualized storage for each user and performance of the data center should be enhanced, once upgraded.
• Current Infrastructure: Assessing the current scenario of different IT components like IT workforce, network resource, infrastructural resources, management etc. is recommended in order to justify the upgrade. Ensuring the proper management during and after the transition will be fruitful for an organization and so evaluation on these factors is necessary.

Research and analysis on these parameters, individually as well as collectively, ensures that the post-upgrade scenario will be more productive and efficient in terms of data management and resources' optimization.