STORAGE DOLLARS GO FURTHER

By M.S.Welles

Storage systems are dropping in price while offering more throughput per dollar. Midrange systems are now offering the type of sophisticated features that used to be found only in very high end systems.

Typically, storage systems are composed of three parts. These parts may be in one or separate boxes. The parts are logical and consist of a chassis that holds disks, a physical controller that interfaces the disks with a storage protocol, and a software management system.

Different options are available from different manufacturers. The current leaders in the mid-range storage systems are Dell, Compellent Storage Center, HP and Promise Technology.

Since needs differ, management will need to assess the storage system that best fits the needs of the company.