Symantec makes the case for smarter storage

Enterprises must fundamentally change the way they approach storage if they want to survive the data explosion, said Symantec.

The company said that to keep up with the rising tide of information being generated, IT administrators need to make better use of the storage systems on hand, rather than try to purchase new hardware at the same rate of growth.

NetBackup product marketing manager Peter Elliman and storage management group director Sean Derrington told V3.co.uk that much of the transformation can be accomplished by IT staff improving the way storage is handled and monitored.

Derrington said that Symantec advises its clients to take a multi-pronged approach to transforming storage. The main points include smarter utilisation of existing hardware through the adoption of thin provisioning systems and de-duplication tools.

Elliman noted that among the most common causes of storage crunches and information overload was unnecessary redundancy in stored information. To eliminate excessive backing up, Elliman suggested that companies use de-duplication tools at even the lowest levels.

"For every gigabyte of data that employees create, you might see 3GB to 5GB of backup stored. Traditionally, there has been far more data stored relative to the amount of primary data," he explained.

"We say de-duplicate everywhere, put the technology as close to the source as possible."

Derrington noted that while such an overhaul of procedures could seem daunting to a company, the changes can be made exclusively at the IT level with little to no impact on end-users.

Likewise, Derrington contended that such a system could yield almost instant benefits financially, as it makes better use of the existing technology allowing companies to yield what Derrington calls a "return on yesterday" in cost savings.

"These approaches may require operational changes, but they have almost immediate returns on effort," he said.

"Not only a return on hardware and software, but the level of effort isn't an arduous task and these are all things that can be done by the IT staff."