Blog Archives

Object Storage 101

Strictly speaking, object storage refers to a system where data is stored in discrete buckets or “objects”, in contrast to the directories and subdirectories of a traditional file system. It can be implemented in any storage architecture, but is usually

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What is Latency? And How is it Different from IOPS?

The typical performance metrics used to categorize flash performance are throughput and IOPS. The most important metric may actually be latency. The elimination of latency has become a top concern for customers and flash vendors. That has led to solutions that

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Scale Out or Scale Up? 6 Key Considerations for the Flash Array Buyer

In theory, scale up storage appeals because the data center can start small and add capacity and performance as needed. Do these theoretical advantages apply to the use cases in which All-Flash storage is most commonly deployed; databases and virtualization?

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Guaranteeing Application Storage Performance When Virtualizing

It’s no surprise that traditional storage performance falls off a cliff in heavily virtualized server environments. Originally designed to interface with a limited number of hosts, legacy dual controller storage architectures simply cannot meet the I/O workload demands of multiple

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Are You Planning For Storage Performance?

How to be intelligent about flash storage deployments Storage performance has become a “hot button” issue in the server virtualization era. While there is a need for high performance storage, such as flash and hybrid storage solutions, there is a

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What Is Storage Caching?

A cache in a manufacturing environment is an intermediate store of components or partially assembled products, often referred to as “in-process inventory”, that serves to make the overall production process more efficient. In a computer system, caches, also called “buffers”,

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Application Defined Cache Acceleration

Maintaining consistent application performance has become increasingly challenging. While there are fewer physical servers to support in the data center, in many environments there are dozens, hundreds or even thousands of virtual machines (VMs) accessing the same shared storage resources.

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The Modern HPC Storage Architecture

High Performance Computing (HPC) is a unique environment that places special demands on the storage infrastructure. These environments typically have dozens, if not hundreds, of compute nodes, each generating a unique sequential workflow that randomizes when it hits the shared

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Can The Enterprise Count on The Cloud For Data Protection?

Cloud storage has come under increased scrutiny as of late, thanks to several well publicized outages as well as an outright shutdown of one provider. Enterprises are starting to re-think their cloud strategy, even when it comes to data protection. In this report Storage Switzerland’s lead analyst examines the state of cloud backup to determine if it is ready to deliver enterprise class protection.

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A Tiered Approach To Data Protection

Think your data is protected? Think again. True data protection is more than just enterprise backup, snapshots and replication; it’s a combination of all of these technologies. Understanding how to leverage each type of data protection is key towards enabling the rapid recovery of mission critical business information while not overspending on data protection insurance. In this article, lead analyst George Crump, outlines the specific role each type of data protection technology serves in the data center and how organizations can tier their data protection strategy for the maximum cost/benefit. 

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