Storage Area Networks Are Key To Managing The Proliferation Of Corporate Data
Storage Now Seen as a Business Issue
IT decision makers in the UK believe that Storage Area Networks (SANs) are the key to managing the proliferation of business data, according to research commissioned by Hewlett Packard. One in five has completed, or is in the process of implementing a SAN. Twice as many are in the process of planning or evaluating them.
The research, conducted by MORI Technology uncovers widespread growth in the storage needs of UK companies. 81% of IT decision makers said that their organisation's storage requirements are growing either significantly or noticeably. This growth is being driven by increasing demand for business intelligence (messaging, data warehousing, ERP and CRM) and the internet.
A Storage Area Network is a high-speed network that interconnects different kinds of data storage devices. SANs offer companies a number of benefits - increased competitiveness (through data availability, performance and data sharing) and improved operation. More than one in three IT decision makers said that the competitive advantages from CRM and ERP are wasted without well-managed information storage architecture.
Of IT decision makers with growing storage capacity, transaction processing and back up requirements are thought to be the greatest drivers of data movement. " There are increasing amounts of data flowing through organisations," said Matthew Harding, Storage Marketing Manager. "For many it is their lifeblood. A reliable and efficient storage architecture is an absolute necessity."
The research also shows clear understanding of the implications of downtime. Over two thirds of IT decision makers admitted that their organisations would not survive more than five days without access to data.
Three out of five respondents said that data storage is not only an IT issue but also a key business issue in their organisation. Despite this, less than half of all IT decision makers have a mission critical recovery plan. Of these, less than one in three considers their recovery plan very effective.
Technical details
153 interviews were conducted with strategic IT decision makers using MORI Technology's on-line panel of e-directors. Interviews were carried out between 8 November 2000 and 18 December 2000. Interviews were conducted within organisations with 500 or more employees.
