For a large-scale storage project, it's not uncommon to go out to tender for the best deal — but when was the last time you had to put together a tender for a document management room?
People were apparently switching their brains off before joining the 3G iPhone queues, so it's somewhat surprising that considering an appropriate amount of storage was quite a high priority for many buyers.
Trying to understand the logic behind Microsoft's development decisions is a bit like S&M: it's a painful activity probably best left to others. But a recent example from the storage world does suggest something about Microsoft's "people will beat up on us regardless" dilemma.
The issue of how best to handle large email inboxes is a perennial topic here at Snorage, and it doesn't only affect enterprise customers.
Mammoth growth in storage volumes is a fact of life, but even so it's helpful to pause occasionally and try and work out whether our information strategies have fallen hopelessly out of step with the pace of technological growth and changes in costs.
Shoving everything into a hosted environment effectively creates a quick and dirty disaster recovery strategy.
Celebrity comes with its perks — free alcohol, better-looking partners, lots of holiday time — and disadvantages — constant media intrusions, being forced to appear in films with Eddie Murphy for the long-term good of your career, and having to do mindless radio interviews with angry men who've been awake since 4am.
There's an argument against the usage of USB sticks which has been discussed many times in this column: they're a potentially massive security risk. But there's another case you could make against having your business life stored in 4GB or so of flash memory — it's a total support nightmare.
Being able to build a data warehouse right from the beginning of a company's life can eliminate some of the pitfalls typically associated with the project, but doesn't necessarily eliminate the most obvious one: uncontrolled data from multiple sources.
New storage technology can be frankly pornographic: it's big, it's sexy and you want it slammed into your rack right now — but is a long term relationship more satisfying?
I'm standing in a room with roughly a quarter of a million backup tapes. No, this isn't where the FuelWatch guys hid the evidence, it's the Perth storage area for Spectrum Data, which specialises in storing ageing backup media and helping companies retrieve data from long-forgotten archives.
While there's not much that's more fun than stirring up Linux and Windows zealots into a frenzy of spite against each other, we thankfully finally seem to be approaching a more measured universe in which technology choices can be made based on suitability rather than preconception.
And the Guinness World Record for the largest data warehouse goes to...
E-mail is frequently blamed for creating storage bloat, but is the most effective means of dealing with the problem increasing storage capacity, imposing quotas, enforcing archive rules, or just driving the help desk nuts with questions?
You've only got to hang around a datacentre for about 30 seconds before someone starts raving on about virtualisation. While the cost benefits of virtualisation are obvious, the management challenges often get swept under the carpet.
Getting executive sponsorship for any kind of data clean-up project isn't easy. If careful reasoning, detailed budget plans and a touch of blackmail don't work, then there may be a simpler solution: arson.
A new survey highlights a predictable problem: there could be lots of risky private information stored on USB sticks. That's about as surprising as Paris Hilton flaunting her lady garden in public.
There's only one thing better than a convenient scorecard for measuring your performance as a storage manager: a convenient scorecard for measuring your performance as a storage manager that also lets you think about Billie Piper or John Barrowman a lot.
There are lots of fiddly little rules surrounding backup and disaster recovery, but some of them are, to be frank, blindingly obvious. At the top of my personal list would be this one: don't check your notebook PC as hold luggage when you get on a plane.
Indexing a large chunk of data is a bit like joining Weight Watchers: it's a useful first step, but it doesn't immediately solve the problem of how you're going to deal with all that blubber.
Microsoft slams Google on privacy
Google's approach to privacy is a decade behind Microsoft, the Redmond software giant's chief privacy strategi… Watch it now
Driving Business Growth Through Enterprise IT Management
High availability computing with reliable blade technology
MyPerfect.com.au has potential
Storage infrastructure on the tender track
Apple has killed the video store; will ISPs be next?
Driving Business Growth Through Enterprise IT Management
Dig deeper by clicking here »
Achieve continuous availability with high performance NonStop blade technology
Security superguide
When chief information officers and other technology managers talk about their priorities, security is always high on the list.
Click here for more.
Superguide: Printers -- all you need to know
Looking to buy a printer? Our superguide rates the latest printers and shines a light into the industry.
Click here for more.
Storage and server superguide
Over the last decade the art of maintaining the datacentre of a large organisation has evolved into an art form.
Click here for more.
