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White Paper: Next Gen Storage Business Benefits

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StorageWP_Thumbnail_WEB.jpgAs storage needs continue to explode for businesses, what is the best solution for your needs to balance both cost considerations and user experience?

Here’s what you’ll learn (without getting in the weeds):

  • 3 Key Performance Indicators
  • 5 deliverables when conducting due diligence
  • Is a hybrid flash storage deployment the right approach?
  • Examining the five benefits of storage area networks
  • What are you really paying for?
  • 6 tips on how to get the most out of your storage area network

Register to get your copy of this executive primer on storage.

White Paper: Hyper-Converged Executive Report

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We see hyper-convergence as a new IT infrastructure model that leverages the power of software-defined technology to tightly integrate end-to-end compute, network, storage, and management resources. The result is quicker deployment, faster response to business demands, simplified administration, and reduced operating costs. See how you can:

  • Move faster
  • Respond to opportunities faster
  • Launch initiatives faster
  • Produce results faster

White Paper: Best Practices For K-12 Tech

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k-12Done right, IT can ensure a strong return on investment and have a proven positive impact on Education Success Measures (ESM). This free report will teach you the common pitfalls to avoid, along with best practices for network implementation, including:

  • 5 benefits of converged technology
  • A sample strategic IT hierarchy for planning
  • 2 critical factors for successful Wi-Fi upgrade
  • Wi-Fi purchasing tips
  • Keys to successful video surveillance and access control systems
  • 3 security benefits of IT as a Service

White Paper: Big Data & Virtualization

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A 10% increase in data accessibility adds more than $65 million in net income for the average Fortune 1000 organization. This free report helps you navigate through the complexity of virtualization, including:

  • The one critical mistake hindering progress
  • 3 key drivers addressed by virtualization
  • 5 common objections, and why they are wrong
  • ROI calculator

Storage Area Networks

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Big data causing big changes in the enterprise

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A lot of IT buzzwords get thrown around without there ever really being any context as to what the technology does for a business or how many companies are actually utilizing it. For 2015, that buzzword is definitely “big data”. It pops up everywhere, but what is the real picture? According to a recent study by EMC, big data is more than just a buzzword, it’s a necessary tool for enterprise success.

The recent report “Big & Fast Data: The Rise of Insight-Driven Business” sponsored by Capgemini revealed that a growing number of companies are investing in big data initiatives and are seeing positive results. According to the study, 70 percent of IT decision-makers believe their organization’s ability to extract value from big data is critical to their future success. Another 65 percent said that they risk becoming irrelevant or losing a competitive advantage if they don’t utilize big data.

Businesses bracing for shifts as big data takes hold
The study, which included interviews with more than 1,000 senior executives and decision-makers across nine industries in 10 countries, provides a variety of insights into how companies are responding to the changes big data has brought to the enterprise. More than half of respondents believe that investments in big data will outstrip past investment in information management over the next three years. This is due in part to the fact that 63 percent of participants believe the monetization of data could potentially become as valuable as existing products and services. This is especially true among those in the telecommunications sector, where 83 percent of respondents agreed with the statement.

One of the most significant statistics is the fact that 47 percent of senior executives believe their organizations’ IT systems are not properly optimized to allow business decision-makers to do their jobs effectively. These executives reported seeing a need for increasing the cadence of their IT systems’ improvement to keep up with the increasing client, supplier and stakeholder requirements outside of their organizations.

In order to accommodate all of the changes brought about by the increased use of big data, businesses will need to ensure that their data center solutions and IT infrastructure are up to the challenge. Working with a trusted service provider to upgrade infrastructure and improve data center performance is the most reliable way to ensure that new big data initiatives will be implemented successfully.

Connecting the dots: Bandwidth as a business model

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Few developments have affected businesses in the past few years as much as the burning desire for bandwidth. As enterprise environments expand, complications are inevitable. Proper information storage and security are increasingly vital as more businesses transition to data-driven initiatives. They're also becoming harder to attain. Many organizations find themselves caught in a tangled web of carriers, data centers, service providers and connectivity requirements. A lack of interoperability between services and poor communication among stakeholders can make undoing these knots an expensive and resource-intensive slog. It induces broadband rage and burns a lot of bandwidth in the process.

Optimizing connectivity needs to be a foremost concern in today's business model. In theory, it means providing enough bandwidth to create sufficient breathing room for all locations and stakeholders. In practice, an organization needs to centralize its connectivity support. Data Center Knowledge contributor Bill Kleyman recently discussed some fundamental changes in information technology that should compel companies to consider building their business model around their data center network. 

"Business used to establish their practices and then create their IT department. Now big (and smart) businesses are approaching data centers and technology from a completely different angle," Kleyman wrote. "These visionaries see that the future revolves around complete mobility and true device-agnostic connectivity."

Examples Kleyman highlighted included cloud-based data distribution models, which support expanding application development and processing environments. He also observed that new ways of computing, such as virtualization and software-defined networking, place more emphasis on minimizing granular infrastructure management and centralizing IT. Complexity in digital compliance and data governance can also be assuaged by a centralized connectivity platform.

Looking at bandwidth as a business model involves seeing technology as a critical role player rather than simply as a means to get things done. Connectivity infrastructure can and should contribute directly to bottom-line thinking. Paring down the number of service providers to a basic carrier-agnostic data center model can provide more bandwidth integrity and fewer headaches.