11.1 Incrementing to Simplicity

The high technology industry rides a nonstop wave of innovation. For those who work with information technology products and services, the promise of simpler, easier, faster, and more elegant solutions instills a mission of improvement. Feeding that appetite with a continuous rollout of inventions creates a continuous cycle of exposing shortcomings and identifying resolution. From any viewpoint, it is at once both an inspiring and daunting process.

Shifts across the storage networking landscape, from its inception through commoditization , indicate that this continuous improvement cycle is likely to maintain an accelerated pace. The introduction of open -systems hardware, networking platforms, interoperable standards, and a fertile environment for software all point to a greater number of new products and services delivered in shorter amounts of time.

For IT professionals charged with installation, operation, and maintenance of storage networking infrastructure, the variety of choices will only increase. Understandably, that can be a blessing in disguise. Most IT surveys cite storage professionals' plans to work with a smaller number of vendors in deploying solutions. At the same time, only through the widespread choices will those managers be able to dramatically improve their environments. The selection of vendors with products that have been certified to comply with industry standards will enable users to broaden and enhance their storage environments while assuring interoperability. In the long run, adoption of and adherence to standards will contribute to simplified management and operations while preserving choice and flexibility.

As we enter a post-Internet boom economy and mindset, with a back-to-reality assessment of true needs and objectives, the overwhelming consensus around storage deployment is simplicity. Distracted by what can be accomplished compared to what should be accomplished, the industry may well have let the innovation cycle get the upper hand. Taming and managing that cycle, both for IT users and producers , requires incrementing to simplicity. Designing effective policies for enterprise storage helps IT professionals get there.