| Managing the Storage Domain -
Storage management costs continue to increase as a portion of resources spent on storage infrastructure. -
Companies must identify means to tame escalating management costs to maintain base level efficiencies. 11.1 Incrementing to Simplicity -
The high-technology industry is driven by an appetite for simpler, easier, faster solutions fed by a continuous rollout of new inventions . -
Storage networking is in the middle of a tumultuous cycle of new product introductions , architectures, standards, and business models. -
Choice presents a double-edged sword ”most IT managers cite plans to work with fewer vendors to minimize maintenance complications. -
At the same time, fewer choices restrict the openness of total solutions. -
Taming the escalation of management costs requires a path towards simplification ”both product and management oversight. -
Designing effective policies for the storage domain helps IT professionals get there. 11.2 Clearing the Decks: Core Versus Context -
Business success depends upon the ability to focus on clear competitive differentiation. -
Functions that contribute to competitive differentiation are defined as core. -
All other supporting functions are defined as context. -
Businesses naturally evolve from more core to more context ”over time, more resources are required to support core functions, resulting in added context. -
Most core functions eventually end up as context as competitors replicate successful business practices. -
The single largest problem companies face in dealing with context is the lack of management attention that can be spent on core. -
For most companies, the lack of external visibility to the storage infrastructure makes the storage domain context. -
However, a preoccupation with context detracts from attention to core. -
Capping managerial attention on context functions can positively impact the organization's ability to refocus on competitive differentiation. -
Storage applications can be segmented across core and context, as well as mission-critical and supporting functions. -
Each quadrant of applications has a different operating strategy and goal. -
Segmenting applications allows IT professionals to assess if resources are allocated appropriately. 11.3 Defining Simplicity -
Most IT departments that continue to add new storage infrastructure see an increase in management costs. -
While the cost of the storage infrastructure (hardware, software) declines, management costs have not followed a similar path. -
The buildup in management costs, particularly routine functions, can lead to context overload. -
To move to managed context, IT professionals must simplify both acquisition and management costs. -
The combination of simplified environments results in -
Scalable, adaptive, flexible infrastructures . -
Shorter return on investments through cost-effective implementation. -
Reduced administration costs by automating labor- intensive processes. -
Secure, reliable storage platforms. 11.4 Managing Storage: A Plan of Attack -
The race to recapture time and storage resources led to dozens of storage management product introductions, the scope of which can be overwhelming. -
Before identifying and selecting storage management products, storage managers must first set organizational structures for managing the storage domain. -
Practice disciplines exist within the larger storage environment and can be used to segment and structure organizational management responsibility. -
These areas include business management, risk management, and data management. -
Business Management Objective -
Management of storage domain as business entity. -
Implementation examples include service level agreements (SLAs), tracking and usage charge-back, quality of service (QoS), and hardware and software decision making. -
Risk Management Objective -
Use of the storage domain to mitigate corporate risk. -
Implementation examples include disaster recovery and business continuity, backup and restore, and security. -
Data Management Objective -
Effective presentation of data within the storage domain using storage-based file systems and copy functions. -
Implementation examples include storage-based file systems (e.g., NAS), copy functions for content distribution and performance optimization, and network storage design architecture. 11.5 Creating Effective Policy Systems -
Storage specific and enterprise-wide policies need to be aligned. -
Policies can be automated through software or administered manually. -
Business management policies such as SLAs, omnitoring, and vendor selection drive consistency of operation. -
Risk management policies such as site/physical environment, personnel, security, and disaster recovery drive preparedness for unseen events. -
Data management policies such as file systems, storage allocation, and data retention facilitate administration of the entire storage domain. 11.6 Outsourcing for Management Simplicity -
Outsourcing can serve as an effective means to remove context-heavy functions from the daily routine and focus attention on core-enhancing functions. -
IT managers must consider the following questions: -
Will outsourcing free up key talent? (If you and your team were freed from what you are doing now, what could you do to create additional shareholder value? Could your team be used on core work?) -
Is talent currently context-burdened? (What do you and your team do today that you would be willing to surrender, provided you were assured the work would be handled correctly? Is context holding you back?) -
If the answer to both questions is yes, then outsourcing will likely make sense. -
However, possibilities exist that exploring questions such as these could lead to outsourcing and elimination of resources within the IT department. -
Returns from outsourcing activity come from reduced labor and capital costs, but more importantly from freeing management time and attention to focus on core-enhancing activities.  |
