Planning A Storage Strategy

Sample Chapter

1 Introduction

Many companies do not have a strategy on how to deal with storing information or have an adequate plan that allows them to address the changing needs. The information of a company is needed for processing for business operations, providing intelligence for strategic decisions, and the many other aspects of day-to-day company business. The information is sometimes thought of as the results of applications that are run in business or research and may turn into the input for other applications. Information is data that is stored and retrieved for a business purpose. A strategy for handling of the information is another critical company business process.

This book will serve as providing background information and a guide in planning a storage strategy. Each business environment has differences in operation and a different set of guiding principles. Because of that, developing a storage strategy requires some localization and this book points out some areas where differences need to be considered. Understanding the differences should help in adapting the planning for a storage strategy to an individualized environment.

The organization for material is first to explain the need for a storage strategy in general terms with some of the considerations involved. The business issues are covered next with the requirements on the storage strategy that will be generated. When dealing with storage, which is where the critical company asset of data resides, risk management must be covered as an individual item for a storage strategy.

Next in the material for planning a storage strategy is an examination of the components to consider. Storage management is the first topic that is covered because it has such long term implications. The storage systems and infrastructure elements and how a strategy needs to factor those into an implementation plan is next. Future technology deployments must be a consideration as well: how they affect the business of storage and the means of incorporating into the environment as well as the expectation of business value.

How to go about making strategic decisions is also part of planning a storage strategy that is covered in the book. This includes where and how to acquire information and assess the validity. A process for making the decisions around the strategy and for selling the storage strategy within the enterprise is incorporated as well.

Finally, some recommendations regarding the storage strategy are made. These include managing the strategy to a process as an ongoing business operation, effecting the implementation plans, and evaluation and measurement for constant improvements. Some guidelines and a Storage Strategy Workbook are included to aid in the entire process.

What is a storage strategy?

Information Technology departments may have a plan or a set of processes defined in which there may be an element that deals with storing and retrieving data. The overall view is a good practice but the specifics of storing and retrieving information with its overall importance and associated expenses warrants a separable strategy that can be included with the IT practices.

The storage strategy is a long term vision of the role of storage within an enterprise. Storage is the simplified term for storing and retrieving data with the associated infrastructure, storage elements, methods, and management. It is an inclusive term that is sub-defined many times for specific, detailed usages. For the purposes of developing a working storage strategy, storage is everything to do with storing and retrieving data.

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