Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

WIRELESS SANS: DATA STORAGE ON THE GO
By Lou Hirsh

With wireless SANs -- combined with an increasing array of mobile devices able to access them -- the reach and potential uses of these wireless storage networks could boom.

As the world goes increasingly wireless, it could also redefine the concept of "data storage on the go" -- with networks that let users store, retrieve and share just about anything from personal music collections to important client information and lifesaving data in emergencies.

A report by Datacomm Research contends that wireless connectivity will boost growth in the burgeoning data storage market, making possible new applications for database access and content sharing.

Datacomm president Ira Brodsky noted that this concept of remote-access, high-capacity and real-time storage has already begun to take root at companies like Sony, which has developed services like online "digital lockers" that let users access their collections of music and multimedia files.

Fast Sharing

But as third-generation (3G) networks see more penetration, Datacomm believes the idea could blossom on a more massive scale, influencing the way businesses share information and deal with customers. It has implications for scientific research, as well as the new focus on U.S. homeland security.

"In biotechnology, for example, there is a definite advantage in being able to share large amounts of information from lots of locations," Brodsky told NewsFactor.

He added the impact may also be seen in public safety matters. For example, this share-from-anywhere advantage could help in the fight against bioterrorism, letting numerous agencies get quick access to data and respond quickly to an attack.

However, most changes would likely be seen in the day-to-day business environment. With field service, sales force and manufacturing personnel better connected in real-time to central repositories of information, the upshot could be improved products and more responsive customer service.

Expanding Reach

Should they come to pass, these trends would represent an advance from what is already being seen in enterprise storage. Large companies have deployed wired storage area networks (SANs) that give numerous departments access to a single database, often through Web servers.

Many firms also use network attached storage (NAS), consisting of peripheral devices or systems dedicated to providing shared internal storage space.

However, with wireless SANs -- combined with an increasing array of mobile devices able to access them -- the reach and potential uses of these storage networks could boom.

Analyst Kishore Jethanandani, the report's author, points to a number of applications where wireless technology has the potential to transform storage networks, especially when it comes to sharing digital photos and other media-rich files in real-time situations.

Trimming Paperwork

Services like unified messaging, online education, voice information and business intelligence would likely get a big boost. Companies could more effectively centralize and analyze data, and industries like healthcare could drastically cut down on paperwork.

"Instead of field workers filling out forms that create carbon copies for different departments, data can be collected and sent directly to the SAN," Jethanandani said in an executive summary. He noted that SANs also assist companies in data preservation and disaster recovery.

The analyst said online SAN technology could also transform the way entertainment is delivered. Movie theaters might be able to establish global on-demand services -- distributing niche documentary, educational and feature films that otherwise would not draw large audiences to a physical theater.

Obstacles, Opportunities

Some obstacles must be overcome before this optimistic scenario can play out, the analysts said. These include a lack of ubiquitous high-speed wireless access, concerns among enterprises about wireless security, a dearth of software for managing wireless access, and a lack of standardized data definitions to enable seamless sharing of information.

On the positive side, these shortcomings, in turn, will create business opportunities, Brodsky said, particularly as demand rises for software that creates interoperability between various organizations' systems, and technology that lets different devices read information contained in shared databases.

Propelled by these ongoing changes, Datacomm Research forecasts that total annual revenues for storage subsystems, storage software and networking gear providers will reach US$92.6 million by 2005, compared with $25.5 million in 2000.