Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

SURVEY: ADOPTION OF STORAGE NETWORKS CONTINUES UNABATED

International Network Services Inc (INS), a leading vendor-independent provider of global network consulting and security services, has announced the release of a new report, which found that storage networks will soon contain half of all centralized stored data. The report also identifies top challenges and barriers network professionals will face in implementing their storage networking strategies. The report, available at www.ins.com/knowledge/surveys.asp, includes the following important findings:

• Half of respondents deem it very important to improve their storage networking capabilities.
• Lowering costs is the current theme for storage networking: it is the top benefit expected, and most important consideration when evaluating a solution. However, a majority of respondents say justifying storage networking costs and benefits to upper management is a significant barrier to achieving their goals.
• Satisfaction with various characteristics of storage networking has increased significantly in the last year, with reliability and performance leading the charge.

Network planners are facing a difficult task in the year ahead: they need to keep IT spending in check and simultaneously convince upper management that investments in technologies like storage networks are necessary to achieve this goal. With the continued explosion in data captured in most enterprises, the survey shows that these planners are relying on storage networks to help them 1) manage their data effectively, 2) provide a secure environment while permitting widespread access, and 3) keep costs at current levels.

INS network industry surveys conducted over the last six years have examined a full range of networking issues and technologies, from network and systems management, to network security, to next generation networking solutions. These projects provide IT/network managers and business executives insights into key issues impacting their ability to develop and deploy network-centric business applications.

For the full results of these surveys, please visit the INS Web site at www.ins.com/knowledge/surveys.asp.