Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

SNIA DATA MANAGEMENT FORUM TO TACKLE DATA, LIFECYCLE ISSUES

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) announced the formation of the Data Management Forum (DMF). The DMF will focus on defining, implementing, qualifying and teaching improved methods for the protection, retention and lifecycle management of data.

Targeted for IT professionals, this unique, cooperative initiative is dedicated to education, as well as defining and building data protection and management capabilities in data centers.

"The SNIA Board of Directors has high expectations for the DMF," said Sheila Childs, chair of the SNIA. "Our organization has worked hard to bring real value to the community of IT professionals focused on networked storage. The DMF will push this end-user focus even further and pursue an active agenda of fundamentally improving market practices in the areas of data protection and management."

In a related move, the Enhanced Backup Solutions Initiative (EBSI) concurrently announced its agreement with the SNIA to incorporate the EBSI within the DMF. EBSI was an independent initiative designed to promote a similar mission to that of the DMF, and the organizations have decided to join forces for maximum effect.

Kevin Daly, former EBSI Board member, said, "The EBSI Board of Directors is excited about the impact on data protection and information lifecycle management practices that the SNIA's DMF will have. By rolling EBSI programs into the SNIA DMF, we will be able to consolidate industry efforts in a way that will drive real value to IT professionals faced with daunting data management challenges. It's exciting that the storage industry can work together so closely on something so important."

The SNIA DMF's board of directors consists of: Don Trimmer, Alacritus; Kevin Daly, Avamar; Charles Curtis, HP; Phil Mills, IBM; Victoria Grey, LEGATO Systems; Gerald Lopatin, Network Appliance; Rob Pickell, Quantum; and Ray Clarke, Sun Microsystems. Curtis has been elected DMF chair, Clarke was elected vice-chair, and Mills was elected secretary and treasurer. Michael Peterson, president of Strategic Research Corporation, has been retained by the DMF as its new program director, a role he held for the EBSI.

Peterson said, "The timing of the SNIA DMF's formation couldn't have been better. IT professionals face daunting challenges in managing, protecting, and retaining critical data within their organizations. We believe that the storage industry has a unique opportunity through leadership and collaboration to assist its IT partners in making rapid progress against these challenges."

The DMF is launching with two active initiatives. The Data Protection Initiative focused on completing and delivering work projects begun under the EBSI such as designing an architectural model for data protection; publishing a glossary and implementation guidelines for data protection and refining and operating the EnhancedBackup IT portal. The second initiative is the new Information Lifecycle Management Initiative focused on a similar set of programs for this important new operating practice.

The new organization will publicly debut at Storage Networking World (SNW) later this month where they will have exhibit space, hold membership meetings, and participate in a variety of interoperability demonstrations, panels and tutorials.

Existing EBSI corporate and end-user memberships will automatically transfer to the new forum. New sponsors and end-user memberships are being accepted into the DMF today. For additional information, to get involved, and to join, visit www.SNIA.org/dmf.