Byte and Switch Insider Reports on File Storage VirtualizationPRNewswire IT administrators love the ease of use and affordability of network-attached storage, but for many, building out NAS amounts to being taken hostage by equipment suppliers. Devices from different vendors often fail to interoperate, making scaleability and efficiency a data-center pipe dream. The latest report from Byte and Switch Insider (http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider), entitled File Storage Virtualization: Toward a Universal NAS, explores a solution. By aggregating and re-directing files to back-end locations according to user-defined criteria, file storage virtualization (FSV) devices surmount incompatibility issues and ensure greater storage efficiency. Basically, they create a universal NAS out of multiple disparate hardware devices. This report is the second in a two-part series that last month provided a comprehensive look at block storage virtualization (BSV) engines. (See Start Your Engines: Block-Level Storage Virtualization, Byte and Switch Insider, Vol. 4, No. 1, January 2006.) Unlike BSVs, which work at the most basic level of SAN communications, FSVs work with upper-layer file system protocols: Common Internet File System for Windows and Network File System for Unix. Simply put, block virtualization happens in SAN environments, while file virtualization is for NAS environments. FSVs have been widely adopted by enterprises such as Goldman Sachs, Raytheon, and UPS -- companies not typically known as early adopters. And unlike block-level products, which long suffered from a lack of support by large vendors, FSVs have been embraced by EMC and NetApp. Still, FSVs remain relatively immature, with uneven feature sets. Part of the problem is that the science of virtualizing upper-layer protocols is still being developed. Yet despite any evolutionary drawbacks, FSVs appear to be entrenched: "FSV adopters emphatically stress that they'd never go back," says Anne R. Gabriel, the author of the report. "Those who have deployed FSV engines say the benefits far exceed the costs." This report provides an overview of FSV technology, including a detailed comparison of competing solutions and a strategic analysis of the players in this market. A separate Appendix, in Excel format, provides the most comprehensive comparison of FSV products ever assembled. Solutions from the following private companies are covered: Acopia Networks Inc., Cloverleaf Communications Inc., NeoPath Networks Inc. and NuView Inc. Solutions from the following public companies are covered: EMC Corp. and Network Appliance. File Storage Virtualization: Toward a Universal NAS is available as part of an annual subscription (12 monthly issues) to Byte and Switch Insider, priced at $1,350. Individual reports are available for $900. To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider. To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact: Jeff Claudino Director of Sales Insider Research Services 619-229-9940 claudino@lightreading.com For review copies, members of the media may contact: Gabriel Brown Chief Analyst Insider Research Services 44-20-7701-9330 brown@lightreading.com About Light Reading Light Reading Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMP Media, is a B-to-B network information provider. Light Reading publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; and http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking. Light Reading is also affiliated with http://www.heavyreading.com/, a market research site for quantitative analysis of telecom technology to carriers, service providers, and vendors. About CMP Media Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP Media (http://www.cmp.com/) has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight, and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. SOURCE: Byte and Switch Insider CONTACT: Jeff Claudino, Director of Sales of Insider Research Services, Web site: http://www.byteandswitch.com/ |