With the year at the halfway mark, what better time to revisit the top trends in storage networking?
Yes, we know: Normally, we undertake our "official" look at top trends in December. But this year is different. With the economy in flux and budgets tightened, it's helpful to take the pulse of the industry as often as possible. After all, that's what the bosses in the corner office are doing, right?
The half-year mark (or thereabouts) is auspicious for this exercise, since there's been time for earlier predictions to gel -- or liquefy. There have also been a few conferences and tradeshows that prompt big announcements.
So what's hot in storage right now? Here's a list, gleaned strictly from editorial observation:
Green IT. Storage arrays that require less space, power, and cooling are the rage and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Reducing the resource footprint isn't just politically correct -- it's a fact of survival, given the spiraling costs of fossil-fuel reliance and the environmental mandates around emissions control. IDC, for instance, puts power and cooling at over $1 billion annually.
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