Second, the data you want to keep on primary storage can be better optimized -- Storwize Inc. 's in-line compression appliance or NetApp Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP)'s de-dupe are good early examples. Riverbed Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: RVBD), EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC), and others have all indicated that primary storage optimization is on their radar screens as well.
Third, and often left out of a PSO discussion, is the optimization of captive capacity, or storage that is allocated but not used. You can't de-dupe what isn't there. Here, thin provisioning pioneered by companies like 3PAR Inc. and Compellent Technologies Inc. can reduce this problem. EMC, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) , and just about every other storage manufacturer have implemented some form of thin provisioning. With the latest Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) and 3PAR announcements, and the announcement last summer by Compellent of Free Space Recovery, the technology is being extended to, not only thin volumes initially, but also to keep the volumes thin as files get deleted.
In 2009, the need is legitimate. You are running out of capacity, and the systems to optimize both the archive tier and the primary tier are effective. As a result, Primary Storage Optimization will not go the way of ILM.
George Crump is founder of Storage Switzerland , which provides strategic consulting and analysis to storage users, suppliers, and integrators. Prior to Storage Switzerland, he was CTO at one of the nation's largest integrators.
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