"Server and storage consolidation'--report.

Simplifying an organisations' systems infrastructure through consolidation can significantly reduce costs and have a direct impact in the bottom line of the business--says Butler Group in its latest report, Server and Storage Consolidation--Optimising IT Infrastructure to Meet the Demands of the Enterprise

Comment: However, there are several pitfalls for the unwary. Before any organisation can even contemplate any IT infrastructure optimisation initiative it is imperative that asset and inventory management processes, and common management tools are put in place. It is no good starting any consolidation without a clear picture of the current environment. What is the point--if, like 9 out of 10 companies, you don't know what you have. How will you know if the changes have improved the situation? The report also stresses that whilst cost and the financial implications of consolidation are important there are many other benefits that should also be considered. A consolidation opportunity should be used to align the IT infrastructure with enterprise strategy to meet current and future business demands. It is often the case that high profile enterprise-wide projects such as CRM, ERP and supply chain systems are thwarted by the inflexibility of the existing distributed architecture.

The initial stage of the planning process is to identify exactly what needs to be done to ensure that records are authentic when stored and retrieved. It's no good being able to store information if you can't access it in 5-10 years when the organisation is called upon to deliver important historical information. Equally, it is no use to anyone if the records can be retrieved, but the integrity of these records can not clearly be established. Either of these failures can result in serious legal and business consequences.

One key element in establishing archival storage trustworthiness is to select the correct storage medium for the task at hand. Since there are dramatically different site requirements, no one storage technology will fit all archive environments. Optical, tape and even magnetic disk storage has a place in the archive equation. However, it is critical for companies to consider the demands of their business before listening to hardware vendors that may be trying to force-fit their technology into the archive space. The wrong choice could prove very costly indeed. www.storage-expo.com.