Advisory Note:
EMA Advisory Note: Storage Efficiencies

Date: 09/08/2009

Length: 5 pages

Cost: $99.00

Abstract:
Storage efficiency is not a technology in and of itself; it is an approach to doing business that integrates a company’s corporate IT, facilities and operational management components. Being storage efficient includes having the right technology get to the data needed when and how it is needed. Not only is it a technological approach to storage management, it is a pragmatic approach to storage that looks not only at what is
expedient, but also what is necessary to meet regulatory needs and financial capabilities.

As the price of storage devices falls, the ability to store more and more data increases. However, storing data for its own sake is not necessarily useful. Efficiently storing data so that workflow is optimized and the information is accessible within the parameters set by company policy and government regulation should be the objective.

Saving data without a plan to manage and control it can cause a storage nightmare. The IT manager needs a plan to access the data, secure it, back it up, and also (very important but often ill-planned), dispose of it. Ultimately, managing data and workflow are the cornerstones of storage efficiencies.

This EMA Advisory Note – based on the in-depth EMA 2009 research report, Employing Storage Efficiencies for Optimizing the Storage Infrastructure and Reducing Facilities Expenses – provides more detail on the importance of storage efficiency, some key findings from the research, and key recommendations for developing an effective storage efficiency plan.