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Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat

Understanding the accumulation of data

Speaking Engagements

Stephen Foskett on stage at Interop Las Vegas 2011

Stephen Foskett is a frequent speaker at industry events. The following list is somewhat complete.

2017

  • Data Center Madness webinar series for ActualTech Media – Topics: “DIY vs. Pre-Integrated”, “VM vs. Containers”, “On-premises vs. Hosted Deployments”

2016

2015

2014

  • SolarWinds Experts & Espresso (August 26, 2014) – Storage I/O is About to Get Crazy
  • Exablox – Emerging Storage Technologies, Changing Needs of Storage
  • SpiceWorld Austin 2014 – It’s the End of Data Storage As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
  • Interop Las Vegas (April 1-3, 2014) – Workshop: Making Sense of Enterprise Storage in the Cloud
  • TechDays San Francisco (June 2014) – From CIFS to SMB: Microsoft Goes from Zero to Hero and Storage Spaces and ReFS: Microsoft’s All-Windows World
  • ExecEvent Next-Gen Storage Summit (Chicago, IL September 17, 2014)
  • Truth in IT: Truth in Storage Seminar Series:
    • Seattle, WA (February 4, 2014)
    • San Francisco, CA (February 6, 2014)
    • Atlanta, GA (April 29, 2014)
    • Dallas, TX (May 1, 2014)
    • Minneapolis, MN (June 10, 2014)
    • Chicago, IL (June 12, 2014)
    • Los Angeles, CA (July 29, 2014)
    • Boston, MA (July 31, 2014)
    • San Jose, CA (September 25, 2014)
    • St. Louis, MO (September 30, 2014)
    • London, England (October 21, 2014)
    • Durham, NC (December 2, 2014)
    • New York, NY (December 4, 2014)

2013

  • VMUG User Conference, Melbourne, Australia (February 7, 2013) – Virtualisation is a Stack of Lies
  • VMUG User Conference, Sydney, Australia (February 5, 2013) – Virtualisation is a Stack of Lies
  • Truth in IT: Truth About Virtualization Seminar Series:
    • Atlanta, GA (February 26, 2013)
    • Houston, TX (February 28, 2013)
    • Seattle, WA (March 26, 2013)
    • San Francisco, CA (March 28, 2013)
    • Chicago, IL (May 2, 2013)
    • St. Paul, MN (May 30, 2013)
    • Toronto, Canada (September 17, 2013)
    • Boston, MA (September 24, 2014)
    • New York, NY (September 26, 2013)
    • San Diego, CA (October 22, 2013)
    • Long Beach, CA (October 24, 2013)
    • San Jose, CA (November 7, 2013)
    • Miami, FL (December 10, 2013)
    • Tampa, FL (December 12, 2013)
  • TechTarget Dinners: Integrating Cloud Storage
    • Minneapolis, MN (March 19, 2013)
    • New York, NY (March 21, 2013)
    • Dallas, TX (September 19, 2013)
    • Philadelphia, PA (October 10, 2013)

2012

  • Building Virtual Infrastructure seminar series – Building a virtual data center includes so much more than installing VMware, Hyper-V, or Xen. Each part of your infrastructure must be optimized for virtualization in order to full take advantage of its functionality. Truth in IT’s Building Virtual Infrastructure Seminars delves into these topics in detail, and features independent content from internationally renowned speaker Stephen Foskett, as well as presentations from sponsoring vendors. These seminars will be free to qualified end-users.
    • Los Angeles, CA (March 6, 2012)
    • Atlanta, GA (March 13, 2012)
    • Boston, MA (April 10, 2012)
    • Chicago, IL (April 31, 2012)
    • Milwaukee, WI (May 2, 2012)
    • New York, NY (May 16, 2012)
    • Columbus, OH (May 30, 2012)
    • London, England (June 20, 2012)
    • Parsippany, NJ (June 28, 2012)
    • Washington, DC (July 25, 2012)
    • San Jose, CA (August 21, 2012)
    • Seattle, WA (August 23, 2012)
    • Denver, CO (October 23, 2012)
    • Salt Lake City, UT (October 25, 2012)
    • Dallas, TX (December 4, 2012)
    • Austin, TX (December 6, 2012)
  • Storage for Virtual Environments seminar series – This series focuses on the challenges of enterprise storage in a virtual infrastructure, the various solutions available to solve complex challenges, and offers a roadmap for leveraging an organization’s virtualization initiatives.
  • The Cube – DellWorld Part 1, Part 2
  • IBM Edge (June 4-7, 2012) – Introducing VMware vSphere Storage Features
  • The Cube – Stephen Foskett – IBM Edge 2012 – theCUBE

2011

  • Storage Expo NL (Nov. 3, 2011) – VMware as Oedipus: How Server Virtualization will Change Storage Forever
  • Interop New York
    • Great Debate: iSCSI Beats Fibre Channel (Oct 6, 2011) – Which one wins is the topic of hot debate as the storage landscape is changing. Is Fibre Channel on its last legs propped up by an entrenched storage ecosystem or is it going to continue to evolve and remain relevant and viable in the enterprise? Will iSCSI supplant FC as the primary storage protocol by breaking out of it’s departmental pigeon hole and into the main stream? This debate will ask attendees to vote at the start of the session and again at the end after the arguments are heard. Bring your questions to stump out panel. Moderator – Howard Marks; Panelists – Stuart Miniman (wikibon), Stephen Foskett
    • FCoE vs. iSCSI – Making the Choice (Oct 5, 2011) – The notion that Fibre Channel is for data centers and iSCSI is for SMB’s and workgroups is outdated. Increases in LAN speeds and the coming of lossless Ethernet position iSCSI as a good fit for the data center. Whether your organization adopts FC or iSCSI depends on many factors like current product set, future application demands, organizational skill-set and budget. In this session we will discuss the different conditions where FC or IsCSI are the right fit, why you should use one and when to kick either to the curb.
  • VMworld 2011 vExpert Meeting: You’re More Powerful Than You Think You Are
  • Storage for Virtual Environments seminar series – This series focuses on the challenges of enterprise storage in a virtual infrastructure, the various solutions available to solve complex challenges, and offers a roadmap for leveraging an organization’s virtualization initiatives.
    • Mar. 10, Philadelphia, PA
    • Jun. 16, Phoenix, AZ
    • Jun. 28, London, UK
    • Aug. 9, Denver, CO
    • Aug. 16, Toronto, ON
    • Aug. 23, Cleveland, OH
    • Sep. 27, Seattle, WA
    • Oct. 18, Dallas, TX
    • Oct. 20, St. Louis, MO
    • Nov. 15, Chicago, IL
  • Storage Decisions Chicago, New York, and San Francisco 2011:
    • Reclaim Capacity with Data Reduction for Primary Storage – Depending on which industry study you read, most companies are wasting anywhere from 30% to 50% of their installed disk capacity, which translates into thousands of dollars spent with no effective return on investment. Storage vendors are beginning to provide tools that can help storage managers make the most of the disk they have installed. For example, data reduction for primary storage borrows data deduplication technology developed for backup and classic compression algorithms to help squeeze the air out of nearline and primary data and reduce its footprint. This session’s topics will include an overview of data reduction technologies and where they will have the greatest impact, what key storage vendors are offering in data reduction and an update on the major players, and the consequences of using primary data dedupe along with dedupe for backups. We’ll also look at the potential for vendor lock-in and consider why we’re reducing data in the first place.
    • Storage Virtualization: Who’s Doing It and Why – Storage virtualization has been around for decades and, although research indicates that 70% of companies have already virtualized at least some of their installed block or file storage, most remain unaware of this technology. Grandiose schemes for comprehensive virtual SANs have given way to more practical host- and array-based virtualization technologies, and server virtualization has created a new opportunity to create a pool of storage. This session will look at the current state of storage virtualization, how to quantify its benefits and describe which approaches are best for particular environments, and also cover how storage virtualization compares to private storage clouds.
  • Interop Las Vegas (May 2011)
    • “What’s Next in Storage” (May 10, 2011) – panel with Vanessa Alvarez (Forrester) and Howard Marks (DeepStorage) – Data storage is the foundation of how IT gets work done. Perhaps more important than server, OS choice, or networking, choosing the right types of storage is critical to ensure that your organization can save and retrieve data. The storage world is rapidly changing. The amount of data that is being stored is increasing. The amount of storage that is being requested is increasing. The way storage is being used and access is changing. In this session, we will go over new technologies including thin provisioning, automated tiering, SSD’s, deduplication, and more. We’ll also cast a look forward to what is coming in the near future.
    • FCoE vs. iSCSI – Making the Choice (May 11, 2011) – The notion that Fibre Channel is for data centers and iSCSI is for SMB’s and workgroups is outdated. Increases in LAN speeds and the coming of lossless Ethernet position iSCSI as a good fit for the data center. Whether your organization adopts FC or iSCSI depends on many factors like current product set, future application demands, organizational skill-set and budget. In this session we will discuss the different conditions where FC or IsCSI are the right fit, why you should use one and when to kick either to the curb.

2010

  • USENIX LISA (November 2010) “Storage Over Ethernet: What’s In It For Me?” – “Convergence is coming, or so the storage, network, and server vendors want us to believe. Fibre Channel is moving to Ethernet with FCoE, and SCSI is already there, thanks to iSCSI. But why is everything heading to Ethernet and what’s the value to the system administrator and the business? This session gives an overview of this new “everything over Ethernet” world, from DCB to virtual I/O, and offers practical advice on systems architecture, how long to wait, and when to buy.”
  • E-STORM (21 October 2010) “Re-Architecting Storage for Server Virtualization”
  • Interop New York (October 20 2010) “State of the Art Thin Provisioning” – The concept of thin provisioning is not new, but the state of the art has advanced, adding awareness between the operating system and storage device for enhanced efficiency. This session introduces the value proposition and concept of thin provisioning, covers the technology of the major thin storage vendors (3PAR, BlueArc, Compellent, Dell, EMC, HDS, HP, IBM, NetApp, Pillar) and operating system integration layers (Symantec, VMware, and T10), and presents novel approaches from Data Robotics, Apple, and cloud storage systems. We will present the pros and cons of these various approaches in the context of enterprise storage management.
  • Storage Decisions New York (Sep 20, 2010)
    • “Not All Thin Provisioning is Created Equal” The concept of thin provisioning is not new, but the state of the art has advanced, adding awareness between the operating system and storage device for enhanced efficiency. This session introduces the value proposition and concept of thin provisioning, covers the technology of the major thin storage vendors (3PAR, BlueArc, Compellent, Dell, EMC, HDS, HP, IBM, NetApp, Pillar) and operating system integration layers (Symantec, VMware, and T10), and presents novel approaches from Data Robotics, Apple, and cloud storage systems. Stephen Foskett will present the pros and cons of these various approaches in the context of enterprise storage management.
    • “Automated Storage Tiering: Changing Everything About RAID” You may know a lot about storage, but automated storage tiering changes everything. Modern storage systems combine excellent performance and low cost by moving data between RAID levels, drive types, and solid state disks. The best are the most automated and granular, eliminating the need for complicated hand-tuning and reducing overall cost. This session examines the impact of automated storage tiering and how it changes our assumptions about cost, performance, and RAID technology. Stephen will cover both in-array technology and software tiering approaches.
  • E-STORM (20 May 2010) “State of the Art Enterprise Storage”
  • Interop Las Vegas (April 28 2010)
    • “State of the Art Thin Provisioning” – The concept of thin provisioning is not new, but the state of the art has advanced, adding awareness between the operating system and storage device for enhanced efficiency. This session introduces the value proposition and concept of thin provisioning, covers the technology of the major thin storage vendors (3PAR, BlueArc, Compellent, Dell, EMC, HDS, HP, IBM, NetApp, Pillar) and operating system integration layers (Symantec, VMware, and T10), and presents novel approaches from Data Robotics, Apple, and cloud storage systems. We will present the pros and cons of these various approaches in the context of enterprise storage management.
    • “The Right Approach to Cloud Storage” – Enterprises are now leveraging cloud storage services at a rapid pace and are looking for qualified answers on how using a cloud platform can increase efficiency and ROI simultaneously. The old model of purchasing expensive storage systems or using large amounts of tape are prehistoric, adapting a new approach to storage is necessary in today’s tough economic climate as budgets continue to be slashed and performance upkeep is critical. This session will enable users to learn about the benefits and economies of scale as it relates to developing/implementing a cloud storage solution, a focus will be placed on performance, cost-effectiveness, user experience, and customer service/satisfaction.

2009

  • Storage Decisions New York 2009 – “Storage Is Supposed To Be Getting Cheaper!”
  • VNU Storage Expo NL, November 5 2009 – “Extreme Tiered Storage”

2008

2007

  • Storage Decisions New York 2007
    • Advanced Storage School I – In this session, Stephen Foskett, Director of Data Practice for Contoural discusses the different types of storage arrays, switches, and software that make up a storage network. Stephen covers the basics in Fibre Channel, IP and NAS — to help any organization determine which interconnect and storage platform is the best fit.
    • Advanced Storage School II – Stephen Foskett discusses the evolution of SANs from standalone entities, to islands and beyond. Using such techniques as dual connections or multipathing can make a substantial difference in the way data is moved and processed. These techniques can also make a big difference in your company’s consolidation plans — which can save resources, time and money.

2006

  • Storage Decisions New York 2006
    • SAN School 101
    • SAN School 201
  • Storage Decisions Las Vegas 2006
    • SAN School 101
    • SAN School 201
  • Storage World Conference, Boston MA, September 19-21 2005
    • Panel, “iSCSI – Bigger than the Wire”, September 20
  • Storage World Conference, Long Beach CA, June 20-22 2006 – “Data management’s missing link: Developing an effective archiving strategy for Email and Other Mission Critical Data”

2005

  • Storage Decisions Chicago 2005
    • SAN School I – This session focuses on the storage topics and concepts that we in the industry sometimes take for granted.
    • SAN School II – This session focuses on IP storage and iSCSI in particular. Foskett discusses the various IP SAN protocols, differentiates them from more established technologies and discusses how to bring iSCSI into your data center.
    • Tiered storage options – This session focuses on the practical application of tiered storage concepts. We will discuss the case for tiered storage and two common methods of implementing the concept.
  • Storage Decisions New York 2005
    • Storage Management School – This session serves as an introduction to the world of storage management, from basic topics like organizing your storage management team to an overview of software products that can help streamline common tasks.
  • Storage Decisions Las Vegas 2005
    • SAN School, I – This session focuses on the storage topics and concepts that we in the industry sometimes take for granted. Stephen starts with an overview of the various components and terms, such as the difference among SAN, NAS and DAS, and continues with RAID levels and how they are commonly used. He wraps it all up finishes with an overview of the major storage devices.
    • SAN School, II – This session focuses on IP storage, and iSCSI in particular. Stephen discusses the various IP SAN protocols, differentiates them from more established technologies and discusses how to bring iSCSI into your data center.
  • Storage World Conference June 7-9, 2005

2004

  • Storage Decisions Chicago 2004
    • “Tiered storage — process is key” – Focusing on process maturity as a key success factor, Stephen Foskett discusses the components of a tiered internal storage utility.
    • “Storage Management School” – This session serves as an introduction to the world of storage management, from basic topics like organizing your storage management team to an overview of software products that can help streamline common tasks.
  • Storage Decisions New York, April 26-28 2004
    • “Building a Storage Management Group” – With the increasing complexity storage management brings to an organization it may be wise to think about setting up an internal storage group within your IT department. Stephen Foskett covers how many admins you need, what their responsibilities are and how to align staffing resources with requirements.
    • “Mature Process Underpinning a Tiered Storage Utility”
  • Storage Decisions, February 2004 – “Building a Storage Management Group”

2003