Thin provisioning is a topic that is interesting to me. Now, I have to warn you ahead of time that I've been a critic of thin provisioning for a long, long time. So, you're really not going to get a big cheer leader "rah rah" session here. I feel like too many people use technologies like thin provisioning more for political and management problems than technical problems. … [Read more...] about Storage is Not Getting Cheaper
TCO
Is GDrive Finally Being Launched?
Today, Google announced that their existing Docs platform will soon open up to storage of all file types. This was widely anticipated, as Google evolved the Docs service over the past year and added references to "Files" rather than specific document types. This could be the next step towards the long-rumored "GDrive" storage offering. Although Google insists that this is … [Read more...] about Is GDrive Finally Being Launched?
The Dumb Disk Fallacy
I am spending a few weeks examining the truths and fictions that bind our industry together. Let's start with one of my favorite old canards: That enterprise storage must be overpriced because bare disk drives are so cheap. I have seen this straw man argument set up by so many throughout my career that it has become laughably predictable. Every time a new high or low point … [Read more...] about The Dumb Disk Fallacy
We Hold These (Storage) Truths…
I usually welcome discussion (and even argument) about the things I know best: There is always more to learn, and the best insights come through engaging those who disagree with us. But some ideas have been argued so well for so long that they deserve enshrinement. For example, although non-scientists like to argue about evolution and climate change, the scientific community no … [Read more...] about We Hold These (Storage) Truths…
My Cloud Slam Topic: Enterprise Storage (Predictable?)
I am pleased to be part of Cloud Slam '09, the cloud computing virtual conference! My presentation on Monday evening focuses on the emergence of cloud storage in the enterprise space: Why it's important, what it is, and how to act on it. I start by talking about the drivers, including the unexpectedly high cost of storage and the failures of tiered storage so far. I then … [Read more...] about My Cloud Slam Topic: Enterprise Storage (Predictable?)