Storage Area Network - Our Approach

At NIVID, we understand and recognise that needs assessment is the way forward while considering implementation of a SAN. You will need to consider the following questions concerning your company’s existing storage infrastructure:

	Can we afford to continue with the existing storage infrastructure, if so, for how long?
	What would be the costs related to scaling the existing storage infrastructure?
	What would be some of the other associated and intangible costs associated with the existing storage infrastructure?
	What would be the cost projections when a SAN or some other storage solution becomes a feasible alternative?
	What are the inherent risks associated with continuing to use the existing storage infrastructure versus moving to a SAN?
	What would be an appropriate exit strategy?
	Should we use in-house IT resources, or develop a partnership with a storage architect and a SAN/NAS Consultant to implement the SAN?

SAN implementation strategy

When the decision is made to implement a SAN, the organization needs to develop a solid SAN implementation strategy to ensure that a measurable return on the investment can be shown.

Implementing a SAN with inhouse IT personnel

Most IT departments do not have the expertise with SAN technology to make an informed assessment of the various available options or to calculate a return on the investment as it concerns SANs. The cost to develop this expertise could be significant, both in actual pounds spent and in opportunity costs related to deployment of scarce IT resources. The costs could literally range from a few thousand to millions of pounds, depending on the size and complexity of the proposed SAN.

Areas of potential cost consideration when analyzing, designing, and implementing a SAN solution with in-house IT resources doing the work are the following:

Educating IT employees:

	Training costs
	Time

Testing the interoperability of the various components:

	Time
	Determining component costs
	Determining which equipment to test
	Determining best-of-breed products

Sorting of vendors:

Determining the best vendor for each product

Developing the expertise for the SAN implementation:

	Developing the design methodology
	Installing the SAN
	Testing the SAN implementation
	Identifying problems
	Providing technical support

Staying current with evolving technology:

	Storage roadmaps
	Incorporating future products

Those are all potential areas of cost that an organization must consider when planning to implement a SAN with in-house IT personnel doing the work. Given that, perhaps the best strategy would be to form a partnership with a SAN integration vendor. With NIVID, you can be rest assured to find valued assistance, guidance on many SAN vendors to choose from, including storage technology manufacturers, platform providers, and independent storage architects.

Clients also benefit from a long and rewarding partnership NIVID has maintained with diverse SAN Vendors through out UK.

To find out if your organisation qualifies for a free Storage Needs Assessment audit conducted at your premises please click here.