Storage Virtualization
What is Storage Virtualization?
Storage virtualization, also known as block-level storage virtualization, is
a method of combining multiple networked storage devices into a single storage
pool. Why do you need optimal storage virtualization software? You need it to
expand your storage capacity and maximise storage efficiency. But virtualization
has advantages beyond the obvious, and typically delivers one or more of the
following additional benefits:
- Managing data is simpler and faster since most chores are centralised.
- No downtime to replace drives or re-route data - the virtualization software
provides a safety net if something uncommon happens.
- Backup, mirroring, and replication are faster and better. The speed of synchronisation
ensures that backups are current and data is safe, so disaster recovery is
not a disaster.
- The distribution of data storage allows greater flexibility, with storage
of data in a remote site or even in multiple sites, all invisible to the host
servers and users.
- Reduced power requirements - Storage arrays are among the largest consumers
of power in a data centre.
- Allocate storage on-the-fly, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of
storage provisioning
- Maximise storage flexibility by easily configuring storage as virtual tape
libraries and/or any mix of standalone virtual tape drives or disk volumes
- Ensure that no storage capacity is wasted while eliminating the manual effort
and guesswork of sizing, configuring, provisioning and deleting virtual tape
cartridges
- Huge scalability without impacting I/O activity, host connectivity or performance
- Dramatically simplify the management of complex, dispersed storage resources
- Recover data from a specific point in time - even in the event of operating system corruption with snapshot technology
