InformationWeek Reports : Storage and Servers

Fundamentals: ARMed and Dangerous?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:11:51 -0500

As ARM chips go beyond being just the power inside iPads and Kindle Fires, Intel and AMD have reason to worry. Enterprise IT, on the other hand, can expect more choice and savings in end-user computing and data center consolidation projects, as ARM innovation positively affects procurement of infrastructure gear and related application development and migration.

InformationWeek Digital Issue: February 6, 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:45:03 -0500

Leap Of Cloud Faith
>> IT's diving in with too much custom code and too little planning
>> Six Flags and Yelp show what works

Fundamentals: How to Write an Effective SAN RFI

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:33:00 -0500

Storage and networking are ground zero for the next enterprise data center upgrade wave. This time, architecture designs will be based on virtualization and private clouds, not discrete servers and local disks. Translation: Plenty of IT teams are in the market for SANs. Here’s how to make vendors work for your business.

IT Pro Impact: Windows Developer Road Map

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:37:14 -0500

Ready to catch the Metro? Windows 8 is a major shift, with features borrowed from desktop gadgets and mobile devices, and it brings a slew of new paradigms for developers. Here's what you need to know.

Research: IT Pro Ranking: Data Center Networking

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:11:34 -0500

Cisco has an iron grip on the data center network. One reason is its reputation for quality: The company scores a 4.3 out of 5 for reliability, a rating no other vendor matched. That said, technology and market changes are loosening Cisco’s hold. Will the shift to virtual infrastructure, next-gen Ethernet and commodity switching components change the vendor pecking order? More than 500 IT pros weighed in to evaluate 7 vendors.

Strategy: Delegation Delivers Virtualization Savings

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:35:08 -0500

IT can't--and shouldn't--maintain absolute control over highly virtualized infrastructures. Instituting a smart role-based control strategy to decentralize management can empower business units to prioritize their own data assets while freeing IT to focus on the next big project.

3 Paths to Network Convergence

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:44:57 -0500

Separate data and storage networks might have been necessary when Fast Ethernet was pitted against speedy, special-purpose Fibre Channel, but Ethernet’s breakneck evolutionary path has obviated most of the performance differences. We'll examine the trends behind network convergence, the issues early convergence pioneers face and three deployment scenarios for those considering the switch.

Strategy: Database Access

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:35:54 -0500

Role-based access control based on least user privilege is one of the most effective ways to prevent the compromise of corporate data. But proper provisioning is a growing challenging, due to the proliferation of big data, NoSQL databases and cloud-based data storage.

IT Pro Ranking: LAN Equipment Vendors

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:18:30 -0500

Cisco leads on the LAN, with an overall score of 77% based on product reliability, product performance and other key criteria, but HP, Dell and others are finding ways to compete. Find out how 444 IT pros who use and evaluate LAN equipment compare vendors.

Data Center

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:46:05 -0500

Virtualization was just the first step to a modern architecture. Now it’s time to take on storage and networking, too.

InformationWeek: November 14, 2011

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:16:36 -0500

Hadoopla! -- Windows -- One view of the truth, at last-- The CIA and the cloud -- IBM's new leader -- iPhone 4S enterprise test -- BYOD? Think data security first 46

State of Servers

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:37:06 -0500

Physical servers now host dozens of applications. Talk about too big to fail.

Research: Deduplication Grows Up

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:09:52 -0400

Our latest survey shows that IT is over the hype curve of deduplication. Now storage professionals can settle in and learn to maximize the value of this data-reduction technology.

Inside OpenFlow

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:33:34 -0400

Software-defined networking has a lot to prove in the modern, virtualized data center.

DLL Hell Redux

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:23:29 -0400

One way around the latest dynamic link library problem.

Research: IT Process Automation

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:06:02 -0400

Big enterprise systems management vendors have been on an acquisition run, assembling tools to support the 68% of respondents striving to orchestrate workflows across public and private clouds and automate their data centers. Have they been successful? While 46% say IT process automation is still too difficult, it's early yet: 53% have been at it less than three years. We'll explore best practices and key tools.

IT Pro Ranking: Deduplication Products

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:26:38 -0400

More than 400 IT pros weighed in on deduplication products. Dell/Compellent was ranked highest for overall performance, with NetApp and EMC/Avamar close behind. While vendors battle over in-line vs. post-process architectures, IT isn't ready to pick a winner.

InformationWeek: October 12, 2011

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:18:41 -0400

State Of Servers: Virtualization support, memory, and bandwidth are in, our annual survey finds. Unified fabrics and efficiency? Not so much.

Research: State of Server Technology

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:28:50 -0400

Why are 29% of our 676 respondents demanding upwards of 65 GB of memory capacity in their typical x86 servers? Maybe because virtualization means each box is potentially home to dozens of applications. We’ll take the temperature of the server market: What are the 37% who are buying more servers really looking for, what’s new and what’s shaking with each major subsystem? Hint: It’s likely not unified stacks, which are in use by a rarefied 12% of respondents.

InformationWeek: October 10, 2011

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:28:10 -0400

Big (Fast, Complex, Varied, Costly) Data -- How To Craft A Cloud SLA -- IT against the economy -- Secret CIO: Hello, RIM? -- Oracle's grand Sparc plan -- Stop career-killing IT projects --IW Research: Yours free

Research: Virtualization Management

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:52:31 -0400

The launch of VMware's latest flagship hypervisor raised more questions than answers. While VMware continues to redefine the virtualization game, rivals -- mainly Microsoft and Citrix but also Oracle, Red Hat and even Ubuntu—are vying for market share. And enterprise IT is obliging. But will this platform heterogeneity hamper our quest for pervasive virtualization?

IT Pro Impact: HP's Strategy

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:44:56 -0400

Our survey finds that technology professionals don’t understand where HP is headed -- and where they do have a glimpse of the new direction, they don’t like it.

InformationWeek Digital Supplement: September 2011

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:41:51 -0400

Content Chaos -- ECM In The Clouds

IT Pro Impact: VMware/vSphere 5

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:32:32 -0400

This hot new technology is overshadowed by poor licensing policy choices. Our survey finds IT committed to virtualization but re-evaluating its hypervisor strategies. Will VMware’s misstep let Hyper-V make inroads into enterprise data centers?

Data Centers: Virtual vs. Physical

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:13:59 -0400

In the battle for data center supremacy, virtualization doesn't always win. The top challenger: high-end database appliances.