Storage efficiency is an important topic of discussion with IT staff of companies and vendors.  Evaluator Group has interviewed our IT customers and found a wide range of variability when considering what is included and what constitutes measurements of storage efficiency.  The singular agreement is that storage efficiency can have a major impact on budgets and improving efficiency provides long-term economic benefits.  Storage efficiency improvements are measurable and seen as an opportunity – from both IT staff and vendors.

For IT staffs, measuring storage efficiency is seen as a component in controlling costs – both capital and operational – and in maximizing investments.  Storage efficiency can be one of the key items in Data Center Optimization projects.  What constitutes the elements to consider for storage efficiency varies mostly due to a lack of definition around those elements.  The different contributors to storage efficiency from the IT perspective are considered here with explanations and considerations.

This educational series paper from the Evaluator Group will be a two part explanation in the storage efficiency practice with the focus on the Information Technology operation perspective.  The first part of the series is the IT perspective which encompasses what IT perceives to be the elements and measures for storage efficiency.  The second part of the series will be the vendor perspective.  The second part will provide the focus areas for bringing value in storage efficiency and how the vendors define and measure it.

Please see Storage Efficiency – Vendor Perspective, Section I: System Vendors  and Vendor Perspective, Section II: Storage Vendors