Chuck's Blog

Towards Virtual Storage

Virtualization concepts have changed forever how we think about servers and compute.  What was once a handy tactical tool to squeeze more efficiency from servers has become the strategic foundation for tomorrow's cloud.

But virtualization concepts aren't limited to servers -- they also will make a powerful impact in the storage domain as well.  And -- when considered alongside server virtualization -- the resulting potential for builders and users of enterprise IT is nothing short of spectacular.

'Tis The Season Of Excellent Posts

I know, I flout one of the "conventional wisdom" rules of blogging: link to other people's stuff as much as possible.  I have no excuse, other than perhaps I'm lazy.

Over the last few days, though, I've seen some excellent postings from the people I follow.  I don't know whether it's the season, or people just getting more proficient -- but I'm really starting to enjoy some of these posts.

See how many of these you've seen.

Data Protection Advisor -- Another Hidden EMC Gem

So many cool products, so little time.

One of the most successful -- and perhaps least widely known -- products in EMC's sprawling portfolio is EMC Data Protection Advisor.

Based on our acquisition of WysDM, we've continually enhanced and extended the product's capabilities where -- today -- most people are seriously surprised as to what it can do, and how well it does what it does. 

Frankly speaking, I think it's under-marketed.

And, if your job involves protecting lots of different forms of information with a wide variety of tools, you might be interested in this post.

2009 At EMC -- A Retrospect

It's the time of the year where we all write our "year in review" posts, as well as our "looking ahead to 2010" prognostications.  This year, I'm going to focus on EMC-related news.

Why?  It's been an exceptionally busy year for all of us.  And, to a certain extent, what happens at EMC emblematic of the rapid pace of change and evolution across our industry.

Ready for a whirlwind tour of 2009? 

If you follow EMC, see how many of these stories you remember ...

RSA SecurBook For VMware View

This just in.

One of our premises is that -- as we virtualize -- certain disciplines can be made *far better* than they were in the physical world.  Security is a prime example.

Nowhere does this play out as much as with virtual desktops.  In the security landscape, they're the endpoint that causes everyone to lose sleep.

If that sort of thing is on your mind, I invite you to take a look at this rather beefy "how to" document from EMC's RSA division. 

Remember, it's not about making it "as good as" ... it's about making it far better ...

This Friday Is "Hug Your Security Professional" Day

OK, I admit it. 

Until EMC acquired RSA, I attempted to stay far away from security-related discussions.  Usually, these involved very hard questions with very few good answers.  Or so I thought.

Now that I've been orbiting around RSA and their world of security professionals for several years, my perspective has changed dramatically.

It's an increasingly important topic to both us as IT professionals, and us as consumers.

The questions are getting harder, but the answers are getting much better.

And, most often, the people who focus on security are perhaps the most under-appreciated group within the technology realm.

I mean, really, how many of us welcome a visit from our security people?  My impression is that it's right up there with visit from HR, legal or the finance auditors.

And that needs to change ...

The New ROI

In the EMC marketing world, I'm known as "that technology guy".  In the EMC technology world, I'm known as "that marketing guy".  Actually, I'm not really good at either :-)

What I really enjoy is interacting with EMC's customers and partners.  They are some of the most astute IT practitioners on the planet, and they've always got something worthwhile to share.

And, in that spirit, I'll offer you a nugget I picked up from one of them a while back ...

EMC And Microsoft: Towards A More Balanced Perspective

Yesterday was a busy day.  EMC made our big FAST announcement.  And, almost as an attempt to  distract, one of our competitors announced an expanded relationship with Microsoft.

The majority of the buzz yesterday was around the first topic.  That's good. But I noticed a thread of speculation that perhaps EMC and Microsoft were moving farther apart?

Nothing could be further than the truth.

So, I thought I'd use this post to share with you a bit of detail behind the scenes.  If you're interested in Microsoft, or just how corporate alliances work in the IT world, you might be interested in this post.

FAST And The Continuing Virtualization Of Storage - Part 3

This post is the third (and hopefully final) post in a series triggered by EMC's announcement of FAST going GA today.

The first post described the primary impacts of the FAST technology, and noted similarities / synergies between the virtualization of servers and the continuing virtualization of storage.

The second post juxtaposed FAST technology with other storage efficiency technologies, and offered up a new take on storage tiering, most of which is generally available as of today.

This post goes even further, and talks a bit about how people and process will likely change going forward, especially for those of you who touch storage on a daily basis.

FAST And The Continuing Virtualization Of Storage - Part 2

In my previous post, I attempted to present some of the basic impacts of FAST -- fully automated storage tiering, and how they were reflective of a Big Theme I want call the continuing virtualization of storage.

This theme plays out in two primary ways -- one of which is storage's continuing alignment with fully virtualized servers and networks.  And the other is how -- once we fully abstract logical from physical -- many more things are possible in the storage domain than we might previously have assumed.

This second post digs in deep on the second idea -- what new things are now possible once we fully embrace "virtualized storage"? 

And one of those "new things" is an entirely new take on storage tiering.