SAN and NAS integration the way ahead

The idea of separate storage-area network (SAN) and network-attached storage (NAS) architectures is being replaced by integrated systems that can directly provide block (SAN) or file (NAS) access dynamically.

That is according to a report by Phil Goodwin, server infrastructure strategies expert at analyst group Meta, on the latest trends in network storage.

Goodwin argues that while storage virtualisation vendors will claim to hide these differences further, as actual virtualisation products emerge, numerous hidden factors will cause IT organisations to proceed cautiously towards virtualisation, or even put it off entirely for another 12 to 24 months.

"IT organisations seeking to optimise both file-level and block-level access have had to trade off between best-of-breed solutions and single vendor solutions that are strong in one area and weak (or non-existent) in the other. Such tradeoffs result in either unoptimised performance or more complicated and perhaps redundant storage management tools in the weak area."

Goodwin said Meta expected that by 2004/05, leading vendors would be providing the broad range of products necessary to qualify as enterprise-class suppliers for heterogeneous environments.

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