Thus, we can fit more information in less space, reducing overall costs. This is especially good news for server vendors such as Compaq, Dell, IBM, HP and Digital Equipment, which bundle internal storage with many of their server products. Most of these vendors also have announced storage strategies that include external Fibre Channel-attached storage for clustered servers. Third, like other industries, the storage market is undergoing consolidation. The merger announced last month between Storage Dimensions and Artecon is a case in point.
Mergers are inevitable, given the evolutionary pace of storage technology.
There are just too many specialty vendors that will have to close ranks to offer broader product lines to a burgeoning PC LAN market. This industry consolidation means you have to look more closely at the viability of your storage solution provider. So now that you know why you should give some thought to your primary storage solution, let's look at your options. The choices basically come down to internal vs. external storage. Internal storage usually refers to a RAID that is a physical component of your server.