Specifications for supported hardware, however, are not yet available for this concept, which is expected later this year. Thus it cannot yet be categorized as a storage ecosystem. When coping with the dramatic increase in enterprise storage requirements, IT executives should consider a storage ecosystem solution as a cost-effective alternative to merely adding more of the same storage currently installed. Storage ecosystems possess characteristics unique unto themselves. Attachability or connectivity to multiple platforms is a given.
Scalability is taken for granted.
Figure 2 highlights the functionality and software provided or supported by each vendor. As can be seen in this table, backup and recovery functions and device virtualization are the added functions provided in these storage ecosystems. However, each vendor bundles or supports vendor-provided or third party software and IT executives should assess the impact of this software upon existing installations. If, for example, the enterprise already uses considerable EMC-provided software, implementation of the IP4700, FC4700, or Celerra SE may be relatively simple. If, on the other hand, the enterprise is heavily committed to using Tivoli software, implementation of these EMC solutions may be impractical for the simple reason that conversion costs from, and migration cost to, a new software platform are prohibitive.