Because IP and Ethernet are used for all forms of networks, IT departments will find a plethora of management tools and trained staff readily available to install and to operate networks based on these technologies. Native IP-based storage allows IT managers to handle storage traffic in the same manner in which they handle other network traffic. They will be able to use existing software applications and tools for bandwidth provisioning, traffic management, and overall network management. Adapting storage traffic to IP provides a unified view of all traffic and eliminates the need for separate management systems. Native IP provides significant advantages over tunneling.
Training becomes minimal.
Sourcing and purchasing of equipment becomes simple by the variety of common components. Because the focus in on existing devices and a transition toward IP, IT departments can use their SCSI storage devices, along with their Fibre Channel storage devices, and also incorporate them into the IP infrastructure. Native IP-based storage devices allow data to be stored and accessed anywhere the network will reach. By providing storage devices and network interface cards with the native IP interface, IT managers can deploy and access those devices anywhere on the network. The IP interface enables those storage devices to act as nodes on the network and traffic can be managed through the existing network management tools.