Opening the floodgates on missing drives
News headlines about portable storage devices going missing are as common as muck, but the problem could be even more widespread than you suspect.
News headlines about portable storage devices going missing are as common as muck, but the problem could be even more widespread than you suspect.
It's nice that Google says it has put an effort into making its datacentres more energy efficient, but the search giant's pledges won't mean much until it discloses just how many of the beasties it's actually running.
Pronouncing that a given device doesn't need any more storage is a near-foolproof recipe for looking stupid somewhere down the line. However, I'm sceptical that many people need a 16GB mini-SD card for their phone.
Faced with the thought of a USB drive, notebook PC or backup tape going missing, most IT managers look to some form of encryption as the first layer of defence. However, according to one storage security expert, that's largely a pointless exercise.
There's a standard checklist of items you'll need to include for a datacentre: raised flooring, easy access toredundant power supplies, an air conditioner the size of a small hotel room, but chances are you don't have a kitchen in there.
It takes a fair bit of nerve to charge anything to fix up a botched product, but Microsoft's $14.95 price to get a physical copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 really takes some beating for sheer gall.
Google has always enjoyed being secretive about its largely custom-built data centres, so I imagine there are a few furrowed brows following the widespread reports about its application for a patent to build offshore datacentres, which could draw their power from the ocean waves.
If you think two-thirds of your IT is mission-critical, you're either running an incredibly lean and efficient operation or you haven't got a clue how many applications you have and which ones you need to manage.
For a large-scale storage project, it's not uncommon to go out to tender for the best deal — but when was the last time you had to put together a tender for a document management room?
People wereapparently switching their brains off before joining the 3G iPhone queues, soit's somewhat surprising that considering an appropriate amount ofstorage was quite a high priority for many buyers.
Trying to understand the logic behind Microsoft's development decisions is a bit like S&M: it's a painful activity probably best left to others. But a recent example from the storage world does suggest something about Microsoft's "people will beat up on us regardless" dilemma.
The issue of how best to handle large email inboxes is a perennial topic here at Snorage, and it doesn't only affect enterprise customers.
Mammoth growth in storage volumes is a fact of life, but even so it's helpful to pause occasionally and try and work out whether our information strategies have fallen hopelessly out of step with the pace of technological growth and changes in costs.
Shoving everything into a hosted environment effectively creates a quick and dirty disaster recovery strategy.
Celebrity comes with its perks — free alcohol, better-looking partners, lots of holiday time — and disadvantages — constant media intrusions, being forced to appear in films with Eddie Murphy for the long-term good of your career, and having to do mindless radio interviews with angry men who've been awake since 4am.