Higher Quality and Lower Cost. It's Part of the Process.
To build a cost-effective information technology (IT) environment, it's not enough to have reliable and available data storage. All data is not created equal, so you need a way to balance the costs of storing and retrieving your data with the value it delivers to your company.
HP helps you achieve this through a proprietary process that allows you to assign various values to your information based on its business value and required accessibility. Once completed, you control costs by using higher quality storage for high-value, mission-critical data while choosing effective yet more cost-appropriate options for other data.
Finding the Perfect Fit For Your Data
Our storage management solution is based on an information lifecycle management (ILM) strategy which maintains your storage at minimum cost while maintaining the appropriate levels of availability. To create the foundation needed to implement an ILM strategy, we offer a Storage Rationalization Assessment that includes the following steps:
- First, we take a snapshot of your current storage systems and data placement, which provides a starting point for the transformation process.
- Next, we identify the appropriate placement of your data to provide maximum performance and cost efficiency. Various data groups will be stored and managed via four tiers:
- Enterprise Storage
- Departmental Storage Area Network (SAN)
- Departmental Network Attached Storage (NAS)
- Workplace Storage
- The recommended plan reveals cost savings, as well as opportunities to improve performance by shifting noncritical data to more cost-effective tiers.
- A cost-savings road map is generated, projecting anticipated return on investment (ROI) and pay-back period for the migration.
The assessment helps ensure an orderly transition to HP Storage Management Services and defines realistic expectations for cost savings and performance.
Tiered Approach Provides Flexibility
By taking a unique approach to storage management, we can help you effectively address a variety of storage concerns including:
- Scalability to address rapid or unexpected storage growth
- Ability to control costs and reduce risks
- Ability to manage complexity and bring ITIL®-based standardization to your storage environment
- Accessibility of mission-critical data across your enterprise
- Authenticity to address regulatory compliance
- Waste reduction and improved environmental footprint
HP allows you to use storage as a flexible service rather than a dedicated hardware solution based on fixed assets. These services meet the demands for deployment across remote storage locations, centralized data centers or mission-critical applications. Our Storage Management Services are packaged within four distinct tiers: Enterprise Storage, Departmental SAN, Departmental NAS and Workplace Storage.
Figure 1 – Aligning Information Assets Reduces Costs and Increases Efficiency
Enterprise Storage
Enterprise Storage delivers a scalable, highly available service in a performance-based SAN environment. Performance options include:
- Performance Storage: Addresses your mission-critical data and ultra-high-performance requirements
- Standard Storage: Addresses your mission-critical data and high-performance requirements
- Capacity Storage: Addresses your business needs with mid-level performance and a cost-effective solution
- Bulk Storage: Addresses your business needs with basic performance and an extremely cost-effective solution
Departmental SAN
Departmental SAN accommodates traditional data center demands using managed services tailored to meet typical application requirements and business loads. This allows for a cost-effective entry point into a sophisticated storage area network environment. Performance options include:
- Performance Storage: Addresses your important data with ultra-high-performance requirements
- Standard Storage: Addresses your important data with high-performance requirements
- Capacity Storage: Addresses your business needs with mid-level performance and a cost-effective solution
- Bulk Storage: Addresses your business needs with basic performance and a very cost-effective solution
Departmental NAS
Departmental NAS supports small to large non-enterprise applications or small groups with a dedicated, centralized network attached storage solution. It provides a cost-effective, managed data center solution at centralized locations and is a very attractive alternative for Windows Common Internet File System (CIFS) data or Network File System (NFS) data.
This flexible service provides a “stepping stone” as business requirements change. You can start with a high level of storage services then scale storage platform loads as your business requires. This platform is intended to provide a fully managed solution with lower initial data quantities than are common with SAN storage.
Workplace Storage
Workplace Storage provides a dedicated, remote NAS solution used by end users or small to medium groups for consolidating several file shares or application servers sharing networked attached storage.
The solution is designed for your site or a third-party site where services, infrastructure and networking technology meet HP's minimum standards. HP remotely manages the equipment and integrated antivirus protection for Windows Common Internet File System (CIFS) data or Network File System (NSF) data.
The Benefits of an Integrated Suite
Our Storage Management Services suite provides the following common features:
- Tested architecture and configurations based on best-in-class technology
- A suite of information-centric, flexible, managed backup and protection services
- Management services including monitoring, maintenance, change management, problem management and support services for assets
- Cost-effective storage management either centralized or locally delivered across consolidated open systems or Wintel environments with support for multiple heterogeneous hosts
- Multi-dimensional scaling for tailoring storage configuration to application needs
- Environmentally responsible storage infrastructure that reduces excess storage capacity, uses high-density disks and provides the opportunity to consolidate storage across multiple data centers
- Support for Common Internet File System (CIFS) and Network File System (NFS) file sharing protocols
- Continuous operational support – 24 hours a day, every day
- Technology refresh services
- Cost-effective, secure remote management
Choose HP
You'll benefit from our fully integrated suite of storage services, flexibility and unlimited scalability. Our approach not only protects your data but also helps you control costs, which makes HP the right choice for your storage management needs.
For more information about what HP Enterprise Services can do for you, submit a business inquiry.