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One of the biggest topics for 2008 will be the implementation of SANs (storage area networks), whereby multiple servers talk to a consolidated storage array. There are several technologies in play here, and Fibre Channel still has its fans. But iSCSI is grabbing the headlines now, and it might well be the route forward.

Once you've consolidated server storage into one array, it opens up new and better ways of doing layered

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second-tier backup and third-tier archive. This then unlocks the possibility of geographically split storage. This is especially true for those urban areas where high-speed dark fibre is as cheap as the proverbial chips. Why hold backup solutions on-site when you can have them, at full speed, many miles away, stored in a secure hosting facility? This becomes the cornerstone of a comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity plan.

The technology to do this used to be expensive, but prices are continuing to tumble. And the implications for the smaller end of the SME marketplace have never been more profound. Simple, old-fashioned NAS (network attached storage) doesn't fit the bill any more, either in terms of expandability or infrastructure resilience.

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