Windows IT Pro Storage UPDATE--Tackling Email Archiving--July 25, 2005

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1. Commentary
- Time to Tackle Email Archiving

2. From the Community
- Using 2 SCSI Storage Devices Might Hang Windows 2003 System

3. New and Improved
- EMC Unveils Symmetrix DMX-3 High-End Storage Array
- Xiotech Launches Mobile Storage Network
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

4. Windows IT Pro Resources

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==== 1. Commentary: Time to Tackle Email Archiving ====
by Elliot King, [email protected]

Despite IT's best efforts to carefully plan a technology-spending strategy, pain points, not strategy, often drive such spending. To a large extent, user complaints and management fears influence IT budget priorities. The implication of the latest semiannual survey by TheInfoPro (http://www.theinfopro.net), an independent research company, is that email archiving and storage has emerged as the pain point that IT must fix now.

In the study, which consists of in-depth interviews with more than 150 storage professionals at primarily Fortune 1000 companies, email management jumped to the top of what TheInfoPro calls its Heat Index, a metric based on users' adoption plans and the amount of spending directed in specific areas. In a similar survey conducted 6 months ago, email management ranked fifth. Clearly, managing email has climbed way up the priority list.

Several factors have focused end users' and IT pros' attention on the need for better email management. Of course, the sheer volume of email has exploded over the last several years. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. A shockingly high percentage of email is spam and other junk email. Last year, analysts reported that in some months spam accounted for more than 80 percent of all email traffic.

Many end users don't have time to discard all the meaningless or even dangerous email they receive, and neither does anyone else. Consequently, IT can't solve the problem simply by applying typical storage best practices. If companies routinely backed up, then saved all their received email, they'd waste a huge amount of time, money, and storage space doing so. And if retrieving an old email message is like finding a needle in a haystack, saving every email makes the haystack all that much bigger.

Nor can companies simply take a "blunt ax" approach to the problem and put policies in place that force end users to discard old email by, say, limiting the storage space allotted to their accounts. This approach has two significant problems. First, email is the quintessential semistructured data repository. Many people find it efficient to simply save email for long periods of time because of the metadata automatically associated with it--sender, date received, subject line. For occasional correspondence, it's easier for a user to save an email message than add the sender to an address book.

The second issue that impinges on email retention and deletion policies is a regulatory one. Many companies aren't free to determine their own retention policies because such policies are dictated by law.

Not surprisingly, vendors have taken notice of the email-retention problem. Many companies, ranging from IBM and EMC in the enterprise space to a number of lesser-known players such as STORServer offer specific email-archiving solutions. As could be expected, these solutions use different approaches. Some focus on storing email in Microsoft SQL Server databases. Others rely heavily on content-management tools. And still others make significant use of federated search capabilities.

Regardless of the specific approach they use, the solutions are specifically aimed at solving the email problem. But email archiving is only one aspect of a larger issue that's slowly making its way up storage agenda--data and Information Lifecycle Management (ILM). TheInfoPro survey shows that currently information and data lifecycle management are way down the list of advanced storage technology that companies are currently using, ranking 14th and 17th, respectively. But they're at the top of the list of companies' implementation plans through 2006. In fact, the study shows that many companies plan to implement ILM and data lifecycle management solutions next year. Hierarchical storage management solutions, which are related to ILM, will also receive a lot of attention this year and next.

Ultimately, TheInfoPro survey shows that storage professionals are caught in a classic dilemma. When companies implement many point solutions to solve specific problems, they often later face significant data-integrations issues. Does the term "data silos" ring a bell? On the other hand, implementing comprehensive new infrastructures is complex and time-consuming. Moreover, every piece of the puzzle has to work right for the solution to work right.

At this point, IT administrators seemingly can't wait. They must solve the email problem now and wait until next year to look at implementing a more comprehensive ILM solution.

Windows IT Pro Innovators Contest Deadline Extended to September 1!

There's still time to submit an entry in the Windows IT Pro Innovators Contest! If you're a Windows IT pro who has used your technical know-how to devise a creative, innovative solution to a business problem, you could qualify to win a Windows IT Pro Innovators Award. Grand Prizes include one conference pass, airfare, and hotel for Exchange and Windows Connections in San Diego in late October 2005, one VIP subscription to Windows IT Pro, and more! Click here to enter!
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==== 2. From the Community ====

Using 2 SCSI Storage Devices Might Hang Windows 2003 System

When you use two SCSI storage devices on a computer running Windows Server 2003, you receive the error message "Stop 0x000000CA," which indicates that a fatal Plug and Play error has occurred. The computer might stop responding when you receive this error. To learn more about the problem and how to obtain a hotfix for it, go to http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=898446.

==== 3. New and Improved ====
by Anne Grubb, [email protected]

EMC Unveils Symmetrix DMX-3 High-End Storage Array

Today EMC announced what it claims is "largest, fastest, and most scalable high-end storage array in the world," the Symmetrix DMX-3, which is scalable to 1 petabyte (1024TB) of storage capacity. The Symmetrix DMX-3 system is the latest in EMC's Symmetrix DMX Series of high-end storage systems, featuring increased processing power and internal bandwidth, new memory technology, and support for lower-cost disk drives. The Symmetrix DMX-3 is geared especially toward large storage customers that need to support high-end configurations in a single array. Additionally, EMC says that the Symmetrix DMX series, including the DMX-3, will support new low-cost Fibre Channel (LC-FC) disk drives. EMC will begin shipping the Symmetrix DMX-3 in September. For more information about the product, contact EMC on the Web:
http://www.emc.com

Xiotech Launches Mobile Storage Network

Xiotech released the Magnitude 3D 1000m mobile SAN, which is designed specifically to meet the needs of government organizations. Magnitude 3D 1000m features an easily transportable configuration that lets government organizations efficiently deploy a mobile SAN in the event of a disaster recovery emergency or as a mobile field lab for collecting and analyzing digital evidence. For more information about the product, contact Xiotech on the Web:
http://www.xiotech.com

Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to [email protected].

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==== 4. Windows IT Pro Resources ====

Check out these links to a wealth of Windows IT Pro resources: white papers, eBooks, Web seminars, conferences, and other events.

==== Resources and Events ====
(brought to you by Windows IT Pro)

Identify the Key Security Considerations for Wireless Mobility

Wireless and mobile technologies are enabling enterprises to gain competitive advantage through accelerated responsiveness and increased productivity. In this free Web seminar, you'll receive a checklist of risks to factor in when considering your wireless mobility technology evaluations and design. Sign up today and learn all you need to know about firewall security, transmission security, OTA management, management of third-party security applications, and more!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/mobilesecurity/index.cfm?code=0727emailannc

New Cities Added--SQL Server 2005 Roadshow in a City Near You

Get the facts about migrating to SQL Server 2005. SQL Server experts will present real-world information about administration, development, and business intelligence to help you implement a best-practices migration to SQL Server 2005 and improve your database-computing environment. Attend and receive a 1-year membership to PASS and 1-year subscription to SQL Server Magazine. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/sqlserverusa/index.cfm?code=0727emailannc

Are Your High-Availability Requirements Outstripping the Capabilities of Your Backup/Restore Systems?

Choosing an appropriate availability technology means balancing the system cost, the skill set and knowledge level required, the complexity added to your existing environment, and how much availability each technology gives you. In this free Web seminar, you'll learn the factors for each technology and how Ed Heinemann's famous dictum for aircraft design, "simplicate and add lightness," applies to availability design and deployment.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/exchangehighavailability/index.cfm?code=0727emailannc

Integrate Your Compliance System With Backup and Recovery

Discover the issues involved with integrating your compliance system with backup and recovery, including backup schedules, pros and cons of outsourcing backup media storage and management, the DR implications of backing up compliance data, the possibility of using alternative backup methods to provide backup and compliance in a single system, and more. You'll learn what to watch out for when combining the two functions and how to assess whether your backup/restore mechanisms are equal to the challenge.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/backupandrecovery/index.cfm?code=0727emailannc

Chapter 8--SQL Server Administration for Oracle DBAs eBook

Databases have assumed a role of primary importance in many businesses. This highly visible role is complete with multiple responsibilities and demands. In Chapter 8 of this free eBook, you'll discover the availability- and scalability-related features of Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server and the requirements and features that can help you increase availability and scalability. Plus--you'll learn three key backup and recovery features related to availability and scalability.
http://www.windowsitlibrary.com/ebooks/sqlserveradminoracle/index.cfm?code=0727emailannc

Congratulations to Laura Watts - Winner of an iPod mini - for telling us what she thinks about industry conferences and events. Thank you to everyone who participated.

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