Windows .NET Server Supports Enterprise Storage

Support for networked storage in Windows .NET Server 2003 could make it cheaper and less risky for Windows organizations to manage storage, speed backups, and provide disaster recovery. Centralized storage in external disk arrays accessed over a high-speed network has been supported by Unix vendors since the 1990s and is poised for further growth. Even though Windows-based networked storage is the most rapidly growing segment, Microsoft is a latecomer to the market. The company’s increasing support for the technology buttresses its claim that it is serious about enterprise-class server operating systems (OSs). However, organizations considering networked storage for Windows servers must still overcome its high upfront costs, substantial learning curve, and potential dependence on non-interoperable vendor hardware and software.

The cost of networked storage is dropping and many storage vendors and industry analysts feel that when the economy recovers, networked storage will be widely adopted, even among mid-size organizations currently priced out of the market. Storage vendors that partner with Microsoft stand to gain from this growth.