Businesses are experiencing an unprecedented amount of growth in data - with stored data doubling every 18 months. This creates a unique set of challenges for Small and Medium sized Businesses (SMBs). SMBs are facing a constantly increasing need for additional storage, higher performance and increased reliability, all on a limited budget.

The Intel(r) Business Exchange team is working with Open-E, a storage software company that offers a unified storage management solution that provides NAS (file) and iSCSI (block), Fibre Channel and InfiniBand in a single operating system. Through this work we have been talking to their marketing manager, Deborah Jones, about the issues facing SMBs and I thought it would be interesting to ask Deborah to share her thoughts on the SMB's main storage issues and how they should address those issues.

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Typically, SMBs face three key issues in relation to storage:

• Escalating costs. The IT budgets for the SMB cannot keep up with the demand for storage -historically the only solutions available were built for the Enterprise with all of the associated cost and complexity.
• A high risk of data loss. SMBs are facing a possible loss to their business because of limited backup and restore capabilities and no disaster recovery plan in the event of a natural disaster or human error. If data is lost the SMB may lose significant revenue, experience legal repercussions or possibly go out of business.
• Unmanaged growth. The proliferation of Direct Attached Storage or DAS has driven up cost of managing data and created islands of storage. Currently available networked and SAN storage solutions were built for the Enterprise and are costly and difficult to manage.

There are many cost advantages to centralized, consolidated storage that SMBs are missing out on. However, the overriding concern is that current Enterprise solutions are too expensive and complex for the SMB. But now there are solutions available that were purpose built for the SMB, that provide all of the Enterprise features and functionality without the associated costs.

There are some key elements that SMBs need to consider when purchasing a centralized storage solution:

• Does the solution provide both file and block storage? Look at solutions that provide both Networked Attached Storage (NAS) for sharing data and iSCSI for consolidating storage.
• *Will it have intergraded, advanced features*? The system must provide these critical capabilities and advanced functionalities: snapshot copy for back up, automatic failover for data availability, remote replication for disaster recovery and WORM for archiving and compliance.
• How difficult is the system to configure and manage? Ease of management is important as most SMBs don't have the expertise or time needed to configure, manage and support a storage system. Look for an easy-to-use, GUI based system that incorporates a web based interface for all advanced functions.

Additionally, the SMB should look beyond the initial costs of the system and consider the expense of software licensing, software upgrades, service, maintenance and other hidden costs that can occur annually.

As IT budgets are shrinking and the costs of managing data escalating, the challenge to the SMB is to find a reliable, full featured, low cost storage solution.

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In upcoming blogs I hope to be able to share thoughts and best practices from experts in various areas of interest. Please send on any requests for topics and/or products you might be interested in.

If there’s one constant in small and medium business, it is this: change. (SMB) Having to deal with the various pressures of a changing or growing business. From the cost of doing business (gas, electricity, etc…) to finding (and keeping) customers. All while trying to keep their technology infrastructure running efficiently and reliably.

I have the opportunity to talk to a lot of small businesses about technology, and two topics keep coming up: 1)How do I maintain the infrastructure I already have in place, while also staying current with any new tools for a my industry, and 2)How can my business make a difference when it comes to the ‘Green” movement? These are two key issues that do not have one correct answer.

The basics of technology for many small businesses is three things: capable PCs that will run your business apps without delay, the right software tools for your industry or job function, and a network to improve communications and share resources across the company.

While simple on the surface, just keeping all of these pieces up and running from a maintenance point of view can take more time than you expect. Because of this, are seeing more and more small businesses turning to their IT service providers to keep their technology infrastructure up and running, and by deploying PCs that are easier to manage remotely (example: PCs with Intel vPro technology). These hardware, software, and services resellers are know as ‘managed service providers’ or MSPs. There are many advantages for a SMB to use a managed service provider. First, MSPs have expertise in PCs management, networks administration, and software implementation - expertise often found only in businesses with established IT groups. Some businesses can’t afford to hire full time IT, or even if they do have an IT staff, they don’t want them spending their time on maintence – they want them building solutions the bring more capabilities to the business. You may want to talk with a local MSP in your area to see how they can help you. You can find a MSPs in your area by going to https://intelmsp.goirctools.com/IntelMSPLocator/Search.aspx

The other technology issue that small and medium businesses are trying to understand is how can they make a contribution to the ‘Green’ IT movement – especially when their plates are already full with day to day business. Most larger corporations are already introducing initiatives within their company: expanded recycling, increased telecommuting opportunites, and lower power consumption. When I talk with small businesses about what they are doing around “Green IT”, I hear over and over again is reducing power consumption, and for obvious reasons: it not only helps our environment, but it also lowers the cost of doing business.
You maybe wondering how do I reduce power consumption if my business is growing? . One approach that many businesses don’t consider is this: focus on what you can do during non-business hours (6pm to 6am). For example, if you have PCs (Desktops or Mobile) that are not turned off on Friday night and run the entire weekend - well, there are 2+ days of wasted power with no business benefit. If you look at a small business environment where there are more than several desktops, notebooks, and servers (which often consumer even more power), the energy saved by having all machines shut off for the weekend can make a real difference in energy costs.

How do you get started? I recommend you start by looking look at which PCs and servers are still on when you are leaving the office this Friday. This will give you a good idea of the initial impact your company could provide by reducing your power consumption. In addition, if you are already using a manage service provider (MSP) to manage your network, ask them if they have a power savings plan that you could implement.
So while there may not be one single answer to more effective technology management, or for making your business more green, there are a few relatively simple steps you can take today that won’t disrupt your business but that will allow you to spend more time doing what you should be doing, and doing it with less impact on your environment - not to mention bottom line.