by
Hussain Alshehri , Chief Information Security Officer , Government- confidential
Advantages of storage area networks (SANs).
SANs are a newer development in the disk and tape attachment business. They consolidate the storage of multiple, storage devices into a single set of centrally managed resources. To do so, they employ a combination of technologies, including hardware, software, and networking components. They support direct, high-speed data transfers between systems and storage devices in the following ways:
Server to storage
the same storage device may be accessed serially or concurrently by multiple systems.
Server to system
A SAN may be used for high-speed, high-volume communications between systems.
Storage to storage
This SAN data movement capability enables data to be moved without system intervention, thereby freeing system processor cycles for other activities like application processing. Examples include a disk device backing up its data to a tape device without system intervention or remote device mirroring across the SAN.
Scalability
Storage is independent of the system itself.
Improved availability of applications
Storage is independent of applications and is accessible through alternative data paths.
Better application performance
Storage processing is moved from the systems onto a separate network.
Centralized and consolidated storage
Storage capacity can be connected to systems at a greater distance, and storage resources can be disconnected from individual hosts. The results can be lower overall costs through better use of the storage, lower management costs, increased flexibility, and increased control.
Data transfer for storage at remote sites
You can keep a remote copy of data for disaster protection.
Simplified centralized management
A single image of storage media simplifies management.
