Users Cite ILM Shortfalls

Despite some high-profile successes, many users are still wrestling with ILM technology, citing the challenge of data classification and a lack of effective tools for moving information around their storage infrastructures.

ILM, which sets up different "tiers" of storage for data based on its importance, is being championed by a slew of vendors, including EMC, IBM, and Veritas, as a path to major savings for users. Indeed, it can save a lot of time and money: Entertainment giant Warner Bros., for example, recently revealed that it is saving $200,000 a year thanks to the technology. (See Warner Bros..)

Sadly, for many IT managers, ILM reality does not match the vision.

"ILM is a cool idea that has a lot of merit. But classifying data and moving it around is a huge cultural and technical issue," says Hal Weiss, systems engineer at Baptist Memorial Healthcare. The idea of allocating storage based on the value of the data isn't new, he insists. But defining what needs to be saved and what doesn't can be insurmountable for some organizations.

Likewise, the problem isn't new. (See Users Face Classification Crisis.) But so far, it's not getting solved. "The number one thing that people are grappling with is classification," adds Dan Tanner, a member of the Storage Networking User Group of New England (SNUGNE) and founder of consulting firm ProgresSmart. He says users must choose between classifying their storage metadata or deploying a "content knowledge" product for more in-depth classification.A number of vendors, including Kazeon and Abrevity, offer the metadata-based approach, whereas EMC, with its Documentum software, touts the ability to drill down into various forms of content as is, including documents, Web pages, email, video, and audio. (See NetApp Taps Kazeon, Abrevity Intros IVM Solution, EMC Offers New Documentum, and Documentum Does ILM.) According to Tanner, metadata is simpler than content knowledge, but doesn't always provide the level of detail a company needs. Content solutions, on the other hand, are often proprietary and complex.

(Check out our latest poll, by the way, to register your views on classification.)

Classification, however, is only one part of the ILM equation. Once the data has been classified, users face the challenge of moving their terabytes from one storage tier to another. "Finding something that can actually manage the files directly and detect which files need to moved is difficult," admits Nicholas Tang, director of operations at New York-based Website Community Connect.

Some vendors claim to be able to move data automatically from one tier of an ILM architecture to another, based on factors such as age, application, or user-defined characteristics. Warner Bros. has deployed ADIC's StorNext File System to shift its data, while EMC is offering Documentum as a way for users to move data across different storage tiers. Startups such as Pillar Data Systems and Compellent have also targeted this space. (See Compellent 'Blocks' ILM.)

Tang won't name names, but he's been unimpressed so far. "There are some commercial solutions, but they tend to be expensive, and, from what I have seen, they are not that good."In Massachusetts, Tanner adds that there are also plenty of interoperability issues to be resolved around ILM. "While the vendors and the market seem to understand the value of tiered storage, it's a lot easier to do that in a homogenous than a heterogeneous environment." he explained. "Mixing and matching [storage kit] from well known vendors could be a little difficult."

Discouragement hasn't thrown vendors off the track of ILM as a marketing battle cry -- spawning not only sales of products, but sales of services to make the tiered implementation work.

EMC claims sales of ILM helped drive its financial performance, with the vendor signing major ILM deals with the United States Postal Service and mortgage lender Quicken Loans (See EMC Earnings Credit ILM Uptick, USPS Signs With EMC , and Quicken Loans Advances With EMC.)

James Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch

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