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The storage manager's job is arguably the most important one in the data center -- and increasingly, one of the most challenging.

After all, if information is power, and companies value data as their crown jewels, the protection and storage of that data has got to be top priority. Likewise, the folks in charge of data protection are the ones most vital to the IT operation.

So it's surprising that any large company would do without a dedicated team of storage experts. But that's just what guest columnist George Crump of consultancy Storage Switzerland talks about in his latest column. (See When to Dedicate Storage Staff.)

Despite the growing importance of storage technology to enterprise IT, companies persist in holding off on dedicating staff, Crump notes. The result can be chaos and frustration for the IT pros forced to tackle storage as an afterthought.

The reality is that storage is so important to any operation these days that giving it short shrift invites disaster. If anything, companies should be bolstering their existing storage departments, instead of deliberating about their existence.Crump outlines a way to cost-justify a dedicated storage team. But a glance at the headlines gives common-sense reasons aplenty to go that route. Not only is storage one of the most important data center functions, it's also getting to be one of the most difficult to master. Consider just some of the areas in which storage managers in today's IT environments must be knowledgeable:

With all these concerns, which are just the tip of the iceberg, it's clear that companies require folk to be dedicated to mastering them. Data is more important than ever before -- and so are the folk whose job it is to protect it.

Do you agree, disagree? How is your company responding, or not responding, to the need for storage expertise? Let us know. Hit the message board below, or write to us at [email protected].

Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch