Two Days to an Annual Storage Strategy
Modernize your plan and make storage a business enabler.
RETIRED CONTENT
Please note that the content on this page is retired. This content is not maintained and may contain information or links that are out of date.Organizations that lack a cohesive storage strategy may face the following challenges:
- IT infrastructure is less agile and unable to contend with disruptive technologies that tax the storage environment.
- Storage becomes a barrier to strategic business initiatives, rather than an enabler.
A formalized storage strategy process results in:
- The storage infrastructure enables business initiatives and growth rather than getting in the way.
- More efficient use of resources, with less risk of over-provisioning (and over-spending).
- A storage environment that is based around best-fit technology for the job, rather than whatever is most familiar.
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Module 1: Make the Case for a Strategic Storage Plan
The Purpose
- Understand the value of creating a storage strategy.
- Identify emerging technologies that can help optimize the storage environment.
Key Benefits Achieved
- An understanding of trends that will significantly affect storage.
- A strategy for presenting a business case to core stakeholders for the value of optimization.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Challenge Analysis |
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| 1.2 | High level discussion of potential approaches and barriers |
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Module 2: Audit Your Present Storage State
The Purpose
- Audit the present storage state.
- Identify trouble spots in the infrastructure.
- Build a list of initiatives that respond to organizational challenges.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Identification of pain points and challenges currently affecting the storage environment.
- Pain points are pinpointed to specific regions of the storage infrastructure.
- Identification of strategic responses to storage pain points.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Brainstorm storage pain points |
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| 2.2 | Map trouble spots in your storage infrastructure |
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| 2.3 | Document your present storage assets |
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| 2.4 | Map your storage assets to applications |
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| 2.5 | Analyze pain points and isolate trouble spots |
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| 2.6 | Construct a physical storage diagram and document feedback |
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| 2.7 | Analyze the physical storage diagram to diagnose trouble spots |
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| 2.8 | Turn storage trouble spots into IT initiatives |
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| 2.9 | Categorize initiatives according to criticality |
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Module 3: Build a Strategy That’s Ready for the Road Ahead
The Purpose
- Strategize responses to strategic business initiatives that will affect storage.
- Plan the blue-sky storage vision.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Storage environment is transformed into a business enabler.
- Documentation of desired storage initiatives to assist in long-term planning.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Identify the business impact of disruptive trends |
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| 3.2 | Turn disruptive trends into IT initiatives |
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| 3.3 | Align storage strategy with business initiatives |
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| 3.4 | Categorize your initiatives according to criticality |
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| 3.5 | Draft your blue-sky storage vision |
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Module 4: Perform a Gap Analysis to Determine Your Storage Strategy
The Purpose
- Define new storage solutions and initiatives and identify transition requirements.
- Calculate total costs of proposed initiatives.
- Formulate a project timeline.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Develops a realistic list of storage initiatives for the coming year that meet organizational requirements and restrictions.
- Creates a plan for implementing initiatives that will optimize the storage environment.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Determine in- and out-of-scope initiatives |
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| 4.2 | Create a prioritized list of in-scope initiatives |
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| 4.3 | Gap analysis |
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| 4.4 | Define technical requirements |
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| 4.5 | Identify storage technology options that meet technical requirements |
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| 4.6 | Estimate total cost of proposed initiatives |
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| 4.7 | Use a sunrise diagram to plan upcoming initiatives |
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| 4.8 | Create your strategic storage plan timeline |
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Module 5: Document Your Annual Storage Strategy
The Purpose
- Document and communicate the proposed storage strategy.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Develop a communication strategy to win stakeholder support.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Compile storage strategy outputs and assemble the storage strategy document |
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