Solutions We approach your solution from every point

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1 Data Storage and Management Q The greater the storage volume, the greater the risk of data corruption, lost files, and backups and disaster recovery complication issues. Gartner (2005) 360 º The Right Technology. Right Away. Solutions We approach your solution from every point CDW.com

2 Problem Most I.T. managers find it difficult to quantify the value of their companies data and cannot manage it in an automated fashion over its life span. Facts Introducing CDW 360 º Solutions hardware, software and services Ideally, data management would be a transparent operation, taking few I.T. resources to oversee processes and incurring as little cost as possible. Unfortunately, in most companies this is not a reality. For example, according to an April 2006 Computerworld article, among a group of 250 attendees polled at the Storage Decisions 2005 conference held in Las Vegas, a little over half said that they had no way of determining the cost of storing data over time. Meanwhile, 47 percent indicated that they have a tiered storage model as From your technology resource well as some idea of what data storage costs them over time, but no way to migrate that data automatically between tiers. The situation is only going to get worse. The amount of structured, unstructured and fixed-content data is increasing significantly each year. 30,000 25,000 20,000 Total digital archive capacity, all content types worldwide (PB) So it is critical that I.T. managers put in place solid data evaluation and 15,000 storage strategies now. 10, Data growth rising Data storage requirements will rapidly increase over the next few years as more information is digitally archived and retained for longer periods. (Source: Enterprise Strategy Group, 2006)

3 Each year, the amount of information produced increases by roughly 800 megabytes (MB) for every computer user on the planet. To deal with such growth, I.T. managers must implement efficient data storage and retrieval strategies. CDW offers storage solutions that focus on your challenges to: Make the most of your data storage systems Ensure the highest level of data integrity and security Access data quickly Manage your company s I.T. infrastructure cost effectively Streamline your workflow processes Network your I.T. assets cross-departmentally Maximize your return on investment (ROI) on current resources Effectively utilize staff expertise Engineer for innovation and growth Reduce downtime º

4 We approach your solution from every point Your account management team will work closely with you to determine your storage needs and requirements. Taking a vendor-neutral approach, they ll then work with you to recommend the best hardware, software and service solutions to meet your current and future storage needs. Let CDW storage specialists: 1 Create a formal written review and analysis of your current storage environment 2 Unite storage processes, integration procedures and manageability practices into business and technology objectives 3 Conduct a thorough storage assessment to determine business requirements regarding consolidation, backup and recovery, archiving, and/or business protection needs 4 Identify, size and design the appropriate storage hardware, software, services and processes with the most relevant, cost-effective technologies 5 Evaluate costs and benefits with a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis for a direct-attached storage (DAS), network-attached storage (NAS) or storage area network (SAN) solution 6 Provide configuration and installation of the recommended storage solution 7 Audit results to ensure deployed storage technologies deliver desired results 8 Provide continued education of storage policies and future I.T. infrastructure requirements

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6 Straining for storage Not long ago, many companies viewed data storage, retrieval and maintenance as an afterthought something that an I.T. administrator could manage between more critical tasks such as computer maintenance and networking. The increasing amounts of information generated and saved by businesses large and small requires serious attention devoted to data storage and information lifecycle management (ILM). In fact, Gartner, Inc. predicts that electronic data storage will soon be viewed as the third pillar of I.T. infrastructure as a whole, standing alongside computing power and networking. Given this elevation in the importance of data storage, I.T. managers will be increasingly charged with ensuring that their company s escalating amounts of structured and unstructured data be categorized, stored, retrieved and shared quickly and with reliable security. At the same time, corporate data-saving regulations will add to the complexity of a storage strategy by necessitating that more of your data be encrypted. The emergence of the data storage team To handle these archival and retrieval concerns, dedicated data storage teams will become a far more strategic element of your infrastructure between now and 2007, Gartner predicts. Further, Gartner says, data recovery will evolve as a central concern, archiving will take on a new role and using data encryption as a means of preserving corporate integrity and value will become a standard practice. By 2008, Gartner says, I.T. organizations that have dedicated storage teams in place will be best positioned to implement automated storage utilities, thus greatly enhancing the ease with which information is utilized over its lifetime. Such teams are critical to the success of an I.T. department s efforts in leveraging internal storage utility services. And here, the hurdles aren t the technology, says Gartner, they re people issues such as management, justification and process development. For more information about storage solutions from CDW, contact your account manager, visit CDW.com or call

7 Understanding data s business value Setting up an ILM strategy begins by aligning storage costs with the value of your data 100% Online (ms) Retrieval activity Possibility of re-use 50% Inline storage Amount of data Nearline (sec) 0% 1 Archived/ deletion (sec/mins) Source: Horison Information Strategies, Storage Technology Corp. Days since creation

8 Storage solutions from CDW CDW offers a broad range of storage solutions that can help companies of all sizes address the challenges of managing and protecting their data storage systems. CDW storage solutions offer multiple options for housing, backing up and retrieving data and serve as an integral component of your company s ILM strategy. These solutions range from hardware technology components including DAS, NAS and SANs to software technology components, including backup/disaster recovery, replication and high availability, and archiving. Your CDW account manager will provide access to CDW storage specialists, who can offer you expert advice in a number of storage-related areas including: Archiving to develop customized storage solutions that maximize investment in both new and legacy equipment, ensuring that the data you archive today will be accessible using tomorrow s technology. Consolidation to help you centralize your company s server usage, using thin-client network systems, blade server solutions, VMware, and virtual and high performance servers that can simplify storage without adding cost. External storage to help you consolidate your servers on a SAN for more memory and faster throughput or utilize NAS, which involves a self-contained device that connects to a network and can be upgraded easily by adding more hard drives. Clustering to help ensure suitable redundancy so data is replicated and highly available. CDW clustering solutions maximize hardware and software to achieve failover, fault tolerance, load balancing, high availability, server redundancy and more. Backup to help develop a solution that fits your specific infrastructure, with contingency plans to ensure that data is replicated, archived and stored in multiple geographic locations. Expertise ranges from end-user voice and text data to complex, media-rich files and compliance-driven content. A focus on ROI and growth Industry-certified CDW storage specialists will work with you to design a storage system that will manage your data at every stage of your company s growth. They can help you cost-effectively manage your storage needs by ensuring data is retained on systems of suitable price and performance to meet your company s requirements. And with CDW s 24 x 7 x 365 technical support, you ll have the peace of mind knowing that there s available support if and when you need it.

9 CDW storage certifications CDW storage specialists have the knowledge and experience to assist you with any type of storage issue, from server consolidation and virtualization to complex compliance-related needs. Working closely with your personal account manager, our storage specialists will help you store, manage and back up your data more effectively. CDW storage specialists certifications include: Citrix: CCSP, CSE Brocade: SAN Switching design and concepts CompTIA: Server+ Cisco: CCSE and CCDA EMC: Proven Professional, CLARiiON, NAS, CAS, EPSA, EPSAS and SE accreditation Microsoft: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers Qlogic: Signature Certified SNIA: Fibre Channel SAN Certification, Qualified Sales Professional VERITAS: NetBackup Data Center, Backupexec XIOtech: SAN Systems Engineer CXE Partner with CDW for expert storage help CDW provides a vendor-neutral approach to storage solution development, working with you to recommend the best mix of hardware, software and services to meet your current and future needs. Our unbiased perspective ensures you receive storage solutions that address your business challenges and your budget requirements. The exclusive CDW ROI analysis, based on a comprehensive customer survey, identifies the tangible return on your storage investments. CDW carries more than 100,000 brand-name products from more than 1000 leading I.T. manufacturers. In fact, 94 percent of in-stock, credit-approved orders ship complete within 24 hours. With CDW, you also get CDW@work, a personalized Extranet site. CDW@work offers convenient access, 24 x 7, to the latest information about your orders, purchases, helpful online guides and real-time status of your account team. CDW Software License Tracker, an innovative online feature, keeps your software in compliance with vendor requirements and allows you to better manage your server software assets with one consolidated view. You can readily track contracts, physical locations and license renewal details. Leasing through CDW allows you to leave your capital available for other critical business functions. In addition, leasing means you can take advantage of the latest equipment without making large capital investments. CDW has an entire team of leasing specialists available to assist you with financing that fits both your financial and technology needs. CDW partners with the industry s best manufacturers and technology providers to bring you a wide range of solutions and a broad depth of expertise. When you buy direct from a manufacturer, you get the best that company has to offer. When you buy from CDW, you get the best the industry has to offer. For more information about storage solutions from CDW, contact your account manager, visit CDW.com or call The Right Technology. Right Away. CDW.com