A new focus on storage advice

InfoWorld’s storage expert zooms in on best practices for planning, selecting, and deploying new storage technology

Notice anything different this week? That’s right, Storage Insider has a new name. From here on out, it’s all about advice. Why the change? There are several reasons, the most important of which is to better align this space with my day-to-day hands-on experience putting the latest technologies through their paces.

The storage industry has changed significantly since Storage Insider launched in 2002 — and not just in terms of technical advances. Storage vendors’ communications strategies have also changed, leaving behind the controlled trumpeting of six years ago to give way to today’s much more relaxed talks.

For example, at the turn of the millennium, the idea of letting employees publish their own blogs was considered blasphemy at many storage companies. Corporate “messages” were carefully filtered and groomed before being released to the public or press.

At that time, a “Storage Insider” approach was needed to vet the vendors’ rubber-stamped messaging and to provide counterpoints and perspective. In fact, InfoWorld was one of the pioneers in bringing storage news served side by side with commentary.

Today, there is abundance of storage news commentary from independent bloggers and a wide array of tech publications. Moreover, the number of storage-vendor employees talking from unofficial — but company-sponsored, nevertheless — pulpits has increased from zero to a number that I find hard to quantify.

As a result, opinions on the day’s storage news is not hard to come by. On any storage topic, you can find a wide range of viewpoints, a plethora of contrary assessments, sometimes spiced with open and confusing disputes, often from rival vendors.

It’s time for more meaningful advice to rise above the cacophony of opinion. After all, I too spend much of my time in the storage trenches. From now on, consider this space an extension of my daily experience testing — and wrestling with — storage products. Storage Adviser will distill my experience in the belly of the beast and serve you with tried-and-true advice.

Ready to get under the hood?