Tech buzzwords: Top five data storage search terms

Data storage service providers are faced with the challenge of not only selecting the best storage technologies to meet their customers' ever-growing storage needs, but also properly deploying and supporting those products and tools. This collection of buzzwords -- the most popular search terms on SearchStorageChannel.com in 2007 -- suggests what a few of the more specific channel challenges and project initiatives may be. We hope you gleen some useful information from the resources below and we look forward to learning about additional buzzwords you're hearing. Email us today.

BUZZWORD #1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

iSCSI SAN
iSCSI SANs (storage area networks) are considered by many to be the next great storage technology for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which are already rapidly deploying iSCSI-based storage. iSCSI is Internet SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities, developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The iSCSI protocol is among the key technologies expected to help bring about rapid development of the SAN market, by increasing the capabilities and performance of storage data transmission.

BUZZWORD #2-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAS
NAS (network-attached storage) is hard disk storage that is set up with its own network address rather than being attached to the department computer that is serving applications to a network's workstation users. By removing storage access and its management from the department server, both application programming and files can be served faster because they are not competing for the same processor resources. The network-attached storage device is attached to a local area network (typically, an Ethernet network) and assigned an IP address. File requests are mapped by the main server to the NAS file server.

BUZZWORD #3-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SMB
SMB is an abbreviation for small and medium-size business, sometimes seen as small and mid-size business. A business with 100 or fewer employees is generally considered small, while one with 100-999 employees is considered to be medium-sized.

BUZZWORD #4-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SAS
SAS (Serial-attached SCSI) is a method used in accessing computer peripheral devices that employs a serial (one bit at a time) means of digital data transfer over thin cables. The method is specified in the American National Standard Institute standard called Serial-attached SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), also known as ANSI/INCITS 376-2003. In the business enterprise, serial-attached SCSI is especially of interest for access to mass storage devices, particularly external hard drives.

BUZZWORD #5-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DATA PROTECTION
There is confusion between terms like data protection, which can mean protecting data through backup, snapshots and replication, and terms that infer data security from a logical or physical standpoint.