IT managers and industry experts talk a lot about performance and capacity, but those are often only replacement terms for the real issue: economics. Storage decisions are only necessary because of economics -- otherwise all data would be stored in main memory. With the data avalanche always looming and growing, two key trends are critical: simply storing less, and then tiering or caching what is ultimately stored.

Is your storage management solution making your life easier or more difficult? In a world where 32 percent of IT budgets are eaten up by labor costs, storage is one of the main culprits: today's storage solutions often require additional expert administration due to their complexity and the sheer volume of data being handled. With the right storage management solution in place, you can take steps to manage complexity and free up more of your budget to go where it's really needed. IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center is a next-generation graphical user interface that provides advanced visualization, built-in analytics, and integrated workflow automation features that leapfrog traditional backup user interfaces, dramatically simplifying the backup administration process.

With the growing demand for faster business applications and the rapid spread of technology trends, computing performance has never been more important. The challenges for midsize businesses are even greater. With fewer resources, IT teams in midmarket organizations need to be able to deliver mission-critical applications at full-horsepower. They also need to do more with less-more computing power with fewer servers, smaller teams and leaner budgets. This IT Managers' Journal delivers 10 Ways managers in midsize organizations can deliver more computing power. Topics covered include Linux servers, IBM Power Systems, SAP applications, a real-world case study showcasing the benefits of replacing underperforming servers, Big Data, server management techniques and more. Download this exclusive IT Managers' Journal and learn how to get more out of your data centers today.

Ricoh Americas Corporation implemented a virtualized storage environment which included IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller, IBM XIV Storage System and IBM System Storage DS8000, enabling seamless migration and more efficient storage management.

With storage needs doubling every few years, Dar Al-Handasah needed to rationalize and optimize its storage infrastructure. Performance, capacity, cost and ease of management needed to be addressed. The solution deployed two IBM Storwize V7000 storage systems with built-in tools for data migration, thin provisioning and auto data tiering; virtualized legacy storage systems within the V7000 environment. The benefit Backups run 25% percent faster; increased performance of existing storage; cut floor space requirements by 75%; improved efficiency of capacity utilization; delayed investments in extra capacity.

Businesses globally are challenged to innovate while managing an unprecedented rate of growth. Digital data was up by 48% from 2011 amounting to an astonishing 2.7 zettabytes in 2012, and big data can increase data volume by two to three times. The real value of data lies in the insights revealed through Smarter Analytics which can help you make better, faster decisions and automate processes. It's not a surprise that CIO's are ranking Analytics as the #1 factor contributing to an organization's competitiveness. Organizations that embrace analytics are more than two times as likely to outperform their peers, have 33% more revenue growth and twelve times more profit growth. IT infrastructure is key to a successful analytics solution implementation. Efficient storage is required not only to house data but to fully enable the extraction of actionable insights at the point of impact. IBM Storage solutions provide data ready infrastructure that allow you shared access to trustworthy information, deliver actionable insights on operational data, and to provide maximum availability of business insights. IBM's Storwize family is data ready storage. The Storwize family has helped numerous clients become data ready by offering scalable growth at their own pace, and storage efficiency capabilities to maximize optimization all while providing a resilient infrastructure base."

Canucks Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, needed to expand their storage capacity to handle exponential growth in digital media. They needed a scalable storage system, and they were able to implement an IBM solution that surpassed their expectations.

IBM helps Morneau Shepell meeting the challenge of growing storage demands.

IBM commissioned Forrester Consulting to examine the total economic impact and potential return on investment (ROI) that enterprises may realize by deploying Storwize V7000. This study illustrates the potential financial impact of using Storwize V7000 as a disk system and also to virtualize existing storage assets. The risk-adjusted ROI described in the study is 150% with a breakeven point (payback period) of only 15 months after deployment.