IP storage, which uses the Internet to swiftly transport data from users to storage arrays around the world, is just beginning to emerge from the development mist. Cisco, CNT, IBM, Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks are among the many vendors that have invested deeply in IP storage and are just now starting to ship their first products based on the technology. "There’s a huge IP structure in place, and it only makes sense to take advantage of it," says Brice Clark, a director of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Storage Networking Industry Association’s IP Storage Forum.

IP storage is designed to address the cost and performance deficiencies that are inherent in fibre channel (FC), the data transport technology that’s currently being used to build most SANs. But as IP storage system vendors try to grab a foothold in IT departments worldwide, questions remain about the field’s evolving standards and whether vendors’ cost savings, performance and deployment promises will pan out in the real world. "This is the next big push in terms of storage," says Arun Taneja, a senior analyst at the Enterprise Storage Group, a Milford, Mass.-based storage industry research consultancy. "Not all the issues are resolved, but there is so much value in the concept that it’s worth working on it a bit."

Cost Cutting

Although IP-based storage equipment isn’t always less expensive than FC hardware, IP technology can help organizations cut costs by using existing Internet-compatible hardware for storage. For example, a company could sidestep the need to purchase dedicated FC storage equipment by using its application servers to store data.

The technology can also help organizations lower employee overhead. "You can use your IP engineer to manage your storage network," says Mark Cree, general manager of Cisco’s Minneapolis-based storage router business unit. "In the past, these storage experts would make at least 50 percent more than an IP engineer would."

At Luther College, IP storage is a way to expand storage capacity without emptying the school’s bank account. "Fibre channel was well outside of our budget range," says Walker, who instead turned to IP storage technology, including IBM’s IP Storage 200i, a storage array that attaches to the school’s Ethernet network.