At SNW, 41% of those polled indicated they already have storage virtualization projects under way or that it's a "done deal" as part of their IT strategy; 25% said they will have deployed virtualization in a substantial way over the next year, while 34% said it's not a high priority. Attendees also indicated that the top challenge related to storage for virtual server environments is effectively managing storage capacity.

When asked about security, 26% said their weakest point is general data and database encryption, while 22% and 21% indicated they are worried about virus and denial-of-service attacks and a lack of IT security expertise, respectively. Sixteen percent said they are most concerned about data theft or loss.

Burhop said a lack of good encryption on mobile devices is what keeps him up at night -- "people forgetting to properly manage the data and leaving it in the back seat of their cars. We've got to get that taken care of and we're working closely with VITA to get that those laptops are encrypted." VITA is the Virginia Information Technology Agency, an organization created to consolidate the state government's technology infrastructure.

Green initiative and cloud computing plans also figure prominently in plans for 2009. A quarter of those polled said they will roll out an energy-saving project this year, another 30% said they've already taken on such initiatives and plan to do more this year and 4% said they've completed their green initiatives and plan nothing more. The remaining 41% have no plans to launch a project this year to reduce energy consumption.

As for cloud computing, Jeff Kubacki, CIO at Kroll Ontrack, a technology services subsidiary of Marsh and McLennan Companies Inc. in New York, said his company is looking to consolidate infrastructure and reduce costs over the next couple of years.

"The problem I have with the cloud is the sensitive nature of the data I have," Kubacki said." The biggest issue is: Will our customers allow us to have their data somewhere besides the confines of my data center?"

Kubacki's biggest data management headache is managing the migration of 13 petabytes of data. He said too much of it is now on high-end, Fibre Channel storage, so he needs better tools --whether developed in-house or through a third-party service provider -- to manage the burgeoning storage area network and move much of the unused data to cheaper disk arrays. That's true "especially in cases where we've been hosting data for vendors for several years."