The use of thin provisioning continues to grow in organizations of all sizes as they look to maximize the return on their investments in storage hardware. The benefits provided by thin provisioning and over-allocation of storage allow businesses to optimize storage allocation at potentially reduced costs, while preserving performance.
At the same time, thin provisioning can result in misallocation of storage, which results in wasted space, excess capacity and unnecessary expenditures if not managed properly. This potential for misallocation has led to an increase in technologies that reclaim wasted storage: SCSI UNMAP and Zero Detect. Both of these technologies require accompanying tasks and utilities which, to date, have proved inefficient, labor-intensive, under-utilized and lacking of any central management or reporting capabilities.
As thin provisioning evolves and increases in use, a new solution is required to address the current shortcomings and help complement the increased exposure of the technology. Key attributes required include:
These attributes will lead to more proactive and intelligent storage management, and allow storage managers to contribute to their organizations in a more strategic manner.
To read more, download whitepaper: Intelligent Space Reclamation in Thin-Provisioned Environments
