Carlson Company Case Study

Carlson Companies Case Study

How the Carlson SAN approach would be implemented in today’s environment

SAN approach can be implemented in a similar fashion to the one outlined in the case study. The main focus during implementation lies in ensuring a seamless migration from the old system to the new one. In database management, IT experts aim at ensuring there is a smooth flow of data from one point to another. During implementation, IT experts must ensure that users are not in any way affected by the migration process. Since problems are likely to occur, they must ensure that these are identified early enough before leading to high losses. The approach used by the company meets all the necessary requirements, for instance higher storage capacity, use of common IP networking protocols, data backup, and cost effectiveness.

Pros and cons of consolidating data on a SAN central data facility versus the dispersed arrangement it replaces

There are a number of benefits and drawbacks in consolidating data on a SAN central data facility in comparison to the dispersed arrangement it replaces. In terms of benefits, an IP SAN strategy can enable the company to use familiar or common IP management tools. In the case of Carlson, use of IP security tools is of great significance. As Steven Brown, the CIO explains, encrypting packet streams will enable the company expand the volume of transactions it can handle. According to LaPlante (2009), another benefit is that management of consolidated data is easier since it utilizes less machines and servers. Carlson will also be able to add extra free space with consolidation of data since there are fewer servers to be used. This in turn leads to a reduction in energy costs. Labor costs as well as maintenance costs are also reduced due to the low number of servers. A large share of data center costs are attributed to administrative expenses such as labor costs. Server consolidation greatly reduces these costs.

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There are drawbacks a company can face when it opts to replace the dispersed arrangement. There is a risk of loss of data during the migration process. It may be difficult to restore data lost in the process especially where data storage services in use are inefficient. Another drawback is that challenges may arise during the migration process, severely impacting the Carlson’s operations. End users may be greatly affected by the migrations. The company may lose customers or clients due to technical difficulties that may arise. Another challenge is that consolidated data on SAN central facilities may need to be continuously optimized in order to meet performance and capacity requirements.

Evaluate the issues raised from the Carlson SAN mixing equipment

A number of issues were raised from Carlson SAN mixing equipment. Carlson SAN is known to combine equipment from a number of vendors. This can be termed as a weakness on the part of the consolidated data server. It is well known that the initial cost of setting up SAN data recovery system may be quite high. Therefore, the IT experts should ensure that there are appropriate disk applications that can help reduce conflicts among various applications and software products (Ciampa, 2014). Since equipment is derived from multiple vendors, the IT experts should configure them in a way that they match and least likely to cause conflict or mismatch. It is the management’s role to ensure that this is implemented. The management can solve this problem by contracting standard equipment and software that can be changed to fit the requirements of the company. Another option for the management is to consider reducing the number of vendors so as to gain consistency.

The need for reduction of administration and management of storage networking through Carlson’s IP SAN

As earlier mentioned, IP SAN can significantly help Carlson to cut down on administration overhead and also ensure easier management of storage networking. SAN provides room for multiple extensions that helps build interconnectivity among multiple enterprises. This enables the SAN segment to be extended at relatively lower costs. SAN extensions help in creating broader availability, serviceability and reliability to end users (Ciampa, 2014). Due to the low number of storage platforms required, Carlson does not need any administrators to manage multiple servers like in the case of dispersed arrangement. A single control panel can be employed in managing the entire storage, in addition to utilizing a homogeneous software. This makes it quite easier for the management to control the entire system. Minimal training is needed for the staff thus saving on costs. Also, there are minimal errors experienced in using the system. Another major impact is that storage is optimally utilized compared to storage in dispersed arrangements.

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Application of cloud computing by Carlson instead of SAN.

Cloud computing technology can also be used by Carlson, although there are no much relative benefits which can be obtained from cloud computing over SAN. According to Ohlhorst (2012), SAN delivers higher speeds compared to cloud computing. In line with this, cloud computing is known to reduce onsite storage capacity. In terms of storage capacity and data management efficiency, Carlson may not obtain any relative benefits on adopting cloud computing to SAN. Users point out a number of weaknesses in cloud computing mostly associated with security and reliability. Thus, it would be recommended that Carlson continues to use SAN and not to migrate to cloud computing since there are no relative benefits and the cost might be prohibitive.

References

Ciampa, M. (2014). CompTIA Security + Guide to Network Security Fundamentals. Boston:       Cengage Learning.

LaPlante, E. (2009). The pros and cons of server consolidation. IT Business Insider. Retrieved     from:             http://www.itbusinessinsider.com/inf/pos_cos_server_consolidation/index.htm1#axzz2cF  TLFLV

Ohlhorst, F. (2012). Cloud storage, rewriting SAN’s future. Network Computing. Retrieved         from: http://www.networkcomputing.com/cloud-storage/cloud-storage-rewriting-sans-    future/232900096