AutoVirt Survey Finds IT/IS Management Preparing to Play Catch-Up as Unstructured File Data Grows

By VSM News Staff
published: Monday, November 09 2009

Leading Industry Research Firm Attests, Demand for File-Based Storage Systems That Address Changing IT Requirements Is On the Rise

Nashua, NH (November 9, 2009) - AutoVirt, Inc., the leading provider of unstructured Windows file data migration and management software, today announced the results of a survey of IT/IS Management Professionals conducted last month during Storage Networking World, Fall 2009.  Results of the AutoVirt survey revealed that while data is growing at a rapid and predictable pace, many companies feel ill-prepared to meet the demands of managing that data - particularly unstructured file data including images, videos, documents and spreadsheets.

Other key findings included:

• 72% of respondents report that unstructured file data comprises more than half of their IT environment
• 91% of respondents indicate their systems for storing and managing this data are "Antiquated" or "In a State of Transition"
• 55% of respondents plan on prioritizing data lifecycle management and equipment purchases next year, up from 38% for this year which saw a heavier emphasis on disaster protection (DR) and backup

"It shouldn't come as a surprise that organizations are experiencing file data growth of all types - unstructured or not. But what is remarkable is the state of the IT environment that houses this data.  Due in part to the economic realities of 2008 and 2009, in part to the heavy weight of compliance activities, and certainly to shifting priorities in most IT groups, the management of unstructured file data has taken a back seat," said Brian Gladstein, Vice President of Marketing, AutoVirt.  "It is interesting to note that respondents also reaffirmed that unstructured data is more mission-critical than ever before, as well as their belief that the first steps to better management are centralization and organization."

"Our research indicates that by 2012 well over half of all storage will be consumed by file-based data. As market demands continue to evolve, storage managers are seeking solutions that are dynamic, scalable, flexible, and persistent," said Noemi Greyzdorf, Research Manager, Storage Software, IDC. "The old days of one-NAS-fits-all are gone. Organizations will adopt the right solution for each problem, but instead of deploying islands of solutions throughout the enterprise, IT will seek to create storage pools with predefined capacity, protection, and performance parameters, and offer storage services based on this platform to various users within the enterprise. The gains achieved through this approach include economies of scale, lower operating complexity and cost, and greater flexibility and accountability for resources being consumed."

To review the complete AutoVirt survey results and report, please visit: www.autovirt.com/survey.cfm.

About AutoVirt Software

AutoVirt software delivers the most affordable and easy to acquire, install and manage solution for managing unstructured file data on Windows networks.  AutoVirt allows customers to quickly and easily execute key storage management initiatives such as optimization, archiving, consolidation, data protection, and disaster recovery (DR), in order to lower costs and ensure business continuity, as well as meet internal governance and external regulations compliance - all with zero interruption to users.  Featuring recent key enhancements in the areas of storage automation policies, independent namespaces, and interoperability with Microsoft's DFS/DFS-R platform, it is an ideal solution for overcoming common IT data center challenges such as over-provisioning and under- utilization of storage assets, failed backups, unexpected downtime, overspending on resources, hard-to-find data as well as difficulty retiring older assets in order to perform tech refreshes.  AutoVirt software can be installed in just two hours, and requires zero implementation expense. Customers may sign up for a short virtual lab session to see for themselves how easy it is to use, by visiting www.autovirt.com/product/automove-virtual-lab.cfm.

About AutoVirt

AutoVirt is the leading provider of unstructured Windows file data migration and management software.  AutoVirt provides companies of all sizes with the first truly affordable solutions for ensuring data integrity, data protection, high availability (HA), disaster recovery (DR), and business continuity during critical storage projects, as well as day-to-day operations.  For further information, please call: 603-546-2900, e-mail: info@autovirt.com or visit: www.autovirt.com.