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Do you know that the wrong type of storage can be harmful to the health of your business? Do you know what type of storage you need? Do you know how to choose the best storage at the right price?

Many people choose the wrong type of storage for their specific needs. The result can be slower access and operation of the system, it can be slower boot time, or it can affect your bottom line because it costs more than you actually need to spend.

As I work with servers and individual systems for our clients, I generally see one of three problems with storage choices companies (or individuals) have made:

When choosing storage, you must first look at your server and consider how the new storage will be used. Will it be used primarily for programs/applications and email, or will it be used just for storage of images, documents and other files?

If you are using the new drive (storage) for applications, you need to choose a higher-cost, lower-capacity drive, such as a SCSI. This type of drive will run much faster and will be generally more reliable. It will cost more and have less storage space.

On the other hand, if you are using the new drive just for storage, you will want to get as much storage capacity as possible at the lowest cost. Because you will not be running applications or email, you don�t need quite as much speed. You might want to consider SATA-based storage. This type of storage will run a bit slower and cost less than a SCSI drive. Opening or retrieving these files doesn�t need to be as fast as running a program or operating a company�s email accessibility.

The new terabyte drives might be an option if you are purchasing a drive simply for large storage capacity. A graphic artist, for example, will need to store a large number of images and both templates and files containing images and other types of graphic files, which use a lot of space. If your business has moved to paperless operations, you will also need a large amount of storage to handle the image files that are replacing paper. An individual might need a huge amount of storage for photos, music files, e-books and movies.

Why do email and programs require a higher cost, lower capacity drive? You need to understand that email and applications must operate quickly. Email is actually like a database everyone in the company uses. It must be fast and reliable.

Finally, many individuals and businesses do not have the proper redundancy to protect them in the event of a failure of some sort. Redundancy is basically a backup of what is stored on the drive. If a client is storing important data or applications on a drive, we generally create a redundant drive as backup. This way if there is a failure, such as a drive crash, the critical files are immediately available. Recovering from a failure with a non-redundant system will require locating the correct backup tape, which is stored offline, and running restore operations from the tape. This is a much slower process than switching to a different drive.

Choosing storage for your computer or for a server is not just a matter of cost. Don�t put your business or personal files at risk by choosing the wrong storage hardware. The three things to consider in choosing your storage option are:

Your answers to these questions will help you make wise choices about getting the right kind of storage at the best price.

The Solid State Drive

A solid state drive is basically a storage device that is an alternative to the standard hard drive. Unlike the hard drive, the solid state drive has no moving parts. This makes it less likely to develop mechanical problems, and thus less likely to crash. The solid state drive is also much faster than the traditional hard drive.

In tech-speak, a solid state drive works with either �volatile� (SDRAM) memory or �non-volatile� (NAND) flash memory. �

A traditional hard drive has a platter that spins (very much like a CD) and a mechanical-magnetic head that reads the data. When you search for something on a hard drive you actually wait for the head to find the data it is looking for and for other electrical or mechanical connections to recognize and display the data.

The absence of moving or mechanical parts reduces power use and heating up of the drive. A solid state drive is also quieter than a traditional drive and more reliable because use causes less wear and tear to the drive.

A huge amount of research has gone into the development of solid state drives in the last 20 years. Several manufacturers are working on more affordable solid state drives at this time.

If the solid state drive sounds like a viable storage option for your company, please call us to discuss it at 408-260-1601.

SEPTEMBER SPECIAL OFFER: If you need to upgrade firewalls and switches and wireless routers, this is the time to do so.

During the month of September only, INS is offering a 10% discount on all firewall upgrades and upgrades of switches and wireless routers.

If you think you need an update, now is the time to call for an evaluation and a great deal on a replacement. Call us today at 408-260-1601.

TIP: Do you know that if you dim your screen display your laptop will use less power? Dim your screen by about 20% and you can extend the life of your battery noticeably.

News services have been reporting on the value of kittens in the continuing battle against spam. Yes, kittens. Actually, photos of kittens. A Microsoft executive discovered that asking a user to identify the subject of a photo or other image (like a kitten) can help bloc spam programs. Identifying images in this way is called Human Interactive Proofs (HIPS). You have probably seen these on a number of secure websites. Until now, most sites have used a group of random numbers and/or letters. Images, like photos of kittens, are more difficult for a computer to recognize.

The popularity of Web services is growing rapidly. These applications make a lot of sense for businesses. They allow companies to share and exchange information within their own system with partners and customers. There is a downside, however. The downside is security. These web services actually make holes in your carefully constructed security systems and techniques.

If you have questions about any of these tech news items or if you want to upgrade to one of these options, we can help. Just give us a call at 408-260-1601. We�ll be happy to help you evaluate these options and, if you decide they are right for you, we will also be happy to provide the hardware or software and install it for you.

Mohler, Nixon, & Williams

At Mohler, Nixon & Williams, we've been helping our clients reach their financial goals for over 20 years. Our clients are the individuals, start up businesses, private companies and large public corporations that make Silicon Valley the innovative and successful place it is. The people of Mohler, Nixon & Williams know that financial success ranks high on your list of goals. Obtaining financial strength does not simply happen. To get there, you need advisors with more experience and more resources to provide you with the personal, hands on service you need.

IN THIS ISSUE

DATE: 09/19/2007