Thanks to virtualization and a host of other technologies, storage has left its silo. Its performance affects the whole computing shebang. Fortunately, new technologies that cross the boundaries of storage, management and compliance are smoothing over performance issues and easing the pain (and expense).

But you’ve got to be in the know to make use of them. Here are seven storage truths that every IT person should understand.

1. You might be spending too much money on storage and still not getting performance gains

Optimizing storage isn't about buying new stuff , says Mark Diamond, CEO at storage-consulting firm Contoural. It's about determining whether the data you've created is stored in the right place. This discussion goes beyond the basic concept of using inexpensive disk to store data and delves into how the disk is configured, especially when it comes to replication and mirroring.

"We typically see that 60% of the data is overprotected and overspent, while 10% of the data is underprotected -- and therefore not in compliance with SLAs [service-level agreements]," Diamond says. "Often, we can dramatically change the cost structure of how customers store data and their SLAs, using the same disk but just configuring it differently for each class of data."

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