Storage has always been a problem in the ICT space, with end-users using it up almost as soon as it is installed. Too much data and too little space, they used to say. Now the word on the street is that there`s still too much data, and too much under-utilised disk space. In this month`s On the Spot feature, we asked the local storage guys one easy question: Storage, storage everywhere - how do you manage, maintain and get optimal usage out of it?

* Studies show that data growth is estimated at 30 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) commercially, while IT budgets are flat or declining. Undetected, the problems of storage inefficiencies are huge. Frequently, 70 percent or more of available storage is unused and wasted, caused in part by the estimated 271 storage management point products used in an attempt to manage storage, none of which are interoperable among themselves or across servers. Training is required to develop the right skills and it is critical to install the right tools to understand and resolve the issues. Users that have done so have dramatically reduced expenses. Manfred Gramlich, Sun Microsystems storage practice lead