Storage in utility computing: 7 critical questions for IT

Computer Technology Review, March, 2004 by E.P. Komarla

While many existing technologies and solutions may be applied to the delivery of storage within the utility computing model, none of them can be used as-is. Answers to the seven critical questions posed in this article in many cases depend on accepted industry standards capable of addressing the utility computing architecture at every layer: operating systems, platforms, applications and silicon building blocks. No such standards exist today. Until the industry can develop standards to ensure cross-platform inter-operability and answer such fundamental questions as "What is a universally accepted unit of storage?" the real promise of cost-effective and reliable utility comp will remain out of reach.

E. P. Komarla is engineering manager, Storage Components Division, at Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA)

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