Virtual this content data storage is gaining popularity as a popular option for companies who want to reduce their IT costs. In reality, since these solutions do not require the hardware redundancies typically needed in traditional storage architectures for disaster recovery, they are able to cut down on upfront costs as well as ongoing operating expenses by a significant amount.

Virtual data storage permits IT departments to pool physical storage devices, such as SANs and SANs, into what appears to be one device or a virtual storage array. There are a variety of ways to utilize this technology using network-based storage (which integrates all the storage devices in an FC or iSCSI the SAN into one pool, which is controlled by a central management console) and host-based virtualization. Host-based virtualization is most commonly used in HCI systems as well as cloud storage.

To function the way it should, virtual storage must be compatible with the hardware infrastructure including networking components, servers and other servers, along with standard management tools and hypervisors. It must also allow data encryption as well as granular authentication and access controls and robust backup and disaster recovery capabilities.

Additionally, virtual storage must be able to tackle issues with latency and performance. This includes ensuring that critical applications are able to run without hindering performance or increasing the delay of data retrieval. This involves evaluating storage controllers, network bandwidth and the capacity of disk I/O as well as using cache mechanisms. It also requires the use of advanced storage functions such as replication, tiering and virtualization at the virtualization layer.