This paper demonstrates six specific ways storage virtualization can help solve many of the most common issues IT organizations deal with regarding cost control, management and use of existing resources. In each case, it demonstrates how organizations can use the technology to resolve the issue and create a more adaptive, flexible service-based infrastructure to reflect ongoing changes in business requirements. The top six issues include:

• Exponential data growth and disruptive storage upgrades
• Low utilization of existing assets
• Growing management complexity with flat or decreasing budgets for IT staff head count
• Increasing hard costs and environmental costs to acquire, run and manage storage
• Ensuring rapid, high-quality storage service delivery to application and business owners
• Achieving cost-effective business continuity and data protection