There are similar pressure points shared between both virtualised servers and virtualised storage, it has been claimed.

Kim Tchang, vice-president of marketing at SANRAD, notes the similarities between the two forms of virtualisation and the ways in which they can be incorporated into an overall strategy.

She explains that a storage-centric strategy may not be the best option, as it could tie a business to using products from a specific vendor or even from a particular product line offered by that vendor. "Network-centric storage virtualisation solutions, such as SANRAD V-Switch, enable IT managers to mix and match storage, thereby providing heterogeneous storage mobility," she adds.

This allows the flexibility, she suggests, to use high-specification data storage solutions in the main data centre but adopt a "good is good enough" approach to remote offices.

SANRAD asserts that, since its inception in 2000, it has come to be recognised as the "leading supplier" of heterogeneous storage area network solutions among the media and analysts alike.