IP SAN

When Storage Area Networks appeared in the market, they were seen as an expensive storage solution, which only a large data center could afford. But the speed of access and the security provided by SANs made them an attractive choice for large data centers.

Then came IP SAN, a Storage Area Network implemented using the Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol. IP SANs provide all the benefits of SAN (security, speed and scalability) but at a lower cost as the ISCSI uses regular Ethernet adapters, cables and switches for storage-server connectivity. Thus the organization adopting IP SAN can use the existing local area networks for dual purposes; for data and storage connectivity. In fact, since this technology is based on IP standards, so one can easily connect remote offices over the WAN, using IP protocols, into the central data centre for consolidation and back-up of data.