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August 15, 2008
• Vol.30 Issue 33
Page(s) 13 in print issue
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Beyond Storage
IT Data Storage Offers Storage Solutions & More To Enterprises Of All Sizes
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 Today, organizations both large and small are faced with similar IT challenges, including server proliferation, performance and availability, backups, data classification, capacity planning, disaster recovery, and regulatory compliance issues. Instead of struggling in-house to cover a wide variety of pain points, many organizations turn to companies that specialize in the implementation of advanced technologies in server and storage consolidation, data archiving, email, and database systems.
Founded in 2000, IT Data Storage, based in Atlanta, delivers data storage and backup solutions to enterprises of all sizes. “50% of our business is targeted at the SMB, but because we do have the ability to sell enterprise solutions, we’ve been able to service larger organizations [such as] Coca-Cola, Georgia Pacific, [and] Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority,” says Ron Robinson, president and CEO of IT Data Storage (www.itdatastorage.com).
What started out as a small consultancy has grown to include a dozen highly trained specialists in multiple areas of technology, as well as numerous strategic partnerships with leading vendors, including NetApp, NEC, APC, EMC, Dell, IBM, Oracle, and VMware. Robinson claims the collaboration with well-known vendors has helped with the success of IT Data Storage. “They are willing to bring in their people to speak to our potential clients and offer evaluation systems. When potential clients see that we’re working together, it offers more credibility and makes us appear much bigger even though we’re a small company,” he says.
Additionally, IT Data Storage utilizes national service organizations, such as WebHouse. “That way, we leverage other companies’ expertise without having to certify every time we bring on a new product line.”
Given IT Data Storage’s growth projections, Robinson expects his company to double in size within the next year.
 Storage & More
Robinson attributes his company’s rapid expansion to the trend of moving from tape to disk. With regulatory compliance driving storage projects, enterprises are looking to implement technology that can enable them to store and quickly access data for up to a 50-year time period. “If data is on tape, it’s going to be very hard to retrieve, so now data centers are turning to disk and optical.” Ultimately, Robinson expects organizations to move completely away from tape.
To provide a third tier of protection, Robinson has also seen companies employ disk-to-disk-to-tape.
With innovative and easy-to-use storage solutions, Robinson has seen a variety of installations that solve multiple challenges with storage deployment. “We have a customer here in Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, which is a newspaper that wanted to put all the photographs being taken by reporters stored on an appliance.” By simply purchasing an identical appliance and having them configured to communicate with each other, the newspaper was able to set up and maintain its own disaster recovery solution.
Don’t let the name fool you: The focus of IT Data Storage isn’t solely on storage. Recently, the company was invited to bid on a contract with Lockheed Martin to assist with the virtualization of 19,000 servers. “It’s part of [Lockheed Martin’s] next-gen program, which looks at cutting-edge technologies and evaluates whether or not they are feasible to use for some of [its] government projects,” says Robinson, who adds that “99.9% of the people [IT Data Storage] talks to are evaluating virtualization technology, they’re testing it, or they are installing it.”
Other interesting projects currently underway are information lifecycle management and data archive systems for several major banks and disaster recovery for a major hedge fund on Wall Street. IT Data Storage also provides services for network optimization, security, and data center consulting.
What’s To Come
Looking ahead, Robinson also sees growth in the iSCSI market. “iSCSI is becoming really popular right now because it’s less expensive than Fibre Channel.” Another high-impact area he sees is in green technologies that address power consumption. “Companies [such as] RackSpace that have unique technologies to help with heating and cooling in the data center . . . [or] anything to consolidate servers and storage—all this cuts down on energy use. This is definitely happening now, and it’s only going to get bigger.”
Robinson feels that IT Data Storage has a competitive edge from the level of personal trust and service it extends to potential and existing customers. “I got a call from Progressive Bank in Tennessee. They have several branches, yet I’d never heard of them. When they called, we shipped the evaluation unit up there for two weeks.” Satisfied with the ease of doing business with IT Data Storage, Progressive Bank quickly became a new client. “It was the first deal I’ve ever done where I’ve never met the people I’m doing business with.”
IT Data Storage helps organizations implement the right technology by working through three critical steps: assessment, development, and deployment. By first examining existing infrastructure and processes, Robinson and his team help companies understand their technical and business requirements so they are able to make informed decisions. Next, they assist by developing an architectural road-map, looking not just at the immediate needs but those in the future, as well. Third, IT Data Storage advocates rigorous testing and pilot programs prior to the final deployment to assure that needs are adequately met by the solution.
“The key differentiator between us and our competitors is anything that we propose to our customers, we want them to evaluate and test it in their environment before they buy it so that they can see how easy it is to deploy and make sure that it works,” says Robinson. 
by Sandra Kay Miller
Company Information
 Company Name:
IT Data Storage
Location:
Atlanta, Ga.
URL:
www.itdatastorage.com
Date Company Founded:
2000
Interesting Fact:
Although IT Data Storage is a small company, it leverages strategic relationships with many of the leading storage technology companies so it can effectively serve enterprises of all sizes. |
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