| Storage capacity reporting and management tools | | | | metrics. This will allow them to achieve a level of |
| can provide organizations a complete and accurate | | | | forecast accuracy, which used to be unattainable |
| picture of their company's storage capacity from | | | | with older reporting tools. With this function, |
| storage arrays, hosts, and other applications. Through | | | | corporate IT departments can predict future usage |
| such tools, IT companies are able to gather statistics | | | | of storage capacity and be able to plan purchases for |
| on storage capacity and utilization. | | | | maximum savings. |
| As an enterprise grows, its data storage | | | | Most storage capacity and management tools |
| requirements will also constantly rise. A company can | | | | provide reports and views that include allocated and |
| have multiple network file storage, email, web, and | | | | consumed storage from the storage arrays, allocated |
| application servers spread throughout the corporate | | | | and consumed storage of the hosts, as well as |
| IT infrastructure. Without proper storage reporting | | | | consumed and allocated storage of mission-critical |
| and management, a company may easily find itself | | | | applications. These reports can help IT departments |
| running out of space, or have an excess of storage | | | | maximize storage utilization, improve capacity planning |
| modules which can become costly to maintain over | | | | and reduce costs. |
| time. | | | | Depending upon the need or usage, storage capacity |
| Some storage reporting tools include a predictive | | | | reporting services can also be utilized to provide |
| analysis engine that can help an IT department | | | | different chargeback storage reports. Any logical |
| determine the company's future storage capacity | | | | grouping, whether by department, geography, or |
| needs based on current usage levels and growth | | | | others, can be created for chargeback purposes. |