How do you deliver performance while cutting costs?

Most data centers have multiple tiers of data that need to be accessible at any time, from high-priority Tier 1 data to archival (Tier 4) data. Obviously Tier 1 data needs to be accessed at the highest speeds, while archival data can be accessed at a slower pace. The Quality of Service (QoS) level you set for each tier of data will determine how much you can store on each disk (Disk Utilization), since data stored at the outside edge of the drive is the fastest to access.

To increase performance by reducing seek times, most manufacturers use a technology called short stroking, which writes data only to the outer bands of the disk, where speeds are the highest. While this reduces seek times, it also reduces the amount of data you can store on a disk, since only the outer bands are used.

Pillar uses a new methodology that places the data requiring the highest performance on the outer rings, and the data most tolerant of longer seek times (such as archival data) on the inner rings. This makes better use of each disk, while still keeping performance high. Pillar QoS manages the I/O queues to appropriately deliver the right level of performance to each type of data, simplifying life for IT managers.

The more you can store on each disk, the more you can consolidate your drives (Drive Consolidation), further saving on space while reducing power and cooling costs.