Zoeb Adenwala, chief IT, Pidilite Industries

• Storage requirements: Pidilite is an extensive user of ERP, and SCM type of applications. With increase in the business applications, e-mail, etc the storage requirements have increased over last two to three years with: business expansion, legal and statutory requirements. Along with high numbers of new applications, storage needs have been increasing at 10–15 percent per year.

• Storage architecture: As most other organizations, we were traditionally on DAS. As a manufacturing major, ERP is business-critical for us and DR is necessary for survival in the near and long run. So it's important to have a networked storage solution in place, as it provides reliable high performance, and gives us better control over information resources. We have an extensive use of NAS and SAN. We use an automated backup solution.

• Best practices: The vendor's credentials are very important. We prefer vendors whose core technical competency is storage technology. Different vendors have different features that need to be matched to one's requirement. A detailed evaluation of the player and its offerings is necessary.

• Optimizing storage: With availability of historical data, forecasting systems are able to give much more accurate results. Besides this, many MIS systems give better understanding of trends that help business managers make informed decision. BI has become an essential tool in today's environment.

Nihar Rao, CIO, Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance

• Storage requirements: Our storage needs are growing at over 100 percent per year. We not only have to maintain and store records for our own references but also abide by regulations and policies. With more and more applications being deployed in the organization, the storage requirements are constantly multiplying.

• Storage architecture: We still have a traditional solution-currently we use DAS-with some exceptions where we use NAS.

• Best practices: Interoperability, expandability, and technical support are the key factors to be taken into consideration. The storage system needs to be adequately scalable to handle the increasing data volumes. The resilience of the storage solution is also very important because it should be able to respond dynamically to the changing business scenario. Thus interoperability precedes most factors.

• Cost: The solution should be cost effective in terms of capital and operating costs. Its total cost of ownership should be minimum. The technology and the solution should be reliable and supplied by a vendor that has a strong market presence and support system in place.

• Storage trends in the insurance industry: In life insurance, there is substantial use of imaging technology with long-term storage of large-volume, client records. SANs are used widely.