The term “storage virtualization” has been around for awhile, but many storage vendors offer differing interpretations of what storage virtualization actually is. In this paper, Xiotech, the company that first delivered optimal storage virtualization for open systems, provides a practical, working approach to the topic.

This paper is directed toward all levels of IT professionals—anyone who is interested in understanding the differences among the diversity of storage area network (SAN) offerings and approaches to storage virtualization.