IBM Tivoli Storage Manager FastBack is the result of IBM's [acquisition of FilesX], a company in Israel that developed software to backup servers at remote branch offices running Microsoft Windows operating system.

technorati tags: IBM, DS3000, DS4000, disk system, Tivoli Storage Manager, TSM, FastBack, FilesX, Israel, Microsoft Windows

technorati tags: IBM, virtual tape, ibmpulse, Pulse2009, TS7650, TS7650G, ProtecTIER, deduplication

Next week is the Spring 2009 Storage Networking World [SNW].In the category of "Innovation and Promise", there are three finalists for the "Best Practices Award": Activision Publishing, Inc., Santa Monica, California Argus Information & Advisory Systems, White Plains, New York CIGNA - Health Insurance, Windsor, Connecticut

The awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 7th at the event during the General Session:

10:00-10:15 am "Best Practices in Storage" Awards Program

Of course, I'll be rooting for the one above that used IBM's XIV disk storage system to reduce their energy consumption, improve their utilization, and simplify their management.

technorati tags: IBM, SNW, SNW2009, Innovation Promise, Best Practices, Activision, Argus, CIGNA

Actually, I've been so busy this week that I am just now getting to this week's theme of Smarter Water. Since it was St. Patrick's Day this week, I thought of discussing IBM's project to help Ireland. Working with the Marine Institute Ireland, IBM has created a system to monitor wave conditions, marine life and pollution levels in and around Galway Bay. Here is quick excerpt from IBM [Press Release]:

"This real-time advanced analytics pilot is turning mountains of data into intelligence, paving the way for smarter environmental management and development of the bay.

The vision for SmartBay is a marine research infrastructure of sensors and computational technology interconnected across Galway Bay collecting and distributing information on coastal conditions, pollution levels and marine life. The monitoring services, delivered via the web and other devices, benefits tourism, fishing, aquaculture and the environment.

The pilot, which includes a move from manual to instrumented data gathering, will allow researchers to deploy quicker reactions to the critical challenges of the bay such as pollution, flooding, fishing stock levels, green energy generation and the threats from climate change."

Or... I could have used water as a metaphor for the "tidal wave" of information. For many,we have a lot of raw data, but not suitably digestible information in the form we need it.

But then I found this photo.

Source: [Picture is Unrelated Blog]

Ok, I admit it is a silly photo, Darth Vader standing in the middle of the ocean filtering sea water into a plastic jug, but it helps focus on the problem. Long before we are donefighting over the last few drops of oil, we will be fighting over water. This Sunday, March 22, is "World Water Day".Over the past 100 years, water consumption has increased six fold, twice the growth ofhuman population. Today, one in five people on this planet lack access to suitable drinking water. I have been to countries where people not just lack water filters, and in some cases didn't have closeable plastic jugs to carry the water in. By 2015, the World Health Organization [WHO] estimates that water problems will impactover half the world's population.Here is their [Top 10 Facts File] on water scarcity.

At this point, you might be asking what any of this has to do with IBM.

technorati tags: IBM, Smarter Water, Marine Institute, Ireland, Galway Bay, SmartBay, Star Wars, Darth Vader, World Water Day, World Health Organization, WHO