The Information Storage Industry Center (ISIC) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) announced today the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is the founding sponsor of ISIC's StorageNetworking.org Initiative.
StorageNetworking.org is an independent, university-based initiative. Its mission is to support the users of data storage technology by stimulating the creation of local and regional storage networking user groups (SNUGs) so that individuals involved in this fast-moving industry can exchange information with peers and knowledge experts. The initiative also is developing a new online resource portal to provide access to user group resources, industry-specific educational opportunities, academic research, discussion groups, news and information.
"The SNIA is pleased to be the founding sponsor of the StorageNetworking.org initiative," said SNIA Chairperson Sheila Childs. "As a vendor-neutral industry organization, the SNIA strives to make storage networking technologies understandable, easier to implement, simpler to manage, and recognized as valued business assets. We see the StorageNetworking.org initiative as promoting these same values."
"As an independent, non-profit initiative backed by leading universities, StorageNetworking.org is designed to bring together academic and industry resources and data storage end users in a trusted forum that enables users to gain a greater understanding of their mutual challenges, as well as the available solutions," Childs added. "It also will promote the data storage industry to a new generation of students and researchers, attracting the best and the brightest minds to our industry."
Roger Bohn, ISIC director, said, "Data storage can be confusing, complex, and difficult to implement. Through the StorageNetworking.org Initiative, we intend to facilitate discussions between data storage users so they can benefit from their own experiences as the demands on their time and resources continue to grow. At the same time, we and our academic partners also intend to make it easier for individuals to locate relevant educational opportunities, university research, and news and information."
The ISIC is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation social science research program that studies the business dynamics of the data storage industry.
"One of the Sloan Foundation's goals is the application of academic resources to help identify and address industry challenges," says Bohn. "Through this initiative, we feel we can begin to address the challenges of user education and knowledge sharing in ways that benefit the entire industry. We are excited that the SNIA has taken such a major step in supporting this initiative. Given their successful track record in providing vendor-neutral end user education and certification, and their significant technical expertise, this relationship can only serve to enhance StorageNetworking.org."