qSkills™: Deduplication or less is more

Nuremberg, October 13, 2008. The independent IT training provider qSkills™ presents its training expertise in the storage and data management area on the occasion of the Storage Networking World (SNW) Europe, from October 27 to 29 at the Frankfurt Congress Center, Booth 14. The focus is on solutions for deduplication of electronic information as well as practical tutorials on implementation and backup and recovery.

Companies spend time, storage resources, and above all money on securing vast amounts of data. To tackle the dilemma of a growing flood of storage with often redundant data storage, IT decision-makers are increasingly turning to deduplication solutions. When selecting and integrating such technology, in addition to the individual IT solution, knowledge transfer in handling the respective storage world is crucial.

Deduplication reduces data and minimizes risks
Internationally operating companies with distributed branches and scattered business information. What is already a reality in a globalized business world poses new challenges for IT departments in storing and organizing large amounts of data. It's no wonder that data deduplication is at the top of the priority list for many experts. Besides reducing data volumes, the solutions are expected to quickly bridge system failures and avoid costly recovery procedures. According to Kurt-Jürgen Jacobs, Managing Director at qSkills™, the solution lies in a clear storage strategy: companies must rely on technologies that optimize storing redundant data records while keeping the budget for additional hardware within limits. Although deploying a deduplication solution cannot completely stem the data flood, it can significantly reduce it, up to a factor of 40 of the respective data capacity. An important factor, according to Jacobs, also lies in the choice of the provider and the respective technology: "Almost all storage manufacturers offer professional solutions for every company size, from small businesses to globally connected corporations."

Where does IT knowledge come into play? qSkills™ with knowledge transfer
Technological progress in the storage environment enables a wide range of deduplication solutions, but due to their complexity, they require increasingly in-depth IT knowledge from users. Only in this way can storage solutions be correctly deployed and operated. This, in turn, requires comprehensive training of employees across systems. The goal is to build up and expand know-how in a multifaceted segment and thereby ensure the conditions for optimal IT operations. Kurt-Jürgen Jacobs: "A purely technical view of IT solutions without the corresponding knowledge is fatal. The factors of technology and the knowledge of their applicability and limits must complement each other or form a kind of symbiosis." He adds: "Those who understand this perspective will better comprehend IT technology and concepts and be able to integrate them into an overall strategy." Thus, knowledge of IT becomes an increasingly important success factor for internal company structures. qSkills™ has long recognized this and provides in its vendor-independent IT training courses a comprehensive overview of technologies and solution concepts. A way to strategically and practically integrate storage into the entire IT landscape.

As part of SNW Europe, qSkills™ presents its storage expertise in selected tutorials:

• TSM Implementation with NDMP and Snapshots for N-Series/NetApp™
  Tuesday, October 28, starting at 3:30 PM

• Backup and Recovery Strategies for Oracle™ Databases with NetApp™ Storage
  Wednesday, October 29, starting at 9:00 AM

Registration for the qSkills™ tutorials is free for end users and channel delegates.

For more information on SNW Europe 2008, visit SNW Europe.

Editor's note:
Please register for a press briefing with qSkills™.


Short Profile of qSkills™
qSkills™ GmbH & Co. KG is an independent training center specializing in high-quality training in the IT and IT management fields. The main training focuses include storage, operating systems, databases, and tools. Furthermore, the company's service portfolio focuses on areas such as security according to ISO 27001, business continuity (BS 25999), and IT service management (according to ITIL).

Distinctive features of qSkills™: The company not only conducts common and traditional IT basic training but also special workshops - the so-called integrative bridge or combination workshops. The main focus here is on knowledge about networking and integration of multiple systems into an existing heterogeneous IT environment. When designing IT training, qSkills™ relies on its own training materials supplemented by proven manufacturer information to ensure maximum benefit for the training participants. The headquarters and the forward-looking training center with 200 modern PC workstations and an in-house data center (with a hard disk capacity of over 80 terabytes) are located in Nuremberg. Nationwide, the training specialist collaborates with around 170 experienced trainers. In the past business year 2007, qSkills™ had a turnover of around 4.3 million euros. The customer base of qSkills™ includes medium-sized and large companies from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in the energy supply, financial services, trade, information and communication technology sectors.