## 1.2 Benefits of using IBM Spectrum Virtualize 

The storage virtualization functions of IBM Spectrum Virtualize are a powerful tool in the hands of storage administrators. However, in order for an organization to fully realize the benefits of storage virtualization, its implementation must be the end result of a process that begins with the identification of the organization’s goals. For a storage virtualization project to be a success, the organization must identify what  it wants to achieve before it starts to think about how  to implement the solution. 

Today, organizations are searching for affordable and efficient ways to store, use, protect, and manage their data. Additionally, a storage environment is required to have an easy to manage interface and be sufficiently flexible to support a wide range of applications, servers, and mobility requirements. Business demands change quickly; however, there are some recurring client concerns that drive adoption of storage virtualization: 

GLYPH<SM590000> Growing data center costs 

GLYPH<SM590000> Inability of IT organizations to respond quickly to business demands 

GLYPH<SM590000> Poor asset usage 

GLYPH<SM590000> Poor availability and resultant unsatisfactory (for the clients) or challenging (for the providers) service levels 

GLYPH<SM590000> Lack of skilled staff for storage administration 

The importance of addressing the complexity of managing storage networks is clearly visible in the results of industry analyses of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of storage networks. Typically, storage costs are only about 20% of the TCO. Most of the remaining costs relate to managing storage systems. 

In a non-virtualized storage environment, every system is an “island” that must be managed separately. In large SAN environments, challenges include the sheer number of separate and different management interfaces, and the lack of a unified view of the whole environment. These challenges jeopardize an organization’s ability to manage their storage as a single entity, and to maintain the current view of the system state. 

IBM SAN Volume Controller, running IBM Spectrum Virtualize software, reduces the number of separate environments that must be managed down to a single system. After the initial configuration of the back-end storage subsystems, all of the day-to-day storage management operations are performed via a single graphical user interface (GUI). At the same time, administrators gain access to the rich functionality set provided by IBM Spectrum Virtualize, whether or not particular features are natively available on the virtualized storage systems. 

## 1.3 Latest changes and enhancements 

IBM Spectrum Virtualize V8.2.1 is another step in the product line development that brings new features and enhancements. This section lists the major software changes in subsequent code releases. 

V8.2.1 of the IBM Spectrum Virtualize code brought the following changes: 

GLYPH<SM590000> Full IP-based quorum: Support for administrators looking to consolidate their infrastructure over Ethernet. 

GLYPH<SM590000> Support for iSCSI extensions over RDMA (iSER) host attach enhancements. 

GLYPH<SM590000> Support for host login information for Ethernet-attached hosts. 

