Virtualizing a File Server

We are in the middle of a project to replace a new file server and were suggested to virtualise our file server. As you can imagine, this is a large project for us. We have a lot to consider and plan out before moving forward. All in all, it has been an eye-opening endeavour.

One of the biggest challenges is deciding on how the new implementation would look. Our next decision is regarding the server itself. I like the idea of easy portability and hardware independence.

Our current physical server is without warranty and one of the two power supplies has fried. The security in the server is not exactly coherent or structured. We are also out of space and apparently not backing up entirely.

We were curious when asked to consider implementing a virtualised server environment. If I am not wrong, a virtual file server is a system consisting of one of more virtualised devices that store computer files such as documents, sound files, images, audio and video files. The server can be accessed by workstations or application servers through the Fileserver network.

File virtualisation can be limited by scalability, which can involve the number of file systems, files, servers or I/O input/output) performance. The file virtualisation platform must also be interoperable with the current infrastructure so that it can work with existing storage systems and switches.

Brand Reputation and Search Engine – Correlated?

I was reading Advertising Age this afternoon and read an article titled "Search Shifts Means Visibility Must be Earned, Not Paid". Does this infer that brand reputation and search engine optimisation are correlated? If so, this has many ramifications.

I believe marketers should devote more attention to SEO rather than SEM, as the title in Advertising Age suggets. Consumers look to the internet for information and education to help them make a more informed decision. 

In the fase paced interconnected world that we live in today, consumers are going to talk about your company regardless if you have entered the online space. So even your offline campaigns, customer service, product quality with be talked about online. And of course these conversations can make or break your brand reputation.

As part of SEM, one of the variable of getting higher rankings, content needs to be refreshed and of course rich in information can be a very powerful variable in pushing up brand name in Search Engines.

Consumers want to know more about the company/brand and read about reviews and feedbacks from current customers. But hey isn't that a way social marketing? People are searching, people are also perhaps in engaging in long-tail searches on your company and brand. So having good or bad press on search engines may be a deal winner or breaker for you - depends on how it swings.

Somehow this is no longer PUSH marketing but PULL marketing at play. Not new I might say, in the past we have always trusted our friends more than advertisements anyway.

So concluding, I personally feel that brand reputation and search engine are correlated - be it good or bad reputation. Search marketing now is not just about generating leads, it is also a strategy in itself that goes beyong selling a product.

What are your thoughts?