This is one of a series of papers from The Register, produced by the analysts at Freeform Dynamics. Here we look at the area of storage platforms and provide a straightforward primer to answer the following questions:

- What are the current drivers for storage platforms?

- What should you expect from a storage platform?

- Where should you start?

The conclusion, and indeed the premise, is that storage is no longer just about managing disks. We therefore provide a list of topics you may wish to review, to ensure you have all you need before making any significant investments in new storage.