Best Practices for Evaluating Storage Performance

This whitepaper presents a methodology for evaluating storage platforms through workload testing and validation. It outlines critical factors for effective testing, including the need for realistic workloads, proper environment configuration, and a consistent testing methodology. The document details the objectives of the testing process, which include ensuring fair evaluations of new technologies, accurately representing architectural differences, and communicating customer needs to vendors. It emphasizes the importance of understanding production workloads, which can vary significantly across applications, and highlights common pitfalls in testing that should be avoided. Additionally, the paper discusses the economic benefits of storage performance testing, such as improved application performance and cost optimization. By following the guidelines provided, IT organizations can make informed decisions regarding storage technology and configurations that best meet their specific application requirements.