Note: Many topics at this site are reduced versions of the text in "The Encyclopedia of Networking and Telecommunications." Search results will not be as extensive as a search of the book's CD-ROM.

An SSP offers managed storage services, which means it provides disk storage space that it leases to companies. The SSP manages terabytes of storage and provides all backup, fault tolerance, high availability, security, fire protection, and 24-hour service for organizations that do not want to manage these services on their own. SSP should not be confused with free Internet storage sites that tailor their services to end users. The managed storage model is the same, but SSPs orient their services to companies that require mission-critical services. See "File Sharing" for more information about user-oriented file sharing services and a list of Web sites that provide those services.

Companies faced with building their own fault-tolerant and highly available network or even SAN (storage area network) may want to contract with an SSP. An SSP can build and manage these systems at the customer site or provide access to their own facilities. If customers choose to lease storage at the SSP point of presence, adequate bandwidth between sites will be essential. This is getting to be less of a problem in metropolitan areas where metro-Ethernet, wireless, and optical networks provide low-cost, high-bandwidth services.

Exodus Communications provides a variety of storage, Web hosting, communications, and other Internet-related services. It manages giant Internet data centers. You can take a virtual tour by going to the Exodus site listed on the related entries page. StorageNetworks is another SSP that has over 50 points of presence. The more PoPs, the better. If a company has offices in various cities, it can contract with an SSP that has PoPs in those same cities. The SSP can then handle mirroring and data replication of the customer's data to get that data closer to end users. Even if an organizaton manages its own storage, it may choose an SSP to manage storage in remote locations or to manage data that is needed at the "front line" where Web clients access data.

Xdrive Technologies provides storage solutions for individuals, enterprises, and service providers. In particular, it promotes the concept of Web storage to support collaborative applications and groups of remote or mobile users. It provides a private-label Web-based interface that service providers can offer to customers.

Copyright (c) 2001 Tom Sheldon and Big Sur Multimedia.
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