SYOSSET, N.Y., March 14, 2006 -- Government mandates such as Sarbanes-Oxley, the competitive need for instant information access, and the uncontrolled growth of enterprise data have conspired to create a virtual nightmare for corporate information management. Add to that the sprawling nature of many storage environments, and there exists the very real potential for inefficiency and added costs.

But managing a diverse collection of physical storage devices need not be an exercise in controlled chaos. Growing adoption of a technique called storage virtualization frees organizations from the need to manage each computer or resource separately, enabling companies to manage them together -- virtually -- as a combined pool of resources for significant improvements in utilization.

Creating an efficient, optimized, and cost-effective virtualized storage environment is explained in detail in a new video-based program from IBM and WatchIT -- a leader in on-demand education. The program, "IBM Storage Virtualization: Enabling Information on Demand," is led by Kristie Bell, Vice President of Marketing for IBM's storage systems. She describes the storage virtualization approach to data management and its many benefits.

Bell is joined by Rich Lechner, Vice President for Virtualization, who provides a technical overview of the processes involved, and explains how virtualization allows users to select the most cost-effective storage platform, for specific data types, at any point in time. The program concludes with Roger Wofford, World Wide Program Director for SAN Volume Controller, who offers his perspective on how storage virtualization solutions are improving business operations around the globe in industries such as healthcare, education, government, and banking and finance.

The 28-minute program is presented in WatchIT's acclaimed "Knowledge Navigator" platform. This interactive interface includes a full, rich-media presentation, including video, graphics, and animation, as well as value-added educational resources such as Web links, white papers, a glossary of terms, and a multiple-choice test.

To watch this program, visit http://www.thesoftwareinstitute.org/registration.cfm?c_acronym=IST

    For more information, contact Robert Rauch, Director of Content
Development
    Email: rrauch@watchit.com
    Phone: (516) 393-5761

    Website: http://www.watchit.com