Multiperspective Assessment of Enterprise Data Storage Systems: The Use of Expert Judgment Quantification and Constant Sum Pairwise Comparison in Finding Criteria Weights
Digital transformation has taken center stage in every IT organization.
Data is being created at various sources: edge, core, and cloud at an
unprecedented rate. For enterprise IT infrastructure, this means more places to
store data and more ways to store them. Storage solutions can be broadly
categorized as Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Storage Area Network (SAN),
Network Attached Storage (NAS), Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI), and Public
Cloud Storage, each with its advantages and potential drawbacks. Besides computing
and networking, storage is one of the core physical components of an IT
infrastructure. Application performance and availability depend strongly on
their underlying storage. As such, the selection of storage systems is one of
the critical decisions for IT executives. Assessment of Enterprise Data Storage
Systems (EDSS) for selecting the one that provides a comprehensive solution
requires not only the consideration of technical performance and economic
feasibility but also other perspectives such as strategic, operational, and
regulatory. An assessment model with multiple perspectives and related criteria
will serve as a valuable reference in the decision-making process. This study
uses expert judgment to validate an assessment model covering Strategic,
Technological, Operational, Regulatory, and Economic (STORE) perspectives and
their related criteria. Expert judgment is also used to calculate the criteria
weights using the constant sum pairwise comparison method. The results can be
used for the evaluation of various storage alternatives under consideration. It
is anticipated that the STORE assessment model and criteria weights will be
valid for IT organizations in their long-term strategic decision-making.
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