FAN: An Architecture for Scalable, Service-Oriented Data Management
Nigel Burmeister, Senior Product Marketing Manager, F5 Networks

With the advent of Web 2.0 and Service Oriented Application architectures, file-encapsulation is rapidly becoming the pervasive means for storing, distributing, and managing business data by policy, however, until very recently, a unified scalable, lightweight, policy-based file management architecture was not available. Today, enterprises have a tool at their disposal that leverages file virtualization, network-based policy enforcement, and globally distributed access, in an inclusive and open approach that not only "allows" but "calls for" multiple vendor technologies to interoperate - the file area network or FAN.

As a result of participating in this session, attendees will be able to:

• Describe how a FAN approach can provide a common reference framework for all file-related technologies, offering huge improvements in management efficiency, access to data, and business agility
• Examine the "Do's and Don'ts" of implementing a FAN in your organization, told through actual end user case studies
• Identify the growing list of large established, as well as the dynamic, young and rapidly growing technology vendors that have committed themselves to supporting open FAN environments