SNIA Forums and Initiatives

Data Management Forum (DMF)

The DMF sponsors and drives new data management initiatives for the storage industry. Each initiative's programs provide opportunities for members to work together to advance specific methods and best-practices in their respective areas of interest. Each initiative operates as a virtual community, engaging in cooperative work efforts, training programs, and outreach services.

The DMF combines the industry's leading IT professionals, integrators, service providers, and vendors and aims to help IT professionals successfully develop core competencies in the fields of data protection, retention, content storage, and information management. DMF membership is open and rapidly growing, with 21 vendor firms and over 600 individuals.

For more information on DMF membership and associated fees, click here. Please note that DMF membership requires membership in the SNIA as well.

IP Storage Forum (IPSF)

The IP Storage Forum promotes the adoption of Internet Protocol as a means of transporting block storage data over computer networks by establishing:

• Marketing collateral explaining the principles, features, and benefits of IP-based storage networks
• White papers covering the more technical aspects of IP-based storage solutions
• Educational presentations for distribution to customers, industry partners, and others.
• Forums, panels and other public presentations at appropriate industry events.
• Interoperability and showcase demonstrations of IP-based storage technology and solutions.
• Participation in SNIA events that are relevant to the work of the IP Storage Forum
• Fostering an enviornment of camaraderie among IP Storage Forum members within the SNIA

For more information on IPSF membership and associated fees, click here. Please note that IPSF membership requires membership in the SNIA as well.

Storage Management Initiative (SMI)

The mission of the SMI is to drive a common and interoperable management foundation for storage networks. The SMI focuses on establishing the environment for developing the SMI-Specification (SMI-S) and on promoting multi-vendor storage management interoperability for the products created by member companies. Benefits include:

• Collabaration with leaders from across the industry to define the direction of storage standards
• Leadership positions available in an industry association
• Networking with key industry media and analysts around industry direction
• Opportunity for dialog with IT professionals about their storage management concerns
• Participation in the planning of significant industry conferences and announcements

For more information on SMI membership and associated fees, click here. Please note that SMI membership requires membership in the SNIA as well.

Storage Security Industry Forum (SSIF)

The Storage Security Industry Forum's mission is to research, market, and promote standards-based storage security solutions and best industry and customer security practices for networked storage infrastructures. The forum is a customer- and market-focused vendor consortium dedicated to increasing the availability of robust storage security solutions. The Forum fulfills this mission by helping to identify best practices on how to build secure storage networks and promoting these standards-based solutions.

For more information on SSIF membership and associated fees, click here. Please note that SSIF membership requires membership in the SNIA as well.

XAM Initiative

The XAM Initiative's mission is to drive adoption of its forthcoming eXtensible Access Method specification. This Initiative will build and serve a XAM community that includes storage vendors, independent software vendors, and end users to ensure that the specification fulfills market needs for a fixed content data management interface standard. These needs include interoperability, information assurance (security), storage transparency, long-term records retention, and automation for Information Lifecycle Management (ILM)-based practices. The XAM Initiative aims to:

• Ensure the adoption, implementation, and deployment of the XAM programming interface(s) by applications concerned with fixed content data management and storage systems including SAN, NAS, and CAS
• Cultivate both a SNIA community and an industry-at-large ecosystem for vendor product XAM standard implementation driven by end-user demand
• Develop and implement XAM product interoperability programs, XAM developer programs, XAM standard product conformance programs, and industry education materials

For more information on XAM membership and associated fees, click here. Please note that XAM membership requires membership in the SNIA as well.

Key Programs

• Data Management Forum
• Green Storage Initiative
• Storage Management Initiative (SMI)
• XAM Initiative