Podcast #107: Q and A From The Lab With Kevin OBrien

Brian invited Genius Lab Guy Kevin O’Brien to step out of his comfort zone and answer burning questions from the community and a few topics pulled from social media.

Kevin has been with StorageReview.com for over 11 years, with his first role as a Managing Editor, directing the Enterprise Test Lab and finding ways to test the next generation of storage devices in new and challenging ways. He would step out of the lab and put on his managing editor hat to review content for our site’s enterprise and consumer sections. After a couple of years in the managing editor role, Kevin moved to Lab director overseeing the day-to-day operations of the StorageReview.com Test Lab, building company relationships to grow lab resources, and researching new testing methodology to incorporate into reviews.

In addition to running the lab, performing evaluations, developing test scenarios, and working with vendors, Kevin takes time to review some of the content for technical accuracy before it gets published.

Kevin rarely goes one-on-one with Brian, so give this one a view.

00:00 Introduction

Recap of vendors that have come through the lab

02:00 Question #1

What is the best NAS?
- Synology vs QNAP vs TrueNAS
- A matter of trust
- What works well with modern devices
Security gotchas
Features
Innovation

11:00 Question #2

Caddies
- Why do we need them
- Cost
- Smart designs

14:00 Question #3

Advice on Networking
What’s with the fiber?
Cables
The environment will dictate cable selection

17:00 Question #4

Lenovo P620
- Why not build your own?
- Fans on DRAM
- Disadvantages to Build Your Own
- System operating models

20:00 Question #5

Dell ME5
- Buy or build your own?
- Costs
- NVMe is ready for primetime
Storage at branch offices
- The lower end of SMB
- Pricing from big players vs. smaller vendors
- HPE GreenLake
  - On-Premises vs. Cloud
If your costs are inching toward $10k-$15K, it might be time to look at enterprise kit

28:00 Question #6

Why are there so many batteries in the office?
And why are there so many portable power station reviews on the site?
There are more systems
- More interest from the community
- Power grids are not as reliable
- More reliance on portable energy
- More use cases
  - Edge
  - Retail

33:00 Wrap-up

Let us know if you like this format, and we will do more in the future.

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2 years ago

Harold Fritts

I have been in the tech industry since IBM created Selectric. My background, though, is writing. So I decided to get out of the pre-sales biz and return to my roots, doing a bit of writing but still being involved in technology.