BOSTON, MA -- The life-blood of many businesses today is data, and how that data is stored has become of strategic importance. With the emergence of Storage Area Networks (SANs), large enterprise companies with sizable and complex data storage requirements, can now cost-effectively manage spiraling data storage cost while simplifying intricate storage systems. But will small to medium size companies ever realize the cost benefits of SANs? According to the latest report from Pioneer Consulting, Storage Area Networks: The Revolution in Data Storage - A Market and Technology Assessment, the worldwide SANs equipment market is predicted to grow from approximately $7.5 billion (USD) in 2002 to nearly $84 billion in 2007 with North America leading the way in SAN deployments. Beneficiaries of this opportunity will include companies such as Sun Microsystems, EMC2, Cisco, IBM, and Q Logic Corp. "With sales growing from $7.5 billion to just under $84 billion in a five-year period, the SAN equipment market represents one of the fastest growing markets in the tech sector," said Jason Marcheck, senior market analyst, Optical Networking at Pioneer Consulting. "Moreover, this growth will not be confined only to North America; Europe, Asia and Latin America are all expected to represent large portions of the SAN market by 2007." According to the report, Fiber Channel and IP SANs offer significant cost benefits compared to direct attached storage (DAS) systems, justifying SANs deployment costs for even small- to medium-sized business in some cases. Pioneer believes that among competing SAN technologies IP will offer the least expensive way to architect a SAN, and consequently IP SANs will eventually dominate the SAN equipment market. "As it stands today, SAN equipment is priced in a way that excludes many small to medium sized businesses. Many IP SAN vendors are actively seeking to introduce products that will make SANs not only affordable but also attractive to this segment of the market," concludes Marcheck. "As these products mature, businesses of all sizes will be able to migrate to the latest in networked storage technology. By 2007, IP SAN equipment will have begun to outpace Fibre Channel SAN equipment sales." The Storage Area Networks: The Revolution in Data Storage - A Market and Technology Assessment report examines the technological developments, market dynamics, and economic analysis comparing network storage to DAS. The report also analyzes unique network elements that are utilized by SAN equipment including, SAN Interfaces, Interconnects and Fabrics, in determining the worldwide market opportunity for 2002 - 2007. For more information on Storage Area Networks: The Revolution in Data Storage - A Market and Technology Assessment report including, an abridged version of the Executive Summary or selected Exhibits visit http://www.pioneerconsulting.com