it - "data storage"

'This field will also represent a significant step forward for the photonic/electronic convergence. In that area the time-delay/phase-shift provided by slow and fast light devices can yield unprecedented functions.' The goal of replacing electronics with optics for processing data in computers is coming closer through cutting edge European research into the mysterious properties of 'fast and slow' light. via RedOrbit

Ever since the emergence of Fibre Channel SANs in the late 1990s, enterprise IT managers have maintained two sets of networks, one for storage I/O traffic and the other for data network traffic. But system consolidation and SAN expansion efforts are driving the need for a unified fabric where multiple traffic types -- network, storage and clustering -- are all carried over a single network infrastructure.