In enterprise information technology networks, data storage has traditionally been connected directly to servers. In this white paper, it is argued that connecting storage to a storage area network (SAN) yields a significant financial and performance payback. Using an analytical model and a hypothetical 50-server network, a SAN application is compared function by function against two other storage scenarios. The differences in cost and service among the three environments are identified and, where possible, quantified. The results are a compelling sign that SAN technology, although new, can provide measurable cost and quality improvement over traditional network environments.