The present invention provides a storage management system and method for managing access between a plurality of processes and a common store. According to the invention, each individual process comprises data processing means, a cache for the temporary storage of data generated by the data processing means, and a control unit for managing the transferral of data between the cache and a common store. The control unit comprises a manager for monitoring the availability of storage locations in the store to receive and store data and for allocating data to available storage locations, an interface for transferring the allocated data to the available storage locations, and a locking arrangement for locking the store during data transfer in order to ensure exclusive access and thereby preserve data integrity.