As we move into 2016, now is the time to make sure your data storage is in order. Technology is constantly evolving; forcing companies to take a good look at their current configuration and start exploring new options. Moving into 2016, look for these trends that are still prevailing in the archival data storage industry.
Storage as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS is a model that has broad appeal, from small businesses to enterprise organizations. This model reduces upfront investments and management costs. In a SaaS partnership, the storage provider handles implementation and management of disk storage. Companies are often reluctant to give up control of their data, and SaaS models allow organizations to easily access stored data without going through a “middleman.”
Beyond the initial upfront cost savings of implementing a purchased storage system, there are other significant perks to a SaaS model. Storage technology is constantly evolving, becoming more efficient and less costly. A SaaS model provides organizations the best storage solutions at a lower cost.
Deduplication
Deduplication solutions identify unique data segments, compare those segments to data stored previously and save only the unique data. With automatic backups, the same information can be saved continuously, utilizing precious storage space. Deduplication saves only compressed, unique data.
Deduplication reduces storage requirements by eliminating redundant information. This process improves processing speed by decreasing server workloads. Deduplication also improves the data recovery process by eliminating redundant data and incorporating a quick reference to locate duplicated information.
Eliminating data redundancy reduces the amount of money spent on data storage. It is economical to implement deduplication software rather than scale-up data storage systems.
Connectivity – SAN
As legacy systems fail to be supported by vendors and updates, IT departments turn towards new technologies to improve systems, and in many instances replace outdated equipment and software. Storage area network (SAN) is networking aimed specifically for storage environments. SAN protocol offers increased storage performance, accessibility and improved network application efficiency.
SAN requires an updated set of standards optimized for storage environments. It was designed specifically for storage environments, not retrofitted to meet storage requirement standards. SAN maintains some standards put forth by the SCSI command center for higher level layers, but works more closely to devices and network communications, implementing fibre channels for high speed interconnectivity.
Change is difficult, even to the savviest of companies. Once a system is in place, and it works— why disrupt a good thing? Because, outdated systems cause inefficiencies, and inefficiencies work against the bottom line.
Security
It seems as though new security technologies enter the marketplace and shortly thereafter hackers manage to find a way to gain access to valuable information. Encryption refers to mathematical calculations and algorithmic schemes that transform data into an unreadable format, protecting valuable information from unauthorized users. However, gone are the days of relying solely on encryption. Hackers are using sophisticated methods to break cryptography and enter into networks.
Utilizing proper backup methods is just as important as your storage solution when it comes to securing data. Backups should be performed automatically, on a dependable system. Many organizations backup data daily without ensuring everything is in proper order. Peace of mind does not come from backing up data; it comes from the reassurance that when your system fails you can easily recover important information that impacts aspects of your business operations.
Monitoring
Once a data storage system is in place, constant system failure monitoring must be performed. Although most storage systems are redundant, protecting data from potential system failures, many organizations neglect to monitor storage system health. If a single disk drive fails and no one is aware of the failure, there is usually a back-up plan. However, if you lose two disk drives, there is a high risk of data loss.
Capacity monitoring is vital to all organizations, and especially to those that perform day-to-day backups. With capacity monitoring, a trend analysis is performed prior to implementing a storage system to determine the amount of storage required. However, storage monitoring should always remain top priority. If the storage system is not being monitored, capacity could be reached leaving day-to-day backups vulnerable.
Capacity monitoring is also important to determine future storage needs. Scaling a storage system is not a split second decision. Making a change should be well planned out, and the only way an organization knows how much storage they will need is by monitoring current capacity and storage trends. Partnering with a storage provider that can take one additional task from an overworked IT department will reduce the risk of system vulnerabilities.
Continuous advancements are being made in data storage – and will continue to be made through 2016 and beyond. Make sure your company’s data storage configuration is advancing as technology improves.