Whether it’s intellectual property or customer data, data is perhaps your most valuable business asset. Unlike in the past, companies not only maintain strict compliance, privacy law as well as data storage options that ensure client data security while protecting critical business data.
However, with the large number of data storage options available today, choosing the best data storage management solution for your business can be difficult. This guide provides an overview of how companies can choose a data storage management solution that meets their specific needs.
What is data storage management?
Data storage defines how companies record and store files and documents digitally for future use. Modern storage solutions rely on optical, electromagnetic, and other media to store data. Proper data storage makes it easy for businesses to create backups and recoveries in case the unexpected happens. cyber attack Or if your storage solution crashes.
However, data storage management describes how data is collected, stored, retrieved, and protected from business software solutions. Good data management practices give businesses access to critical data and analytics to gain insight into their business operations.
Adopting a framework for accessing the vast amounts of data generated by various business processes enables business leaders to make informed decisions and improve customer service. That said, data storage management encompasses multiple functions aimed at storing, organizing, and protecting business data in an accurate, accessible, and protected manner.
Advances in technology mean that all business software solutions collect data. This includes customer relationship management software, accounting software, credit card processing software, and POS systems. These systems collect a wide range of customer data, especially customer data and financial details.
As companies adopt more software platforms to run their businesses, so does their ability to collect data. This overstates the importance of having the right data storage management solution.
Criteria for choosing the right data storage solution for your business
Below are some key considerations when choosing a data storage and management solution for your business.
1. What are the enterprise data storage solutions available?
As mentioned earlier, there are several data storage solutions available to enterprises. You should start your search by reviewing the available options to find the one that fits your business storage needs. There are three common data storage solutions:
Me.direct attached storage
Refers to an on-site digital data storage solution that connects computers, servers, and other digital devices to form a storage network. His DAS solutions like NAS and external hard drives are affordable and easy to set up.
Companies also retain physical access. Unfortunately, scaling storage requirements is difficult and not suitable for storing redundant data.
ii. storage area network
These are multiple storage devices that pool resources to create a shared pool. By connecting the storage device to the network, users can access data stored on the SAN in the same way they access it from their computers.
Because SANs connect multiple devices, they are not prone to the common problems associated with single-storage data storage options, such as device failure. Unfortunately, SANs are expensive and very complicated.
iii. Cloud Data Storage
This public storage solution where businesses purchase storage from third-party providers such as Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Dropbox and Microsoft SharePoint.
Cloud storage allows you to access and edit files and documents simply by installing software or apps on your computer. Cloud storage is probably the most scalable data storage solution compared to other options. However, it is very costly, especially when companies use it for long-term storage.
iv.Hybrid data storage
As the name suggests, hybrid storage combines public and private data storage methods, giving users the benefits of both options. Your IT team can handle hybrid storage, but should consider outsourcing to a managed IT service provider for added security and maintenance.
2. Hardware selection
After reviewing the available data storage solution options, you should focus on hardware selection. Understanding your business data hardware needs can help you save time and money. Important hardware considerations include:
Me.Solid state, hard disk, NVMe drives
You must choose from Solid State Drives, Hard Disk Drives, and NVMe Drives. Unlike HDDs, solid state drives are solid state and have no moving parts. On the other hand, NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a new storage technology that is becoming more and more popular due to its low failure rate and high read/write cycles. If your business data storage needs are modest, you should consider these options.
Similarly, if you need a lot of storage without frequent read/write cycles, you should consider a hard disk drive. HDDs offer large amounts of storage at an affordable price. These are traditional storage solutions with magnetic disks and mechanical read/write heads. They may not be faster than SSDs, but they are cheaper and more reliable.
ii. Raid
RAID visualization technology is another important component to consider when choosing hardware. Long known as the Redundant Array of Inexpensive/Independent Disks, it combines multiple storage drives to improve performance and provide data redundancy.
Although the combined storage drives look like one, the stored data is spread across multiple units (also called RAID levels). RAID units or levels offer different performance features and redundancy depending on your business needs. This improves read/write performance and ensures that data is not lost even if one drive fails.
However, no business data storage server is complete without a RAID configuration. All RAID levels except RAID 0 protect against physical drive and sector read errors, which are normally unrecoverable. For enterprise storage solutions, RAID-10 with battery backup should be considered.
iii. processor
Processors are another critical hardware component in business data storage solutions. You should distinguish between processor capacity, threads, and cores, but if you want a pure data storage solution without heavy processing activity like video editing, you should generally consider the latest Intel server processors .
iv.memory
Like processors, data storage systems are not necessarily memory intensive. 16 GB to 32 GB memory capacity should be considered to facilitate basic operations such as application performance and OS usage. These are standard for modern servers.
Conclusion
The need for companies to upgrade to reliable data storage servers increases each year. This could be due to increased regulatory requirements, cyber threats, or the need for increased storage capacity.
Regardless of the pressing reasons, a common challenge shared by businesses is uncertainty about the type of storage server to use and other issues. You need to assess your business needs, understand your available options, and assess your IT department’s capabilities to find the right data storage solution for your business.
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Author bio: Wesley Anderson is a Data Storage Content Specialist at Pure Storage. Pure Storage is a publicly traded US technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California, USA.Need help? Manage company datalook no further.
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