Discover The World Of Storage Solutions: Part 2

Hey, you! Yes, you - chances are you're reading this article on a smartphone. In that case, you might have faced an issue that over a quarter of global smartphone users face

Low Storage! * shudders *

Over 25% of smartphone users admit to deleting an app solely because their phone's storage was full and we all need our space, don't we? While we may rely on our mobile devices to store essential (and, yes, at times non-essential) data, we cannot always depend on them. Sometimes they malfunction, get infected or have a hardware failure (who here hasn’t thrown their phone against the wall in frustration? Just us? Ok). Hence, it is essential to have backup storage, even more so for enterprises dealing with sensitive, real-time data. Mere local or temporary storage isn't enough to keep business data safe. Hence, most enterprises have adopted storage architectures to safeguard their business data and ensure business continuity.

In this article, we explain why Storage Solutions are crucial for your business data, the different architectures used and the future of storage. We covered Storage Solutions and its evolution in Part one of Discover The World Of Storage Solutions; in case you missed it, head on over for a quick read!
 

Why Is Storage Important For Your Business?

 
Businesses collect all sorts of data. You see, analyzing this data can reveal trends, patterns and insights that otherwise would have gone under the radar. Organizations also need data to study their growth and make forecasts. Moreover, tracking and continuously reviewing past data helps them identify areas of improvement.  

Major Data Storage Architectures For Business Data

Data has become the most critical aspect in decision-making for enterprises across all realms. They rely on data analysis to drive strategic decisions and gain a competitive edge over their competitors. Who would have thought? As a result, choosing the proper solution to meet your business data requirements is vital. Storage Solutions provide the robust backbone needed to support your business data through a variety of architectures. Let's dive in then!
 

• Direct-Attached Storage (DAS)

  Direct-Attached Storage describes a type of storage device that is only accessible on the computer it is connected to. The most typical example of DAS is the internal hard drive of your work desktop or server. The advantage of DAS is that it provides better performance than other architectures as data does not have to be transmitted over a network. Also, data transfer costs anyone? Thus, some applications prefer DAS (for example, Microsoft Exchange).

• Network Attached Storage (NAS)

  This type of architecture contains a storage device connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). It allows data storage and retrieval from a centralized location for users authorized to access the network. It is possible to connect to a specific network through a standard Ethernet connection or via Wi-Fi. The NAS-type storage has the advantage of being flexible and scalable. Thus, if additional storage capacity is needed, it is possible to add storage space quickly and efficiently.

• Storage Area Network (SAN)

  A SAN is a network-based architecture targeted toward the interconnection of remote storage resources and servers. It allows a business server to access remote resources as if it were a local hard drive - doesn't matter if you're based in New York and the remote server is in Iceland! The significant advantage of a SAN architecture is that they share an expensive resource or device between multiple business servers. It simplifies storage administration through centrally defined policies such as resource management and regular data backup.

 

So, What’s The Difference Between SAN, DAS And NAS?

In case you were wondering (and you should) which storage architecture is suitable for your business data, we have outlined the critical differences between the three. The main criterion is the initial cost, whether storage is shared or dedicated and your need to scale up storage on-demand.
     

Future Of Storage Solutions

Over the past few years, we've seen new ways to store data - smaller storage devices, hybrid cloud platforms, virtual servers and more. Heck, scientists have even stored data on a device the size of an atom! These developments will undoubtedly speed up soon. Let's see what we can expect in the future.
 

• Storage as a Service (SaaS)

  Few storage vendors have started offering it as an option, it is no wonder that Storage as a Service will become the standard in vendor offerings. Buying disk arrays in an on-demand model will allow organizations to move from a one-shot capital investment strategy to a less risky subscription one.  

• Invasion Of Hybrid Cloud

  A more unusual trend will be the transition of enterprises from cloud providers to local data centers. Hybrid cloud computing will enable organizations to smoothly run data centers in a combination of private and public clouds, i.e., hybrid cloud.

• The Growth Of Storage Around Kubernetes

  Another trend that should be focused on is storage attached to Kubernetes, an open-source system for automating computer applications. This will afford companies greater control over their local data storage systems.

The Bottom Line

Today, most computers, desktops and laptops use an inbuilt HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) to store information. Moreover, they provide the ability to retrieve data from external drives and the cloud. However, as operating systems mature and digital data proliferates, these hardware storage devices will become outdated.

Networked computers will be the new normal, paving the way for more comprehensive storage solutions: massive data servers, cloud storage and improved NAS devices. With the advancement in industry software and applications, the need for compatible storage will also grow. Hence, it is likely that enterprises will shift entirely to cloud server arrays to scale their storage operations. Till then, we'll stick with the good 'ol flash drives!