FINAL WORD

Leo Lynch , Director , Asia Pacific , StorageCraft

storage builds on the concept of clustering by adding features like data deduplication and compression , simplified remote management and built-in backup and Disaster Recovery options . Ultimately , scaleout isn ’ t just another way to store data ; it ’ s a better way to manage , protect and even recover it .

In most cases , a business taking this approach will see time savings , increased efficiencies and downtime reduction . Here are just a few of the benefits :

Push-button scalability

Traditional storage isn ’ t practical anymore . With the explosive growth of data , legacy systems are quickly hitting their limits . That leaves businesses with a few options . Should they move data to the cloud and put their trust in a third party ? Or should they continue supporting their infrastructure through expensive upgrades ? For many , the answer is making the transition to scaleout storage . Specifically , with object-based scale-out storage , businesses can futureproof their storage infrastructure . Instead of having storage scattered across locations and hardware , object-based storage lets companies treat all storage as one global pool . When it ’ s time to upgrade , nodes and drives can be added to the storage cluster .

Simplified management

Managing a storage infrastructure should be easy , right ? The problem is that-given the pace at which data is growing , the increase in data silos and the different types and sensitivity of some data-managing it isn ’ t easy . By centralising the entire data infrastructure , organizations can be more efficient , create uniform policies and even run backups and recoveries , saving IT admins a lot of time and effort .

Data storage optimization

Traditional storage is rarely used effectively . Inline deduplication and data compression can help solve that issue , enabling companies to use their storage space more efficiently . It is also beneficial for organizations to have the ability to buy more storage as needed . Since storage space is treated as one storage pool , IT admins should optimize the space used on each hardware piece-meaning they won ’ t have any half-full drives that are never fully utilized .

Disaster preparedness

No storage infrastructure is complete without a plan for backing up and recovering data . Companies need to schedule backups , set retention policies and replicate data to a variety of places . That includes on-premises replication targets , off-site data centers or using a cloud service provider .

For one company specializing in insurance and related services , a closer look at its IT infrastructure led to greater efficiency and cost-savings . Previously with two expensive storage attached network ( SAN ) appliances reaching full capacity , the insurance company needed an upgrade . It was also mission-critical for this organization to protect its data from any incident , whether a natural disaster or a ransomware attack .

The company was also required by its compliance auditors to store its backup data off-site . A scale-out architecture allowed the company to seamlessly add one drive at a time or multiple nodes in a cluster , making it ideal for large-scale unstructured data and backup targets .

The organization then shifted its secondary storage load from its existing SANs , providing off-site replication for compliance . It can now recover data if a ransomware attack is ever successful since it is taking immutable snapshots every 90 seconds that can ’ t be altered or deleted .

The organization could off-load its secondary data from expensive SANs , allowing it to use existing assets much longer and save budget . It now has enough storage for requirements today and enough scalability to support the organization in the future .

Looking ahead to growing data , organizations ask if their current infrastructure can meet the surging and unpredictable demand and how will that affect the IT budget ?

Traditional storage just doesn ’ t cut it anymore . When scale-out storage solutions can lower the TCO , save companies ’ management time and protect from costly data loss and downtime , there ’ s no reason not to switch . •

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