Vendor Accent

Will storage ever be simple?

Data management is a complex task, but there are ways to handle it, says Avijit Basu.

Over the past few years, business enterprises have witnessed a data explosion. Our desire to digitise ideas, thoughts and actions has resulted in an insatiable need for digital storage. Coupled with technological advancements and sliding prices, it is easier to digitally store more data on smaller, faster and cheaper devices.

There are some key but frequent apprehensions in the minds of data administrators. The first thing that comes to the mind is the amount of space that would be needed in the next five years, maintaining the security of the data within the legal framework, the overall knowledge of alternative choices in storage and the scalability of the data along with cost benefits.

Small and medium businesses (SMBs), that have neither dedicated people to deal with data management challenges nor have big budgets to construct complex IT solutions, are on the lookout for easy, efficient and effective approaches for data storage and simplified storage management.

The beginning

A complete knowledge of one’s business is a primary requirement for data storage. A thorough understanding of the importance of the data is also essential. The next in line will be the knowledge of the associated business applications and data sets that prioritised. Data and business growth are directly proportional. The choice for a right storage solution will be a key concern.

DAS (Direct Attached Storage), where the storage disk exists within a PC or server, is the most used storage solution. The next in line are Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Area Networks (SAN). Choosing the right storage solution is as personal and individualistic as a decision to buy a home. There is no one right solution for everyone.

Options in the market

A NAS device is a storage server that is tasked as a managed data store. A NAS solution is ideal as it is a low-cost data store and is simple to store; either in a file & print environment or as expanded storage for e-mail and database applications. NAS solutions greatly simplify data management, security and disaster recovery, so they make a truly compelling choice for a majority of SMBs. The major drawback with NAS solutions is that they are not meant to be typical application servers such as database server or e-mail server.

SANs on the other hand, are high-speed sub-networks of shared storage devices. SAN management tools present all storage devices in an environment, thereby allowing secure high-speed access. As more storage devices are added to a SAN, they too will be accessible from any server in a larger network.

NAS and SAN

SAN and NAS provide the same solution to storage needs, that is, a networked storage solution. The difference lies in their overall methods used and benefits delivered. The two technologies are actually complementary to each other, and many IT environments and SMBs have the need for both types of storage solutions.

NAS solutions can be deployed in minutes using the existing LAN infrastructure. This provides optimised storage space that can be accessed directly by all users over the network immediately. Additionally, NAS offers some advanced data replication options so that one can mirror data across different locations, just in case one needs to recover lost data.

SAN solutions on the other hand provide potentially limitless storage capacity directly to servers over a dedicated infrastructure that can be tailored to meet the specific requirements and budget of a business. The primary advantage of SAN is that it offers greater throughput, higher capacity and more advanced disaster recovery options.

Data protection and recovery

Apart from storage of data, organisations will need to consider data protection and data recovery. Primary concerns will be categorisation of data depending on its nature and importance, time involved in recovering the lost data, cost efficiency and reputation to name a few.

A simple tape solution is the most preferred choice for many organisations. It offers fast recovery, cost-efficient long-term storage, removable media (for offsite storage) and is compatible with future generations of technology. Recent advancements offer ‘write once’ media (such as LTO 3) for legal compliance.

Demystifying storage

The security and ease of use that modern storage solutions offer are helping make integration and deployment easy and simple. There is no need for SMBs to approach NAS and SAN solutions with fear and bewilderment. It is important that the vendor makes an effort to understand a client’s business in order to help and guide them in deciding the storage solution that best suits their needs.

Indian vendors together with their partners provide customers with local and specialised expertise, reliable technology and solutions that are easy to own and manage. Through various customised programmes, vendors are uniquely focussed on understanding and responding to the needs of micro, small and mid-sized companies. These programmes also include seminars, technical training, education and support services to help deploy NAS or SAN solutions to solve storage problems. Some unique programmes are also devised to help SMBs to implement a truly comprehensive and reliable backup-and-restore solution to ensure that data is well protected. Furthermore, financing options are available which offer leasing options for credit-smart SMBs.

In a nutshell, the effort that every vendor is putting on is to ‘demystify storage’ by making it simple, affordable and most importantly, readily available.

The author is Marketing Manager, Enterprise Servers and Storage, HP India Sales.

He can be reached at avijit_basu@hp.com