Choosing the Right Data Storage Platform

Data security and backup is core to IT strategy and planning, as organisations ensure adequate protection is in place to guard against the ever present and evolving threats from cyberspace.

The operation of businesses systems and applications continues to change at a rapid pace as organisations move up the value chain from legacy in-house infrastructures to pay-as-you-go cloud-based options.

The notion that it’s safer to store sensitive data and information in-house is changing as IT leaders accept that third party cloud and storage providers offer more advanced and secure solutions than on-premise DIY options.

Modernising and optimising IT workloads to be scalable, secure, and built for the future is challenging, and in this article, we’ve taken a look at the data storage options facing IT leaders today.

Traditional & Consumption Based Models.

Many organisations still prefer on-premise infrastructure for storage and backup. DIY options generally require upfront capital purchasing of hardware to meet business growth, which is of course, difficult to predict, and companies tend to over order on capacity. IT talent shortages and levels of in-house security skills are the reasons why many are moving to third party cloud providers. To alleviate the issue of upfront Capex, it is possible to lease or rent a committed capacity level based on your needs, and additional payments are required if agreed levels are exceeded. Organisations are able to scale capacity up or down as required, and a 3-to-5-year contract term is generally required.

Subscription-based, or Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS).

Base level commitments are required here too - and again, you pay for what you use above your commitment level. STaaS provides on-demand capacity using infrastructure located in either your datacentre, or in a third-party co-location facility, similar to private cloud services where the vendor takes care of the lifecycle management, including deployment, maintenance, growth, refresh and disposal. You don’t own, install, or maintain the hardware, and the Opex payment cycles negate upfront investment. Built-in performance and service levels are part of the contract, and management overhead costs are reduced.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage services scale easily to meet workload demand changes, and using either private or public cloud infrastructure reduces costs through combined economies of scale and pay-per-use models. Relying on expert third party providers will improve levels of security and protection, as leading cloud and storage providers have access to the very latest and best methods to protect data and systems. Cloud data storage is most secure when it is immutable (tamper proof). Using purpose-built infrastructure, the system protects against unwanted alterations or deletions, and is highly effective in guarding against ransomware attacks. This is a major benefit to organisations with sensitive data and personally identifiable information, and those wanting assurance that they’ve done all they can to comply with data storage rules and regulations will find it here.

Hybrid approach.

A hybrid approach to storage typically uses a mix of services comprising on-premises infrastructure, private and public cloud services – with management, control, and visibility across all platforms.

A hybrid approach is reached during digital transformation programmes as organisations move from on-premise infrastructure to more cloud-based services – and where a ‘big bang’ approach has been deliberately avoided. Blending storage and compute elements from the three types of workload management enables an assessment of what works best, without all eggs being in one basket.

Flexible Cloud Storage Benefits

The move to cloud-based storage is gathering pace, as there are clear benefits this approach. It’s economically advantageous, as consumption-based pricing reduces upfront capital investment and puts an end to over-engineered on-premise platforms.

Speed and Agility
Extra capacity is instantly available to meet changing business needs, and procurement negotiation timelines and self-provisioning delays are a thing of the past. Furthermore, you know exactly what an increase in capacity requirements will cost.

Simplicity - Not Complexity.
Using a third party for storage management enables busy IT departments to focus on more innovative business priorities. Easy to use immutable cloud-based storage means the provider accepts responsibility for the security and management of your data, protecting against attacks from cyberspace whilst reducing operational overheads.

The Latest and Best
The digital economy is advancing at a rapid rate, and immutable cloud-based storage keeps pace with the market and uses only the most advanced and secure technology. Utilising the latest innovations through pay-as-you-go services provide exceptional value, global leading security, resilient operations, and easy to scale capacity. And regardless of human error and the threats from cyberspace, your data will be secure and tamper proof with assured easy restoration of services in the event of an incident.