Data is the most important thing for modern businesses. Thus, you should find the best data storage methods for your company. Companies are using their data to make important business decisions. You can feed this data to powerful algorithms that will help you derive invaluable insights. These algorithms can help you in increasing your revenue. Thus, companies are collecting data from their customers and competitors. In this article, we will talk about the different data storage methods available for businesses.
Definition of Data Storage:
Organizations are using multiple sources for collecting their data. You need to ensure that your data is both accessible and secure. Data storage means storing your data in physical media. You can retain this information whenever you need it. Storage technology has improved with time. You can use various new storage technologies to store your data. We started with mainframe computers, and now we can store everything in fast SSDs.
Importance of data storage:
Data can help you in making better business decisions. You can use the data that you are collecting to develop better products. However, you must first store this data before using it. You should ensure that this data is easy to access and manage. Companies also need to protect their data from attackers. Your data storage systems will have multiple data storage units. You need to align your data storage solutions with your network capabilities.
Different Types of Storage:
On-premise Storage
This is the traditional method of storing data. In this, companies will manage and own the servers themselves. Enterprises have enough money to build their own data center facility. However, most companies will have a dedicated data room where they can store their servers. If you are storing data in your in-house server, then you need to build and maintain your IT infrastructure. However, you also need to invest a lot of money into building your IT infrastructure. You need to deal with the costs of maintaining a data center. If your equipment is old, then you need to replace them. Also, you need to update your software regularly. You need to regulate the access protocols. Some companies want to have full control over their resources and data. Thus, they might consider setting up their own data center.
Cloud Storage
If you are using cloud storage, then you don’t need to buy your own hardware. You can move your data operations to a cloud provider. If you are using a cloud, you can easily access more computing resources or storage. This will ensure that you can meet your growing needs. Also, your employees can access their data from anywhere in the world. This is very important as most employees are now working remotely. You can also combine cloud computing with edge computing. This will help you in collecting and manage more data. You can extend your network reach without buying new network equipment.
Different Types of Storage Devices:
There are various storage devices available in the market that you can use. Each device will have its own cons and pros. We are going to talk about these storage devices in this section.
HDD or Hard Disk Drives
The most famous storage device available in the market is probably a computer hard disk. In HDD, the data will be stored in an optical and circular disk. The data is read and write by using a sensor arm. This principle is very similar to a compact disc or record player. If you want more data transfer speed, then you can increase the disk rotation. Thus, your HDD will offer you better performance.
However, this speed is actually limited by your disk rotation. Most HDDs offer up to 7000 rotations per minute. If you are using expensive HDDs, then they can reach up to 15000 RPMs. These drives have a life of about 3-5 years. However, they are cheaper when compared to other drives.
SSDs or Solid State Drives
The SSDs are different from HDDs as they don’t have any rotating or moving parts. These drives use NAND flash memory for storing the data. Solid State Drives are almost 4-10 times faster when compared to HDDs. SSDs are also more durable when compared to HDDs.
However, these drives are more expensive when compared to HDDs. Every memory block can store limited data. Thus, these drives are unreliable for storing backup data.
Tape Drives
This is the oldest form of the drive available in the market. These tape drives are mostly used by companies that store a lot of archival data. Companies don’t need to access this data quickly. Most digital tape drives have a lifecycle of over 30 years. Also, you don’t need to worry about maintaining it. This is a perfect enterprise backup solution.
Many companies are using these tape drives for storing their backups. These tapes are inexpensive when compared to other drives. Also, it is easy to manage and maintain these drives. Also, many companies have not upgraded their technologies. Thus, they are still using old tape drives for storing their data.
Conclusion
These are all the data storage methods that companies can you. The choice will depend on your storage needs. You can also use multiple storage solutions together. The best example is the hybrid cloud, where you can store some data in the data center and some data on the cloud. However, it is not easy to migrate your data to a cloud provider. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in the migration process. They will help you in finding the best data storage method for your business. Also, they will help you in moving your data and resources. If you need more information regarding data storage methods, then you can contact Bleuwire.
Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.
