Data storage has become more costly and complex with time. Enterprises are already suffering due to high storage costs. There are two factors that are affecting the cost of data storage. Enterprises are storing more data due to which there is an explosion in data creation. We need more storage devices for storing this data. This will increase the headache for companies.
Also, the coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to work remotely. Employees are generating more data from their home offices. Companies are also generating data from primary data centers and branch offices. It is difficult for admins to store and secure this data. There are thousands of endpoints in a simple network now.
The data storage companies are also evolving with time. In this article, we are going to share some tips that will help you in managing your storage infrastructure and costs.
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Centralize your storage
The data was traditionally scattered across the networks. However, good MSPs are now using converged infrastructure or CI. They are trying to bring together this data. Converged infrastructure will ensure that you can handle your entire storage from a centralized point. You can use single software for managing your storage. However, if you are using this strategy, then you can only work with a single vendor for your equipment. This will increase the costs of the upgrade. You need to invest a lot of money into upgrading your infrastructure to a converged solution. Thus, some companies are still not centralizing their storage.
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Use Software-Defined storage
There are many benefits to using the centralized infrastructure. However, you will have less flexibility if you have a CI. You can only work with selected vendors. If you want more flexibility, then you should use hyper-converged infrastructure or HCI. HCI storage will treat all your storage devices as a storage pool.
Companies can use the storage devices that they already have. If you want to add more storage, then you can use any storage device that you have. Hyper-converged storage is an excellent method to simplify your storage management. It will ensure that you can use your existing storage devices. You don’t need to worry about hardware refresh when you are scaling up. This will help you in increasing the life of your network.
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Classify your data
Companies have access to mountains of data. They are using CRM and ERP systems for gathering customer information. There are also regulations like HIPAA and GDPR that companies need to follow. These regulations ensure that consumer data is protected. You should ensure that you are protecting your consumer data. Even the reference data about data is more than the actual data. Thus, you should work on dividing your data into different discrete tiers. For example, 20% of your data might be confidential. You need to protect this data from attackers. Also, you might have 30% of data which is very important for you. You should also regularly backup this data.
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Use SRM tools
SRM or storage resource management tools can help you in handling complex storage environments. These tools will help you in finding duplicate data. Also, you can find obsolete copies of your data and files. This will help you in decreasing the storage growth. It can be very helpful for companies as duplicate data can waste a lot of storage space. The real problem is the secondary storage requirements. You need to worry about things like data mining, disaster recovery, and backup. If you want to manage your storage, then you should use the best SRM tools available in the market. These tools will ensure that you can easily manage your storage. It will help you in understanding the data that you are storing. Also, it will help you in understanding how you can improve this data.
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Combine data protection and data storage
Data admin already knows that storing data is only the tip of an iceberg. First, you need to work on creating multiple data backups. After that, you need to store these data backups in both on-site and off-site locations. This will ensure that you can quickly recover your data in case of a breach. The only way to protect your business from data disasters is by creating a reliable and quick recovery process.
Most admins are using different solutions for backing up their data. In this case, you need to integrate the backup solution with your converged storage solution. However, this approach will make your storage more complex. You should look for software-defined solutions for disaster recovery and backup. There are various tools that support the converged approach. Also, these tools will help you in quickly backing up your data. This will ensure that you can use a single tool for managing storage pools and backing up your data. These tools will help you in recovering your data in case of a data breach. If you are getting a bundled solution from your vendor, then it will also decrease your storage expenses.
Conclusion
These are some tips that will help you in reducing the cost of data storage and management. Data is becoming more complex with time and it is very difficult to manage it. However, you can use SRM tools for managing your storage. Also, you should use good backup solutions for creating data backups. You can use these tools for quickly recovering your data in case of a data breach. However, it will be difficult to implement these data storage solutions. Thus, you should work with an experienced MSP like Bleuwire. They will help you in implementing complex data storage solutions. If you need more tips regarding data management, then you can contact Bleuwire.
Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.
