Data is more valuable than ever before. As several outlets such as The Economist and Forbes have pointed out, data has surpassed oil as the most valuable commodity in the current global market, and current estimates consider this trend will continue well into the future.
What is data storage management?
Data storage is the process of preserving information in a digital form with the use of hard drives or other data storage systems compatible with computer interfaces. Data storage management is the act of keeping stored data properly archived, cataloged, and secure.
Why is data storage management important?
Proper data storage management makes sure your data will be available whenever someone needs access to it. Be it for your customers or your employees, having your data organized is the best way to always have it within reach at a moment’s notice.
Data management strategies
Before searching for which data management solution better suits your business, consider the following tips:
- Understand your data needs
- Do not rely on cheap storage management solutions
- Use a tiered approach as a data storage strategy
- Map out disaster recovery plans
- Use intelligent data storage solutions
Understand your data needs
The first step to effective data storage management is to have a clear understanding of how valuable your data is and how critical it is for your business operations. To find the correct data storage management strategy you should ask yourself the following questions:
- If you were to lose all your data, how long would it take for you to need access to it?
- How fast do you require your data storage system to be?
- For how long do you need to keep your data stored after it’s been introduced to your system?
- What level of security should your storage management software have?
- Are there any regulatory requirements you should consider alongside your storage management strategy?
Do not rely on cheap storage management solutions
Upfront costs of data storage are not a reliable way to calculate the cost of implementing storage management software or devices into your workflow. The real costs of data storage management solutions will not be known until years after the data storage system has been deployed. Operating costs, monitoring, storage management issues, and other hidden costs exist, and these will dwarf the initial cost of deployment.
It is easy to be fooled by a discounted price, especially to those who don’t understand how important their data is to their business. By taking advantage of DataIntell’s data management tools, you can have a better idea of how to handle your data, and you can ensure that your data is accessible in every country and at any time of the day. All this while saving on hardware and other costs that you can’t easily see coming down the line.
What exactly is a file management system?
Use a tiered approach as a data storage strategy
Depending on the work you do, you can circumvent data storage management issues by using more than one solution in tandem. Since different storage management processes have their pros and cons, using a particular solution when it’s most effective and changing to another to take advantage of its strengths when the need arises is a great way to keep your workflow efficient.
For example, someone working on video editing may want to keep a record of all their footage located on the network of a NAS, but when it comes to working on their current project, using a DAS will provide them with a faster workflow. By keeping data that is currently used on a DAS, but the totality of it in the NAS, one can work comfortably while also having their data secured at a second location.
Map out disaster recovery plans
It is very important to consider how long your business can last without having access to its data. The most probable answer is not too long. From security breaches to power blackouts, there are different ways your data can be compromised.
There are several ways one can plan ahead, and it depends largely on how your business uses data. When coming up with possible disaster recovery plans make sure to perform random recovery tests regularly, as it’s a surefire way to guarantee you will be ready once real trouble arises. Needless to say, cloud storage services will not have your data in the vicinity of your business, so local inconveniences will not affect your data.
It is advisable to keep very sensitive information on separate storage management systems. If you keep your most valuable data in more than two locations and have one of those locations outside the area where you hold your main operations, you can make sure that come hell or high water, your data will not be lost.
Use intelligent data storage management solutions
The most successful companies all over the world are now making their big decisions with data at the centerpiece of their strategies, and millions of dollars are spent keeping that data secure and accessible.
Intelligent data storage management solutions will let your business comfortably transition into the information age. With features like keeping track of your storage usage, seamless integration with your API, and easy access to organization tools, DataIntell is your best ally when it comes to storage management software. By working alongside DataIntell, you can protect your assets, remove unused or redundant data, and much more.
3 things you should know about data storage management
Here are 3 things you should know about data storage management:
- Learn what storage management technique best fits your needs
- Data storage in the cloud
- Understanding the rules and regulations of your industry
1. Learn what storage management technique best fits your needs
A very important choice to make when looking to integrate data storage management solutions in your business is choosing how data is going to be accessed, operated, and transferred. More often than not, a storage management strategy will rely on the use of one of the following methods:
Directly Attached Storage (DAS)
A DAS is a data storage device that is connected directly to the user’s computer through the use of bus cables and other similar connection methods. These are the most common storage technology solutions available to consumers.
Everyday examples of DAS devices one can find at their local computer store are External Hard Drives (HDDs) or Serial AT Attachments (SATA) discs. By using a DAS solution, users benefit from a high-performance user experience. On the downside, working with a DAS device requires a direct connection to it, and can’t be accessed over a network.
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Users of a NAS have access to storage management solutions over a network, on which they can connect several computers to have joint viewing and editing privileges of shared folders. Network access of a NAS can be tiered, thereby giving businesses the possibility of providing access control to employees depending on seniority or for any other purpose.
Built using several hard disks that are connected via storage management software, working over a network is the main advantage, as well as the main disadvantage, of using a NAS. While it is a great cost-effective solution for connecting several computers, a NAS will have trouble working when there are network or latency issues.
Storage Area Networks (SAN)
A SAN works by transferring data between servers and several storage devices. Not being reliant on LAN for connections, a SAN uses a fiber channel to connect to DAS devices, RAID arrays, and other devices to a server. Using a SAN allows users to transfer large amounts of data, and it is great for bandwidth-intensive purposes.
Due to the high costs of designing, developing, and deploying this storage management strategy, the use of a SAN is currently restricted to enterprise environments where the costs can be justified. Nonetheless, a SAN is reliable all the time, and cloud services, virtual environments, transaction processing, and other modern technological marvels wouldn’t be possible without them.
Regardless of what storage management technique seems better for you at first glance, it is important to note that flexibility is essential not only in data management but in all areas of your business. Thanks to advances in technology, cloud storage services are a key strategy for those looking forward to moving their business into the future.
2. Data storage in the cloud
Today’s work environments differ from those of the past in part due to being mobile. Employees work remotely at home on their laptops and smartphones, and virtual platforms are on the rise as the main way people in many professions interact with the work they do. As cloud storage becomes the norm, cloud storage management solutions provide the groundwork upon which your business can smoothly transition into the future.
Make sure not to make the mistake of thinking all cloud services are the same. While some cloud storage management options on the market excel at handling archiving in the most efficient manner, others are meant to act as the back-end for a SAN or other main data storage management system.
One of the main advantages of using DataIntell is that no matter what cloud services you employ, you can easily view and manage all of your data from the comfort of the same dashboard. A centralized approach to data management means that wasting storage space with duplicate files or not being able to find something due to forgetting its location will become a thing of the past.
Learn more about intelligent data management solutions
3. Understanding the rules and regulations of your industry
Your compliance and security needs will be largely dependent on the regulations of the industry you work in. Businesses in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services, or publicly traded companies, will require an extra layer of consideration when searching for storage management solutions.
When looking for outsourced storage technology solutions, it is advisable to make sure you choose a supplier with the proper credentials to provide a highly secure and compliant ecosystem.
Benefits of data storage management
Have access to all your data at a moment’s notice
DataIntell’s data storage management software comes with a proprietary search engine, made to find your folders and files faster than you can say ‘’effective data storage management”. Users can filter their searches by using charts, downloading search results, and creating custom lists with the help of a tagging feature.
DataIntell’s interface is designed with efficiency in mind and it is very simple to understand. All data analytics you need are presented on the dashboard, giving you a clear visual representation of your most active projects, storage space variations, file usage, and much more.
More effective project management
By having better tools to catalog and review data you can plan your future strategies while considering your data needs. Knowing how much space each of your projects takes within your storage management solutions of choice will help you with budgeting, logistics, keeping your work organized, and taking advantage of analytics tools.
Users of DataIntell’s software can effortlessly classify all their files and folders into a dedicated project system. By using this cataloging method, whatever divisions exist in your business can be properly addressed and kept track of. Different departments, clients, team workloads, or specific plans can be organized as projects so you can personalize your data according to the nature of your business.
Not storing useless data
There are many ways that pointless data can slip into your data storage system. If one, for example, accidentally duplicates some data, it will take double the space while providing no benefit to you. Storage space is not a cheap commodity and using it to store redundant data only means that valuable resources are being wasted.
DataIntell’s storage management software not only makes sure this redundant data is easily identifiable to be properly dealt with, but it will also point out data that has not been used for a certain period of time so that you can decide what to do with it. Keeping a neatly organized and efficient office space is key to saving both time and money, plus it will allow you to be more comfortable during your working hours.
