The 21st century has been dubbed the century of big data. With the growing number of businesses on the scene, we are generating more data than ever. However, traditional means of storing your data have become obsolete, paving the way for more sophisticated, convenient storage solutions.
Many businesses are striving to optimize their data storage and find new low-cost solutions. The array of options available can make it hard to choose and utilize new ways of boosting data storage. Still, it does not have to be over-complicated. With a few steps, you can enhance your storage solutions without wasting much effort or time.
Check out the following tips to optimize your storage and help your business thrive.
Assess Your Needs
Before you jump headfirst and use the most expensive data storage solution available on the market, you have to evaluate the needs of your business. Keep track of how your business is growing and how much data it is generating. This will give you a good sense of what to look for in a storage solution.
Most importantly, set a budget. If you have a startup or a small business, chances are that you will not be able to invest in the more high-end options. However, you can find low-cost options that suit the needs of your business and your budget as long as you have a clear perspective on both.
Shift to Cloud Storage
In this day and age, cloud storage is all the rage for both individuals and businesses thanks to its low-cost and versatility. Many businesses are now realizing the importance of cloud storage for many reasons, including acquisitions and contract renewals. In an insightful article, the cloud-based technology whizzes from BossOfCloud.com point out that renewing contracts with a private data center can be a hassle for businesses.
Accordingly, owners will have to set some time aside for negotiations, cost modifications, and whatnot. In the case of acquisitions, consolidating different on-premises data solutions can prove difficult. Moving to cloud storage makes mergers and acquisitions much easier, saving time and effort.
Use a Hybrid System
Hybrid systems can be the epitome of convenience; they mix between on-premises storage solutions and hosted data storage services. Understandably, not all businesses are eager to hand their data to a cloud provider or data center. Moreover, although cloud storage is much cheaper than data centers, it is not 100% foolproof. So, in case of confidential information, you can utilize a hybrid system.
Store your most classified data using on-premises solutions, and employ hosted storage services for other, non-sensitive data. When it comes to on-premises storage, you have a variety of options: tape drives, HDDs, and SSDs. You also have an array of designs to choose from, such as direct-attached storage, DAS; network-attached storage, NAS; and storage area networks, SANs. Choosing the best configuration depends on the nature of your business as well as its scalability needs.
Prepare for Disasters
Even though most business owners are now more concerned about security threats related to cloud storage, you can never rule out the possibility of physical damage. To keep your data-storage hardware safe, you need to invest in disaster-protected storage. Disaster-protected storage can eliminate the risk of data loss due to hazards like fire and water.
One option even promises complete protection from fire for 30 minutes and waterproof capabilities that withstand water for days. It is noteworthy that disaster-protected storage comes with different configurations, DAS and NAS, so you can choose the best option for your business.
Make Multiple Backup Copies
You cannot compromise when it comes to your data, so you need to be prepared in case anything goes south. Instead of halting your business if you lose some data, always make more than one backup. Granted, backing up to the cloud can come in handy, but you also need to make a copy of that backup, a copy that you keep physically on-premises.
Look at how influential companies have handled data loss; Google, for instance, used tape drive backups during a Gmail outage. Thanks to its practices, Google was able to retrieve millions of lost emails. Similarly, Facebook is now trying to establish a disk-backup system to secure its data. Thus, do not underestimate the importance of backing up your data more than once.
Due to the technological developments emerging every day, it has become more important than ever to effectively manage your data storage. Many data storage solutions can facilitate such a process, but you need to be aware of how to handle your data, especially the confidential type. Using cloud storage, hybrid systems, disaster-protected storage, and multiple backups can go a long way toward enhancing your storage solutions and data fortification.