big data Archives - Big Data Supply, Inc.

According to Forbes contributor Lisa Arthur, big data isn’t anything to be afraid of – rather it is something that must be embraced.

She defines big data as, “A collection of data from traditional and digital sources inside and outside your company that represents a source for ongoing discovery and analysis.”

We happen to like this definition for a handful of reasons. Firstly, it isn’t anything to be afraid of – rather, it is simply all of the information and files that help define the meaning and value of an organization. Secondly, each and every organization has different types of data that make them tick (some digital and some non-digital). And finally, big data is there to help you decipher meaning and pave the way for a successful future.

There are two basic types of data – Unstructured and multi-structured.

Unstructured data is normally unorganized and quite difficult to interpret. In today’s world this includes things like metadata, social media posts, and Tweets.

On the other hand, multi-structured data is created when people and machines interact. This includes everything from text, to photos and videos, to web applications, and online business transactions.

If you’re just beginning to take inventory of your organization’s data and developing a roadmap for data storage success, it is important you:

1. Define your goals and gain a deep understanding as to what role your data.
2. Classify our data and decide what will be accessed regularly and what (if any data) can be stored offline.
3. Consider your bottom line and invest in a data storage infrastructure that makes the most sense financially.
4. Make sure you select the right mix of data storage technologies. For example, a growing number of organizations are using a strategic combination of disk, magnetic tape, and cloud storage.
5. Don’t forget that e-waste recycling is a massive problem. Get an education on best practices and technologies that exist for recycling and reuse.

While the concept of big data can be overwhelming, it is vital that we all embrace it. Make data your friend and develop an infrastructure that leads to higher levels of success and freedom.

Have questions about big data? We’d be happy to help steer you the right direction. Send us an email or drop us a call!

According to InformationWeek and other resources, Big Data must rely on tape as data sets become on a daily basis. The truth of the matter is that data archives are becoming too massive for organizations to perform full backups.

And, disk-only storage is becoming way too expensive and is definitely not fail proof. To assure that data doesn’t get lost, organizations are increasingly embedding data protection into their storage infrastructures.

What this all means is that organizations must pay attention to:

1. Finding the most cost-effective, yet stable data storage infrastructure.
2. Developing systematic backup solutions that will safeguard data 24/7.
3. Getting creative as to how data is stored and accessed.

The key is to develop a system that allows for a particular piece of data (say a video or picture) to be accessed as quickly as possible, while making sure at all times data is constantly being backed up.

To accomplish this, we suggest finding the perfect mix of storage mediums for your organization. This can include a mix of magnetic tape, cloud storage, and disk. In order to choose the right mix, it is vitally important to take stock of the types of data that need to be stored.

In our opinion, tape should usually play a central role, especially where system backups are concerned. Experts at InformationWeek tend to agree – with LTO tape continually improving, there is absolutely no reason not to use it for backups and/or archive.

Additionally, its offline nature makes it quite cost-effective. Backups can be stored on tape and then placed in a vault or storage facility for 30 years and more.

Numerous companies have learned the hard way, the dangers of a disk-only in data storage infrastructure. Even Google has found itself thanking its lucky stars that tape was there to save the day – especially when hundreds of thousands of mail accounts were assumed lost. Thankfully, Google was able to use data stored on magnetic tape to restore all mail accounts.

Want to learn more about the value of tape? We would be happy to answer any questions you may have!

In today’s big data world, it’s vital that all organizations pay close attention to their data storage needs - especially if video is a part of the scenario.

The common story is that videos are developed and made available 24 x 7. This puts massive demands on infrastructure. The same is true of storing large amounts of photos, customer data, and transactional data.

Here are some things to keep in mind when considering your own infrastructure:

1. Define Your Needs
We’ve mentioned time and time again the importance of knowing what you need by way of short-term and long-term storage. The more you can define and predict where you are heading in the coming months and years, the better off you will be.

2. Consider Using Less Intensive Video Types
If you are continually growing your video library, you may want to consider streaming videos in Flash and/or offering low and high-res video options.

Many organizations are using tiered storage infrastructures that help speed up access to data and make data management much easier.

3. Stick with Tape
While you may find yourself using disk for many of your data storage needs, we strongly urge you to use tape when possible and tape is an obvious choice for long term archiving.

A growing number of organizations are realizing that regular data backups to tape are cost-effective and reliable. Plus, they are discovering the power of using tape as an active archive. This allows for them to restore datasets to disk at any time.

LTO-5 and LTO-6 are excellent for active archives for numerous reasons -- but most importantly, each tape holds a massive amount of data and has an easy to use file system (LTFS) for easy organization and data retrieval.

4. Think Twice About Relying on the Cloud
It’s becoming quite clear -- the cloud offers many advantages, but without regular data backups it may be dangerous. Make sure you have a backup system in place. We also recommend tape backups in this case.

If you are using tape please tape keep in mind that we at Big Data Supply, Inc. will purchase your excess new and out of archive data tape media cartridges. Recoup some of your initial investment with this highly secure and eco-friendly recycling option.

Have questions about your emerging data infrastructure? We can help you out. Drop us an e-mail or call and we’ll steer you in the right direction!

According the 2012 Compliance, Governance, and Oversight counsel Summit analysis, a whopping 69 percent of a company's data has no immediate value. This means that the majority of organizations are spending massive amounts of money to make sure that unneeded data is available 24 x 7 via disk.

IT professionals around the world, and the organizational leaders they consult, are often overwhelmed by the idea of making major changes -- such as the adoption of both disk and tape.

There are many that love to assert that "tape is dead" -- however, huge brands such as Google, Yahoo, and Facebook are proving that hybrid data storage solutions (a mix of disk and tape) ARE the answer to the equation.

Not only is tape a reliable backup solution, the Clipper Group recently discovered the average cost of storing archived data on disk is 26 time more expensive than the utilization of an automated tape library.

Thankfully, the last couple of years have seen data tape become highly user friendly. With the birth of the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) as developed by IBM in 2010, writing to tape has become amazingly easy. Gone are the days in which tape users had to run through hours and hours of tape to find an exact piece of data.

More specifically, files on LTO-5 and LTO-6 tape are stored in a similar fashion as disk or a removable USB flash drive. This is extremely attractive to organizations seeking to store unstructured data, especially rich media such as video, digital cinema, and audio. Plus, the high data transfer rates and massive capacities make LTO data tape amazingly efficient.

As provided by the LTO Consortium, other benefits of LTO with LTFS (LTO-5 and LTO-6) include:
• Open Specification
• Portability
• Ease of Use
• Multi-Platform Support
• Reliability and Robustness

In the end, LTO is the very best solution for the 69 percent of data that doesn't have to be accessed immediately. It's cost-effectiveness and reliability make it a surefire winner for 30 plus years of storage.

The secret to developing a cost-effective big data environment is to carefully outline your organization's true needs. Define which data needs to be stored on disk and develop a plan for the long-term storage of data that can be kept offline.

The secret is out – LTO backup tape has made a humungous comeback, as one of the most reliable means of data storage for companies of all shapes and sizes.

Big data (the phrased used to describe when artificial intelligence is amassed in huge blogs within databases) is a huge deal in today’s world. It consists of never-ending Internet histories, social conversations, pictures, videos, and the list goes on.

The growing debate is exactly how the rapidly accumulating masses of data can efficiently be maintained, stored, and secured by companies.
According to a 2011 study, the world collectively created more than 1.8 zettabytes of data. It’s utterly impossible to put into context much data this is, but believe us when we say…it’s a ton!

Each company plays its own role in creating and amassing large amounts of data, which is likely to grow faster and faster as the time progresses.
For a handful of years, disk was thought to be THE technology when it came to all backup needs. When the amount of data grew by leaps and bounds, organizations quickly learned disk is quite expensive. Plus, vicious bugs, worms and hackers quickly proved to be disk’s worst nightmare – leaving organizations vulnerable to attack.

Fast forward to 2013 – now, the majority of leading companies have invested heavily in hybrid systems that consist of both disk and tape. For example, Google and other huge operations utilize disk for daily operations and rely on tape for data backups.
There have been moments (in very recent history) that have seen Google restore lost information with data stored on tape. Not only is tape amazingly reliable in the short-term, its durability makes data available for decades to come.

The majority of data storage experts agree that LTO tape is the past, present, and future of long-term data storage. In fact, the LTO 6 is now available, featuring a massive 35 TB of capacity. This is more than 10 times the amount of the LTO 5.
According to InformationWeek’s Mark Peters, “Despite a constant flow of ‘Tape is dead’ jibes and assertions from non-tape vendors, the technology has refused to die.”

And you can count bet your bottom dollar it will be around for years to come.

Stay tune for more blog postings each and every Tuesday and Thursday!

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