The Cloud, Tape and the Future of Data Storage...

According to Spectra Logic chief technology officer Matt Starr, the science of securing yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s data has officially become quite complex. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for the world’s organizations.

The days of storing data in megabytes and gigabytes is long gone – now some organizations are storing petabytes (equal to one million gigabytes) and even exabytes (one billion gigabytes) of data within their archives.

To effectively store data, some companies are turning to cloud-based solutions. When considering the cloud, many think of it as a magic solution – forgetting that “the cloud” also relies on hardware utilized by a cloud vendor.

Starr explains that transferring data into the cloud can be a time consuming pursuit. “You can’t move petabytes across the wire.”

Many organizations are learning this the hard way. Plus, costs can mount quickly. This is why LTO tape is still alive and well. With its new file system, LTFS (Linear Tape File System), it is possible to write massive amounts of data in a short amount of time.

Even in the case that organizations are relying on the cloud, they are thankful to learn that data can be written to an LTO tape and shipped to a cloud provider. “They ingest those tapes and, voila—your data is now in the cloud,” says Starr.

And then there is recovery… relying on disk and/or the cloud doesn’t provide security against data being completely wiped out. Tape stored offline assures that data can be recovered against all odds. Thus, hybrid solutions for data storage are becoming the norm.

Starr predicts in the coming years “the solution is to move into an archive environment.” This means that instead of storing data that is rarely used on a primary drive, it will be deleted from local servers and moved into an archived tape-centric environment. If for any reason specific data is needed again, it can be brought back to live storage. The key is that valuable space isn’t gobbled up by data that is meaningless or presently insignificant.

And finally, one can’t overlook the importance of recycling and reusing data storage equipment. Because data storage environments are ever growing and evolving, it is vital that organizations become more aware of how to capitalize on recycling services.
The future must see organizations get creative with their data storage environments – developing a system that cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally-friendly.

Learn how Big Data Supply can help you attain all three of these goals!