DATA STORAGE
Data is Gold: Storage considerations to help future proof business success
Peter Hayles, Product Marketing Manager, Western Digital
Modern technologies like AI, IoT, automation and more are optimizing efficiency of companies in almost every industry, but they are also driving a massive increase in the amount of data that is generated, collected, analysed and stored. This data growth presents companies with a challenge. This is because it requires different data storage solutions to fulfill a wide range of requirements. As a result, companies’ storage architectures are also becoming increasingly complex. To ensure the fastest possible retrieval of performance-important ‘hot’ data, companies should rely on enterprise-class NVMe solid- state drives (SSDs). For less frequently accessed ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ data, however, more cost-effective enterprise-class hard disk drives (HDDs) should be used. This tiered approach helps to optimise the cost of storing and accessing data and can be fine-tuned according to the company’s capacity, performance, availability, and recovery requirements. Especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), data and the right storage infrastructure can be a game changer. This is because data helps them to understand and improve any kind of business processes, so they can pinpoint inefficiencies in their operations and consequently, resolve challenges and save valuable money. To optimise their storage infrastructure accordingly, decision makers in these businesses need to consider some key aspects to unlock the potential of their data. q An Ability to Scale on Demand The ability to scale is particularly important as new technologies such as AI continue to develop. As AI-powered applications will process and analyse existing information, they will generate significantly more valuable insights and data, ultimately
helping to contribute to a companies’ success. This continuous loop of data generation and consumption is increasing the need for scalable and efficient, but also cost effective high-performing data storage solutions that can keep pace with business growth and manage large data sets as well as rapid technology advancements. w Ensuring the Lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Companies of any size are interested in keeping the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of implemented technologies down. There are different options to do so. By moving to the higher capacity HDDs, for example, companies can increase their storage density without increasing the physical footprint. HDDs also offer competitive watts per terabyte (w/TB), which can ultimately lower power consumption and cooling costs due to less heat generation. If decision makers are looking for higher performance, SSDs are a great choice as they offer higher Input/Output per second (IOPS). Other storage considerations are reliability, energy efficiency, size and flexibility. As different workloads require different performance levels, it is critical that the storage infrastructure matches the needs of the use case. In addition to this, the chosen solutions need to be reliable and ensure data integrity. Storage manufacturers like Western Digital® have continued to push the boundaries by delivering highly reliable, higher-capacity, lower-power drives to store the vast amounts of data that businesses are generating. A Best-in-Class Solution Getting the best value when investing in new storage media is paramount for companies seeking to stay competitive or
Peter Hayles Product Marketing Manager
westerndigital.com
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Companies of any size are interested in keeping the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of implemented technologies down.
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