Data Storage and Management is No Longer a Backroom IT Issue’ ‘One -Stop Shops Forming Everything from Servers to Networking and Storage’ Date:   Wednesday , March 02, 2011 Some of the technology firms have all focused on the storage boom from the rising popularity of cloud computing services and virtualization. Big corporations keep growing larger, more sophisticated computing frameworks. That has led to a data storage switch from hard drives to remote server locations, and servers performing more specialized processing. In addition, companies want easily accessible data from multiple locations that are still responsive to stronger analytical demands. So it should come as no surprise that figures show total data collection doubling every 18 months. And the need for storage grows right along with it. Today all the big technology firms want to offer one –stop shopping for all their customer’s technology needs. In the face of data loss or an unforeseen disaster which renders information and IT systems inaccessible, many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) would buckle and potentially collapse while survivors have to foot a significant bill for lost business. Managing data storage for performance, integrity, and scalability is the next summit in Information Technology management and planning. Given issues like data archiving, data security and storing as well as managing the information flowing in, many companies recognize that this is no longer a back room IT issue but the way the information is used, it can form a business-drive. According to a data storage survey conducted in 2007, the top drivers for storage solutions was data security which was locked in by 56 percent of the respondents. Interoperability, data management, and cost were the other major pivots for buying data storage. A single storage area with millions of files may create a ‘black hole’ of data, where files go in but almost never are found again. At the core of every data management strategy lie backup and recovery. Yet, many enterprises today find their backup and recovery process strained; they still struggle to: * Recover data simply, reliably, and efficiently * Protect and manage growing volumes of data across storage tiers * Reduce the cost and complexity of data and information management Determining exact storage needs is a challenge for businesses of all sizes and types. Even though the cost of storage devices has dramatically dropped in recent years, it still makes a significant impact on the overall IT expenses of companies, particularly for small businesses. The first step to take in determining the amount and type of storage that will be needed is to figure out exactly what kind of data will be stored and how frequently. Traditional network attached storage (NAS) customers are pushing against scalability and performance barriers — and turning to clustered storage to break through. Managed hosting providers are applying their expertise in clustered computing to deploy clustered storage. Cloud storage solutions, whether they be from service providers or deployed internally, are naturally drawn to a clustered pool of storage resources that can be centrally managed. There are so many options that may contribute to confusion and data loss among IT departments. It is better to switch to disk based backup - such as eSata/USB connected hard drives or NAS devices. However, best is to have the data outsourced to a service render where you can keep it safe on an e-format in the cloud based system. This reduces the concentration of data at a single office space and also is accessible anytime anywhere. With the age of digital media, the cloud computing system of data storage is a smart move by an organization where with every single day data keeps on getting added. With a comprehensive understanding of how confidential information is gathered, disseminated, stored, accessed and archived, SMB/ IT companies can identify their data storage security strengths and weaknesses. This information provides businesses with an identified starting point for enhancing their internal security policies. This initial first step also provides the foundation for developing and establishing a documented security policy, which is a requirement for compliance. The current situation with respect to SANs is the limited availability of competing, homogeneous, proprietary “solutions” based on an uncertain interconnect technology—leave many IT and business professionals alike in a quandary. The need to reduce the cost and improve the manageability and performance of data storage is self-evident. Most managers wonder, however, what steps they can take today to satisfy their storage requirements without requiring expensive forklift upgrades in future. According to AMI-Partners, the storage hardware market is estimated at Rs 1,583 crore of which 31 percent of this share is contributed to SMBs. The storage hardware market for SMBs is Rs.484.80 crore. Many SMBs realize the power of technology in boosting their enterprise. Technology is viewed as an enabler rather than as a cost. More and more businesses are using technology in other modern ways to enhance their place in the market. Effective storage security involves maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and your storage security policy needs to reflect and address the technology your organization will use to store data. Plenty of technology is available for secure storage solutions, and these days it’s relatively inexpensive. The storage security policy should consider the technology, processes and people. To tackle these problems, IT and backup administrators should consider not only advanced data protection methods for faster backup and recovery, but archiving as well. Even though cost-per-megabyte for storage is declining at the rate of 35 percentto 40 percent per year, business requirements for fault-tolerance, high availability, disaster recovery and online backup have significantly increased the costs of managing the storage. India is now considered a growing market for storage both hardware and software. We believe that technology must be affordable, simple to purchase and convenient to use, with this belief we believe to help Indian SMB/ IT companies to easily adapt themselves with every technological change. The author is CEO, TRS Forms & Services