Data storage management is evolving rapidly, and businesses that fail to keep pace risk falling behind on both performance and compliance. Learn more about telecom expense management and how it connects to broader IT infrastructure cost control. Software-defined storage (SDS) has been adopted into the infrastructure of today’s data centers because it delivers fast, flexible storage while reducing costs. To do so, SDS leverages out-of-the-box hardware and provides optimized storage management.
According to International Data Corporation, the SDS market will grow at a compound rate of 13.5 percent annually through 2021. It’s a boon to companies stuck with increasingly complex data storage and management needs, especially with expanding regulatory compliance expected to continue in the coming year.
Enterprise Storage Forum released the results of a survey of IT and business leaders regarding their data storage plans. Here are five key trends in data storage management you need to know about:
1. Performance and Cost Drivers Now Equal
Balancing performance and cost has always been a challenge. However, the new extreme storage performance now available with flash technologies is a game changer. These systems are expensive, costing more than either hybrid or lower end AFAs. So, IT teams are under increased pressure to provide detailed, accurate cost analyses of high-performance storage upgrades or implementations. Businesses exploring monetising mobile data key offsetting telecom costs will find that storage performance investments follow the same cost-benefit logic.
2. Flat IT Headcount a Challenge for Fast-Growing Data
Survey takers said they were most likely to neither increase or decrease IT headcount. Flat headcount is better news than staff reductions, but failing to bring in new talent during fast-growing data and security trends becomes a challenge in the face of monitoring unauthorized solutions implemented by other departments, also known as Shadow IT, which can dramatically impact performance. Automation helps to alleviate some of the stress by simplifying upgrades, introducing dynamic scalability automating monitoring as well as policy-driven storage solutions.
3. Hyperconvergence Is Limited
Hyperconvergence delivers performance and scalability at a reasonable cost. However, one type of infrastructure can’t handle every need, so companies have to make smart decisions on where to put their data center dollars. Understanding 5 reasons TEM might right for your business can help IT leaders make smarter decisions about where managed solutions fit alongside converged infrastructure investments.
4. Flash Adoption Is Steady but HDD Holdouts Loom Large
Hard Disk Drive’s massive installed base works with everything but the fastest high-performance apps. No one wants to rip out disk-based or hybrid systems without a compelling reason to do so. Flash/SSD is still the choice for transactional systems but not business applications.
5. Cloud Storage Is Eating Up IT Budgets
Cloud storage allows companies to manage data offsite and save on CAPEX and OPEX costs associated with maintaining or expanding physical data centers. There are additional costs involved in monitoring the cloud storage solution and analyzing bills to make sure no unexpected monthly charges appear as your storage needs grow.
New Regulations Reshaping Data Storage Management
New regulations are prompting organizations to pay more attention than ever to the way data is stored. For example, the U.S. has NIST SP 800-171, which impacts non-classified data held by U.S. defense contractors, and the E.U. introduced privacy regulations with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
These rules force companies to implement controls so that they always know precisely where regulated data is stored and who’s looking at it. Data owners have to become good stewards of their data to ensure the appropriate protection and reporting on data.
Data Storage Challenges Facing IT Teams Today
Survey respondents cited aging equipment and inadequate storage capacity as their major concerns, as both heavily impact business application performance.
Respondents reported several leading challenges for managing and optimizing their storage environment. At the top was aging gear at 18% followed closely by lack of storage capacity at 17%, and high costs of operation and security/compliance issues at 13%.
Regular technology refreshes upgrade ageing storage hardware and software but are often complex and costly. Hidden (dark) data is also at risk in storage moves. Best practices include investing in policy-driven software to locate and move or delete data before retiring old technology for new storage systems.
Despite temporary pain from refreshes, smart investing in new storage technologies and management automation overcomes obsolete storage infrastructure, insufficient capacity, high OPEX, and data security issues. For a broader view of how IT infrastructure decisions intersect with telecom strategy, explore TEM energy key challenges benefits and what it means for managing complex technology environments.
