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The statistics are overwhelming. Researchers predict that more data will be produced in the next year than has been generated during the entire existence of humankind. Unfortunately, this onslaught means your company data may be growing out of control, and your staff could be struggling to manage ever-lengthening backup times. To keep up, you may be like many who regularly add storage capacity to their servers and SANs. But eventually, you may become frustrated with this pricey and cumbersome habit –and the increasingly long backups it requires. Or, you may seek relief by limiting your data and regularly deleting files — or forcing your employees to do it themselves. But this habit can be risky and, in regulated industries, illegal. It may be time for you to stop and consider the long-term cost of your growing data, and perhaps seek out a smarter solution that will help you balance your data growth and storage resources. Your solution may lie in tiered storage. What Is Tiered Storage? For example, your company may decide to use Fibre Channel SANs for its tier-one, mission-critical data. Tier-two data, such as financial or classified files, might shift to lower-cost disks (e.g., SCSI drives). And tier-three might contain compliance data or rarely used files, stored on Serial ATA (SATA) drives before archiving them on tape. Fortunately, storage manufacturers are helping small companies adopt these principles by introducing new, multi-tiered solutions that are affordable and easy to use. Building Tiered Storage After we evaluate your business needs, we may recommend an entry-level appliance that offers multiple tiers in a single box, and offers such features as:
Storage Management Software Here’s how it works: When a scheduled or predetermined watermark is reached, inactive files are transparently and automatically migrated to the secondary storage tier — reducing backup times and improving operational efficiency. These software tools use rule-driven migration policies to guide the movement of files to lower-cost storage options. With a little advance planning — and a commitment to acquire the proper technology tools — you can help your company cope with the ever-increasing onslaught of data. And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. We can evaluate your individual business needs and recommend the appropriate tiered-storage components for your unique environment. Call us today to discuss how we can help you achieve your long-term storage goals. |
Carl Mazzanti is Co-Founder and President of eMazzanti Technologies, Microsoft’s four time Partner of the Year and one of the premier IT consulting services for businesses throughout the New York metropolitan area and internationally. Carl and his company manage over 400 active accounts ranging from professional services firms to high-end global retailers.
eMazzanti is all about delivering powerful, efficient outsourced IT services, such as computer network management and troubleshooting, managed print, PCI DSS compliance, green computing, mobile workforce technology, information security, cloud computing, and business continuity and disaster recovery.
Carl Mazzanti is also a frequent business conference speaker and technology talk show guest and contributor at Microsoft-focused events, including frequent prominent roles at the Microsoft Inspire (Worldwide Partner Conference / WPC).
Carl, a serial Entrepreneur, gives back to the community through Entrepreneur teaching engagements at Georgetown University, the company’s ocean wildlife conservation effort, the Blue Project, and Tree Mazzanti.
