Introduction
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, small to medium enterprises (SMEs) find themselves at the crossroads of innovation and necessity. As the heartbeat of the global economy, these businesses generate and manage vast amounts of data daily. From customer interactions to operational insights, the ability to harness and store this data efficiently is a critical factor in sustained growth and competitiveness.
Data storage, at its core, is the backbone of your business’s information infrastructure. It encompasses the methods, technologies, and systems employed to retain and manage your organization’s digital assets. Whether it’s client records, financial transactions, or product information, your ability to store and access this data securely is paramount.
However, with so many data storage options available today, choosing the best data storage solution for your business can be challenging. In our guide to business data storage methods, we’ll explain the differences between data storage systems and their pros and cons so you can feel confident in how you store and protect your data.
Private Data Storage
Private data storage, commonly known as on-premises storage, involves keeping your company’s data within your own facilities. This entails managing various aspects of data storage to safeguard your hardware, including tasks such as server maintenance, ensuring physical security, and controlling temperature conditions. On-premises storage can be categorized into three primary types: direct-attached storage, network-attached storage, and storage area networks.
Direct-attached storage (DAS)
Direct-attached storage (DAS) refers to a storage system that is directly attached to a single computer or server. The simplest example of DAS will be the external hard drives or USB Drives that are commonly used to store and transfer data. Direct-attached storage is one of the most affordable data storage options available. While its offer benefits such as simplicity, easy management, good local control, DAS carries some disadvantages especially in a larger business setup. With DAS, besides being the risk of single point of failure, it is harder to share data between multiple users or systems. It is also difficult to scale up easily when demand increases.
Network-attached storage (NAS)
Network-attached storage (NAS), involves connecting a storage device to a network, allowing authorized users to store and retrieve data from a centralized location. In essence, NAS provides an onsite private cloud, granting complete control to businesses. As NAS operates akin to a private cloud, it enables team members to remotely access data with just a network connection, facilitating work flexibility. NAS proves especially beneficial for small to medium-sized businesses with collaborative workflows as it allows multiple users to access and edit files on the same storage, eliminating the hassle of manual versioning control.
Most NAS solutions allow the configuration of redundancy. For example, a NAS with Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) configuration combines multiple physical drives into a single logical unit to provide fault tolerance and improve performance. While the primary NAS should not be seen as a backup solution ,very often, NAS is used as the immediate backup solution for the data stored on computing devices such as laptops and mobile phones. While NAS enables collaborative works, performance may pose a challenge for NAS. If network activity is high, performance might slow down significantly, impacting productivity, especially for high-performance applications. For example, performing high resolution video editing work directly from a NAS might take a performance hit if the network is busy with other traffics.
Storage Area Network (SAN)
A Storage Area Network, abbreviated as SAN, refers to a network comprising storage devices that can be accessed by multiple servers or devices, forming a shared pool of storage space. Users gain access to SAN storage by connecting to the network, treating it as if it were a directly attached storage drive on their computer.
Due to its ability to connect multiple drives, a storage area network exhibits greater resilience against issues commonly encountered in single-device storage solutions, such as device failures. Additionally, it enhances data storage efficiency by consolidating storage resources into a unified network. SAN is more commonly used in large enterprise environments where the storage demands are substantial, or in data-intensive applications such as databases, data warehouses, and virtualization environments.
Cloud Storage
Storing corporate data onsite may seem like a secure practice, but on-premises storage can become costly. For small to medium-sized businesses, the expenses associated with private data storage often outweigh the advantages, prompting many organizations to seek more efficient and scalable data storage solutions, such as cloud-based storage.
Public Cloud Storage
Public cloud storage involves purchasing storage space from a third-party provider to house your data. Well-known platforms for public cloud storage include Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, Apple iCloud, and Dropbox. These services allow users to store files in the cloud, synchronize them across devices, and share them with others.
Accessing and editing files through cloud storage can be as straightforward as visiting your storage provider’s website or installing an app on your computer or mobile device. This eliminates the need for a complex storage setup and regular maintenance. While public cloud storage is highly scalable, allowing easy expansion as your business grows, the convenience of scalability can come at a cost, especially for prolonged storage usage with a large number of users.
Colocation Services
Colocation, or “colo,” involves placing your data storage hardware in a shared, secure space within a colocation data center or third-party data center. Similar to renting space in a traditional storage facility, businesses lease space in a colocation facility, with the colocation company handling essential maintenance tasks such as temperature control, physical security, and bandwidth requirements.
Colocation data storage offers benefits like increased and more reliable uptime, often based on service tiers. This allows businesses to scale their data storage needs as they grow without the need for additional staff and resources to manage storage. Colocation also provides enhanced security compared to standard on-premises storage, utilizing surveillance tools like cameras and biometric readers for 24/7 monitoring.
Cloud Storage (Hybrid)
Hybrid cloud storage involves mixing on-premises data storage, private cloud services, and a public cloud platform to craft a distinctive cloud infrastructure for your business. To illustrate, you might employ on-premises data storage for safeguarding more sensitive information, such as customer data or intellectual property, while leveraging cloud storage for routine data access requirements.
Given the highly customizable nature of a hybrid cloud storage solution, it offers ease in tailoring the infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of your business as it expands or shifts direction. Hybrid cloud storage offers a dynamic and adaptable solution for businesses seeking a balance between control, security, and scalability in their data storage infrastructure.
While hybrid cloud storage provides flexibility, it may involve higher costs due to the complexity of managing multiple storage environments. Thus, it is important to thoroughly evaluate your organization’s data storage requirements. Additionally, Integrating and managing data across on-premises, private, and public cloud environments requires robust integration strategies and effective management tools. This complexity may pose challenges for some organizations.
Edgeserv: The Best Choice for Data Storage and Management
We get that. Deciding on the right data storage option for your business can be a tough act. At Edgeserv, we specialize in data storage and management to help businesses safeguard their data while maximizing accessibility and speed for authorized users. Reach out to us today and find out how we co-implement the right solution to your data storage needs.
