How to Reduce the Cost of Data Storage and Management

Data storage has never been as complex and costly as it is today. Enterprises are feeling the burn, and it’s getting worse thanks to two big factors:

• The explosion in data creationIDC predicts worldwide data creation will grow to a massive 175 zettabytes (ZB) by 2025. More data means more storage and all the associated costs and headaches.
• The decentralization of endpointsSpurred by COVID-19, more employees are working remotely now than ever before. With loads of data being created in home offices, branch offices, and primary data centers, admins carry the burden of storing, securing, and backing up data across hundreds—if not thousands—of endpoints.

So, what’s the solution? Luckily, the data storage market has evolved to keep pace with the needs of IT admins. Here are a few ways to not only limit your challenges associated with managing a storage infrastructure, but also reduce your overall costs.

Centralize Your Data Storage

Many MSPs are using converged infrastructure solutions to bring everything together and keep data from being scattered across their networks. A converged infrastructure (CI) gives MSPs a single, appliance-based solution for handling storage. This is a convenient way to ensure that all your data is handled by one easy-to-manage system. Although this strategy is easier than traditional approaches, it still requires that MSPs work with a single vendor for hardware. That can make it costly to upgrade your entire storage infrastructure to a converged solution. And that’s why you might choose to go one step further.

Use Software-Defined Storage

While CI has great benefits, a hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) gives you even more flexibility. Since HCI storage is software defined, it treats all the storage devices on your network as a single storage pool. Rather than purchase new storage appliances from a single vendor, you can use the storage resources you already have. When it’s time to add more storage, you can use any hardware you want and scale by adding only what you need. Hyperconverged storage is a great way to simplify storage management and it also helps to ensure that you’re using your existing storage resources to their full capacity. With HCI, there’s no need for a full hardware refresh when it’s time to scale. That helps you extend the life of your existing network and brings down your total cost of ownership.

Combine Data Storage and Data Protection

As an admin, you know that storing data is just the start. You also need to create backups and store those, too. If something goes wrong, you’ll need a quick, reliable recovery process. Many admins use separate solutions for managing backup and recovery. That means they need to understand different software and different workflows, and to essentially bolt a backup solution onto their converged storage solution. Rather than add complexity, look for solutions that blend software-defined storage with backup and disaster recovery. Solutions like StorageCraft® OneXafe® support this converged approach while providing reliable backup and recovery. That saves you time by having a single pane of glass that lets you manage storage pools, back up data, and even recover systems. Plus, getting a bundled solution from a vendor will often help you reduce your storage expenses.

Conclusion

Storage is getting more complex, but it doesn’t have to be more challenging. Take a moment to consider how some of the latest solutions can help you update your infrastructure, so you’re prepared for any challenge that comes your way. Take StorageCraft’s data protection suite, for example. Many MSPs are standardizing on StorageCraft to bring together the benefits of converged storage with the simplicity of centralized backup and recovery management. Check out this page to get your custom demo.