- July 21, 2020
- Posted by: Featured
- Category: Business plans
A data storage strategy is anything but “one-size-fits-all.” There are many variables to consider when understanding your data needs, from privacy and security requirements to even pricing in some instances.
What should you consider when creating a data storage strategy? We asked eight media production business owners, techies and data storage professionals for their expert insights on the matter to help you determine your organization’s needs.
It All Depends
The storage strategy depends mostly on requirements, data growth and budget. The requirements depend on the type of production, downtime tolerance and amount of data. Maximum protection, like a failover solution, is usually only affordable for the most time-critical data. Routine backups and migration to long-term archive storage reduce the amount of data to be backed up regularly. Backup, as well as Archive, can use disk, tape, and cloud storage. Local disk and LTO tape storage incur CapEx and can only be used after investing in the necessary hardware. Cloud storage incurs OpEx and can be used without upfront investment. Though this sounds excellent, one needs to calculate the cost over time to see what is most attractive. Local storage can and usually has a long-term advantage when used and maintained within its specifications. But not all situations allow the investment. Cloud storage is also not in all regions available at the same access speed.
Dr. Marc M. Batschkus, Archiware
Figure Out Unstructured Data
In developing a vertically integrated ERP (enterprise resource planning) software with a unified commerce solution, we learned early on that there needs to be a solution for unstructured data. If you are planning a data storage strategy, you’ll need to figure out the data points that don’t fit quite nicely. This can range from customer support tickets to audio or video files. By accommodating unstructured data, your business can design a more holistic data storage strategy.
Megan Chiamos, 365 Cannabis
Plan For Future Growth
We offer a shared inbox software that captures and compiles all business communications from employee inboxes. As you can imagine, storing all emails from an entire company requires an intelligent data storage strategy that factors in elements like customer growth and client size. The more you can fill in the blanks about your future storage needs, the smarter you’ll be able to design your strategy.
Francesca Yardley, Threads
Contemplate Compliance Needs
Our business needs to consider healthcare compliance requirements when it comes to data. First and foremost, we need to protect our patient data. Any data storage solution needs to make that the top priority. Whether you are in healthcare or not, considering compliance – and security – should be the top concern for anything related to data storage.
Dan Reck, Addiction Treatment Center
Keep Data Consistent
As a used equipment financing company, we need to store information and applications related to our customers. The key to doing this well is by ensuring that data stays consistent. With consistent data, storage becomes easier to organize and search when a piece of information needs to be recalled. Think through the elements of data that won’t change, and then design your storage strategy around those foundational elements.
Carey Wilbur, Charter Capital
Determine Relevance to Your Needs
Create a list of the different data sources and their relevant type. Is your organization leaning heavily on clickstream data? Do you generate a lot of structured data on-prem? Do you need to sync data from cloud applications? At some point, all of the above will be required, but depending on the current state of your organization, you might want to prioritize differently depending on your current needs.
Soumyadeb Mitra, RudderStack
Security is Paramount
Data is considered a commodity nowadays. Most likely, you treat your data as the most important resource in your organization. Having a proper security infrastructure for your design is extremely important to prevent malicious actors from accessing it. Simple actions like a strong password policy can already strengthen your security. You’d be surprised at how many bots are out there trying to get into your network!
Edwin Mejia, Titoma
Cloud Storage Options
You’ll need to store data somewhere, and the cloud seems to be the solution. That’s where cloud computing and data storage starts to pose interesting questions like, “What’s the price difference between Amazon Cloud Drive and Google Drive?” Or, “which tier best fits our short-term needs? Long-term needs?” You need something that’s scalable, and cloud storage has options. It’s just a matter of finding the solution that fits your business needs best.
Brett Farmiloe, Technical SEO Agency