? EDITOR ’ S QUESTION //
“
IT ’ S LIKELY
THAT AT SOME POINT SMES LOOKING TO
SCALE UP THEIR OPERATIONS AND GROW THEIR BUSINESS WILL WANT TO USE MULTIPLE
CLOUD SERVICES IN PARALLEL .
S tart with an analysis of your current environment . This should include an inventory of dataset types , total storage capacity and size / file-count , as well as defining your performance parameters . It ’ s also important to engage with business folks to understand their requirements . After collecting / analysing the data and getting business input , it ’ s time to formulate your functional requirements and start looking for the most appropriate storage solution ( s ).
Key requirements checklist :
Regardless of your company ’ s specific challenges and requirements , there are certain elements that your data storage modernisation project must support :
• Costs – review available cloud storage vendors ’ cost structures , including storage tiers , egress fees , etc . Based on your current environment analysis , you ’ ll be able to better understand your specific needs . In some cases , SaaS storage solutions will be a good fit for the SME as well , but need to be measured against critical factors for data protection , security , Disaster Recovery ( DR ), etc .
• Data retention / Versioning – Retain previous file versions for a specific retention period ( 30 days minimum ) and store them in a read-only repository to prevent deletion by a malicious software . The archived copy must be physically separated from the main copy .
• RTO / RPO / Disaster Recovery – Determine the minimum requirements of your organisation and implement incremental version to minimise recovery point exposure
• Security – Deliver highest levels of data privacy and access control by employing audit trails , extensive logging , in-transit and at-rest encryption and private cloud deployments
• Remote workforce enablement – Ensure low-latency remote access to file storage from home / anywhere / any device
• Reduced TCO – Leverage cost-effective cloud object storage to reduce storage costs for multiple use cases , from primary storage to archiving
You must also be aware of vendor lock-in . It ’ s likely that at some point SMEs looking to scale up their operations and grow their business will want to use multiple cloud services in parallel . It ’ s therefore important to plan ahead and avoid becoming trapped in a proprietary ecosystem with a single cloud provider .
To avoid this , select services and products that are open and cloud agnostic wherever possible . This will also enhance your bargaining position to negotiate a better deal from your existing vendor .
SAIMON MICHELSON , FIELD CTO , CTERA
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