EXPERT SPEAK
DATA STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN BUSINESS RECOVERY
Ken Claffey , Senior Vice President , Seagate , explains why data storage is so critical to the future success of the UK businesses and how the right storage infrastructure can set UK plc on the path to pandemic recovery .
Across the UK , business leaders are asking : “ what comes next ?” British companies are entering a period of uncertainty , but there are also potential opportunities ahead . Data storage infrastructure can help firms capitalise on those opportunities and play a vital role in business recovery .
Herein lies the challenge for CIOs : how do you build a cost-effective data management strategy that allows you to intelligently capture , store and analyse information ? We believe the answer lies in more efficient , scalable , affordable end-to-end data storage solutions – but picking the right solution is not always easy .
The data explosion
A recent report by Seagate and IDC , Rethink
Data , predicted the amount of data in the world is set to continue to expand at an astonishing rate . This growth , driven by new technology users and nascent technologies , offers opportunities . But raw data is only valuable if it is made useful and today , most isn ’ t – with businesses failing to take advantage of 68 % of data available to them , according to Rethink Data .
This is because managing massive data sets is excessively complex and costly . Indeed , IT leaders often discard data because the cost of keeping it is immediate , despite significant potential future payoffs . And even when they do opt to keep it , the total cost of ownership ( TCO ) of storing and maintaining massive data sets in the public cloud can be vast once hidden costs like data transfers , common API calls and egress fees are accounted for .
How data is stored can make it a boon or a burden
Gone are the days when expanding data capacity just meant buying bigger hardware . There are now many means to that end and the complexity of choosing the right solution often leaves companies with an imperfect fit – making data a burden , rather than an asset .
Both cloud and on-premises solutions have their strengths . Cloud offers the flexibility to create and host many applications . On-premises can offer better security , performance and cost control . Savvy business leaders know combining the two via a hybrid model can offer the best of both worlds , but fewer appreciate the importance of moulding that hybrid according to their business needs .
For instance , a company that needs to quickly build and update consumer applications may lean towards public cloud , but still wish to store sensitive consumer
The technology within Seagate ’ s enterprise storage systems is designed to empower businesses in modern hybrid situations .
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