In today’s big data world, it’s vital that all organizations pay close attention to their data storage needs - especially if video is a part of the scenario.
The common story is that videos are developed and made available 24 x 7. This puts massive demands on infrastructure. The same is true of storing large amounts of photos, customer data, and transactional data.
Here are some things to keep in mind when considering your own infrastructure:
1. Define Your Needs
We’ve mentioned time and time again the importance of knowing what you need by way of short-term and long-term storage. The more you can define and predict where you are heading in the coming months and years, the better off you will be.
2. Consider Using Less Intensive Video Types
If you are continually growing your video library, you may want to consider streaming videos in Flash and/or offering low and high-res video options.
Many organizations are using tiered storage infrastructures that help speed up access to data and make data management much easier.
3. Stick with Tape
While you may find yourself using disk for many of your data storage needs, we strongly urge you to use tape when possible and tape is an obvious choice for long term archiving.
A growing number of organizations are realizing that regular data backups to tape are cost-effective and reliable. Plus, they are discovering the power of using tape as an active archive. This allows for them to restore datasets to disk at any time.
LTO-5 and LTO-6 are excellent for active archives for numerous reasons -- but most importantly, each tape holds a massive amount of data and has an easy to use file system (LTFS) for easy organization and data retrieval.
4. Think Twice About Relying on the Cloud
It’s becoming quite clear -- the cloud offers many advantages, but without regular data backups it may be dangerous. Make sure you have a backup system in place. We also recommend tape backups in this case.
If you are using tape please tape keep in mind that we at Big Data Supply, Inc. will purchase your excess new and out of archive data tape media cartridges. Recoup some of your initial investment with this highly secure and eco-friendly recycling option.
Have questions about your emerging data infrastructure? We can help you out. Drop us an e-mail or call and we’ll steer you in the right direction!
Contact us today: Info@BigDataSupplyInc.com | Toll Free 800-905-7329 | Local 949-679-6633
It’s no secret that the data storage needs of organizations all over the globe are growing by leaps and bounds. This means that it is vital that long-term content archival and data preservation must be at the heart of organizational strategy.
To help you make the right decisions surrounding your data storage needs, we’ve compiled a handful of tips:
1. Consider LTO Tape for Storing Massive Amounts of Data
If you aren’t already aware, the LTO Consortium is continuing to impress with its newest versions of LTO tape cartridges. For instance, LTO-6 (the latest release) can store 2.5 TB on a single cartridge and boasts of a data transfer speed of 160 MBps. It also makes use of the LTFS (Linear Tape File System) for easy management of files. LTO and other tape formats are also recyclable, we buy used data tape cartridges.
2. Educate Yourself on AXF
AXF is a wrapper for a storage object. It works in a very similar manner as LTFS, allowing for files to be grouped together as they would within a file system. The coolest part of AXF is that it works with any storage technology. This means that if you’re using LTO-4, which doesn’t include LTFS, you can still easily organize data for easy retrieval.
3. Think Compatibility
One of the biggest mistakes organizations have made over the years is utilizing numerous different data storage formats and types rather than adopting standardized practices. For example, it’s quite common for one department to use one solution and another to use a completely different one.
Inevitably, at one point down the road organizations decide they want to standardize practices. This means that all data must be migrated, re-cataloged, and more -- which can be very expensive and time consuming.
4. Get the Right Technology Partners
The data storage industry is vast and quite complex.Whenever you invest in a new technology, you have just created a long lasting partnership. You’ll find yourself investing staff, time, and money into setting things up and maintaining your infrastructure as the years progress.
Make sure you invest in technologies and services that will support your needs in the future. One of the reasons we suggest LTO tape as an excellent choice for long-term archival goes far beyond its stability and ability to support massive amounts of data. We are also confident that the LTO Consortium (the organizing body behind LTO tape) will stand behind the product for years to come.
Have questions about data storage? We’d love to answer them! Drop us an e-mail or phone call, and we’ll help you get moving in the right direction.
Info@BigDataSupplyInc.com | Toll Free 800-905-7329 | Local 949-679-6633
Big Data Supply, Inc. offers secure data destruction on tape media and hard drives like used HP hard drives and used Toshiba hard drives.
Is the organization you are affiliated with seeking to destroy data that is no longer needed? Or have you recently upgraded to a newer data storage infrastructure and have data on older tape media that needs to be discarded?
In today’s world, it is essential that you understand the importance of completely expunging valuable data and/or complying with industry regulations.
For instance, in the world of healthcare, HIPAA states that that all sensitive data must be cleared or purged by “degaussing or exposing the media to a strong magnetic field in order to disrupt the recorded magnetic domains.” Media can also be destroyed through “pulverization, melting, incineration, or shredding.”
At Big Data Supply, we believe that tape should be degaussed/erased or overwritten, rather than tapes being pulverized or incinerated. The reason for such logic is quite simple:
1. Incinerating tape is toxic to the environment.
2. Pulverizing tape leads to unneeded waste.
3. Perfectly good tape is wasted -- when it could be reused again.
On the other hand, the degaussing and resurfacing of tape makes it possible to comply with FACTA, HIPAA, Gram-Leach-Bliley, SEC, DOD, SOX, Sarbanes-Oxley, and other regulatory bodies, while responsibly keeping perfectly good tape out of landfills…and toxins out of the air (when considering incineration).
The sad fact is that only 3 percent of tape is recycled. This is why we have developed a streamlined process for organizations to either recycle and reuse their tape media or sell their used tape to recoup their initial data center investment.
As you consider what to do with old tape, it is vital that you never dispose of data-filled cartridges into a dumpster. Doing so usually results in the violation of industry regulations. Using HIPAA as an example once again, the disposal of used tape media can only be done if each and every tape has been rendered unreadable.
And once again, why throw away perfectly good tape when you can have it recycled? And when you can make some cash in the process through our buy-back program?
To learn more, contact the Big Data Supply team at 800-905-7329 or support@bigdatasupply.com. We will walk you through the process, while providing you a full education on data eradication and tape recycling.
