Staying current on the latest technology updates to be learned and implemented is a given in the IT industry, and it’s not surprising that what may be vibrant and cutting edge will be outdated in a matter of years, if not sooner.
The amount of data online is larger than ever before and it’s predicted to continue to grow in the coming years, with experts saying that within the next eight years it will grow fifty times what it is today. If you haven’t already become familiar with the term zettabyte, it refers to how much information can be generated in a single year. It’s equal to one billion terabytes, or 10 the power of 21. A single company may only be producing a small fraction of that data, yet when taken in context, that fraction is actually a huge amount of information that a business will be producing, receiving, analyzing and storing.
As technology continues to grow and become more sophisticated, data will also be increasing, and businesses will be looking to find new ways to handle it. The old standards of hard disk storage are being outperformed by strategies that utilize flash memory or solid state drives (SSDs), which enable a great deal of advantages. Here we’ll take a look at how flash arrays are increasing the boundaries of what’s possible in the area of storage performance.
Hard Disk Drive Drawbacks
If you’ve got a room (or rooms) full of storage drives, you’ll have a reliable and extensive system, yet one that’s being outpaced by more efficient approaches. The downsides of hard drive storage are related to how it compares to flash-based storage, which is much faster and doesn’t require the same amount of maintenance or power. The big advantage is that flash storage doesn’t require any mechanical parts as part of its physical structure, whereas a hard drive relies on its spinning disk and motors to function. Also, when it comes to performance, an all-flash array provides much faster access and greater durability.
What an All-flash Solution can Achieve
When it comes to an all-flash storage configuration, the biggest positives are performance and speed. Anyone who’s used to only hard disk storage would see a tremendous increase in what they’re used to as far as how immediately they can access data. Any time-saver can have an impact on company spending, efficiency and productivity.
Furthermore, when it comes to that room of storage drives mentioned above, with an all-flash approach the physical space required is much less and without consuming the same amount of power. You’re also giving yourself a storage system with a longer shelf life and that won’t require as many updates as a hard disk array. Your IT department won’t have to deal with the complexities of hard disk drives and the potential for disk failure due to mechanical problems.
Storage Evolution
As hard disk drives continue to show their age, all-flash storage arrays will be growing in prominence as more businesses become attracted to their speed and durability. The word is spreading on what an all-flash approach can achieve, and more companies will be considering such a solution when they learn what the possibilities are. In addition to the amount of data being created, storage is increasing in conjunction with this, and enterprise companies’ spending on storage, particularly all-flash storage, is growing. Getting familiar with what flash can achieve may the key to solving your company’s storage issues and giving you a significant business advantage.