Seven StepS
BOTTOM LINE
developing a cloud storage strategy can reduce costs by
utilizing a shared infrastructure and shifting capital
expenses to operating expenses. But before considering
cloud-based services, organizations need to assess the
risks and benefits involved.
The explosion of digi Tal informa Tion — from emails
and files to instant messages to electronic records — has
companies of all industries and sizes grappling with not only
how to best manage and secure data with the right access at
the right time, but also how to do it cost-effectively. With
industry analysts from IDC predicting that digital content
will grow fivefold in the next two years while IT budgets are
expected to increase a mere 2. 3 percent in 2010, many IT
departments are asking, “How can we ensure that we have
the right tools in place to guarantee the security of our data
and meet today’s regulatory and governance demands, all
while keeping costs in check?”
Cloud storage — on-demand flexible storage that can
scale up and down as needed — requires no capital outlay
and offers a pay-as-you-go model. When you add to that
recipe a trusted provider who incorporates experience, best
practices and practical advice alongside enterprise-class
scalability, security, reliability and access, cloud storage
can deliver enticing advantages to companies that need
to drive cost, risk and complexity out of the information
management equation. But how can you determine where
on-premises storage and cloud storage make sense? Which
cloud-based solution is best for your business? Do you
need a private or public cloud; a combination; primary or
secondary storage?
While increased competition in the cloud storage space
is pushing down prices, it is also forcing IT decision makers to evaluate more options and providers. Knowing what
information you have, what data to delete, and what to
retain for how long to meet regulatory mandates for and
address legal risks to your business makes your decision
to implement cloud storage easier.
Developing a cloud storage strategy may seem complicated at first, but it’s worth the effort to figure out.
Doing so can reduce costs by utilizing a shared infrastructure and shifting capital expenses to operating expenses.
Before considering cloud-based services, organizations
need to assess the risks and benefits involved, and work
with service providers to understand how to apply key
considerations associated with knowing what you have,
compliance and data location, availability, recovery and
viability. Businesses should consider the following before
implementing a cloud storage strategy:
Step 1 re Think Your s Torage s Tra Teg Y — Take time to
evaluate your business’ data and policies. Establish metrics
and reports, understand your organization’s trends, and think
about what can be purged — especially non-operational or
inactive data. Assess the benefits and risks of moving away
from high-priced “tier 1” storage and consider when utilizing secondary — or even tertiary — storage makes sense.
Ensure that your storage polices are in line with your legal
and compliance policies, as many companies often keep too
much. Finally, focus on the bottom line. Rethinking your
storage strategy can help you reduce the risks, costs and
complexities of managing your information, so it’s never
too soon to start asking these questions.
Step 2 unders Tand Your needs — Are you looking for
primary storage for applications and file server replacements, secondary storage for data protection, business
continuity and disaster recovery, long-term storage for
compliance or to reduce expenses, or all of these? Understand the differences in standardization and cost between
closed private clouds, community private clouds, enterprise-class public clouds and public commodity clouds
