subject: Managed Storage Service [print this page] Storage of information and data is one of the most critical tasks for every organization. Unfortunately, for most organizations, it is also extremely difficult to predict the storage requirements of the future as it is difficult to assess the next gen storage requirements related to project development, web trends or future business applications. More importantly, data is being generated every moment in the organization, in the form of databases, documents, emails and much more, and these storage needs are increasing on a continual basis. For many small to medium sized organisations it simply becomes too expensive to hire resources and/or purchase IT infrastructure to manage these ever changing, ever growing storage requirements. To overcome these difficulties and to allow businesses to focus on their core business, managed storage services are becoming increasingly popular as a cost effective solutions and a great alternative to traditional storage management.
The main contributor to storage in most organizations is emails, documents and the various databases that relate to the key business and enterprise applications such as CMS, CRM, ERP and others. On the other hand the recovery and backup of such data is on the high priority basis for any IT department. Storage solutions used by the organizations are broadly classified into network storage solutions. Among many of these network storage solutions the two major and commonly used solutions are SAN (Storage Area Network) and Network Attached Storage (NAS). By outsourcing storage services to a professional managed storage service provider, organisations can efficiently manage their data storage.
There are two different ways of implementing managed storage services.
1) The first solution looks at completely outsourcing your storage services, as well as the infrastructure. This is helpful for organizations that generally have minimal or no storage infrastructure. The organization utilises an Op Ex model for the managed storage services, just like other operational costs like utilities. For start-up organizations, this service helps them to get on their feet quickly.
2) The second solution is via remote management, where the managed storage service provider remotely manages all your storage activities, as well as the storage devices sitting inside your premises. This is generally helpful for organizations that poses the infrastructure but not the expertise to manage it effectively.
Some of the major benefits of using managed storage services include:
a) No need for storage infrastructure costs.
b) Efficient and effective management of your storage applications, activities and infrastructure.
c) Real time response to additional storage needs.
d) Comprehensive reporting.
e) Functionality to access your important data from anywhere around the world, 24 / 7.
