What do you need to know about industrial storage solutions?

Worldwide millions of bytes of data are generated each day and these need to be safely stored and managed so that they can be used whenever required.  Industrial storage solutions can help you quickly and efficiently manage large volume of data.

One of the important things that you need to remember when opting for storage solutions is that there is no one size that fits all solution and you need to choose as per your specific needs and requirements.  You need to decide how you want to store your structured and unstructured data so that you can make a good choice. 

Factors to keep when choosing industrial storage solutions

Data security requirements

Data availability requirements

Network infrastructure

Budget

Things to consider when choosing industrial storage solutions

Know the data – You need to know the data that need to be stored and managed when choosing industrial storage solutions. The data that you intend to store can be structured and unstructured and you need to make the choice accordingly. This is important for defining the storage strategy you want to use.

Look for solutions that suit your data – It is advisable to look for solutions that suit your data. The storage system that you choose should provide you the flexibility to increase the space whenever necessary. The data management solutions should enable you to integrate it easily with mobile and virtual platforms.

iSCSI (Internal Small Computer System Interface) appliances are a popular storage solution that you can use to store and manage data in an efficient manner.  However before you make the choice it is best if you become aware of the unique features of the storage system so that you can make an informed choice.

What are the typical iSCSI applications?

iSCSI uses a technology that extends the IP (Internet Protocol) to SAN (Storage Area Network). The existing network can be utilized to store data and this can be beneficial for small and midsized businesses that are on a budget.

iSCSI applications include:

• Run databases on disk
• Offer users disk space on demand
• Video imaging and graphical image store
• Replacing traditional and outdated backup methods
• File system mirroring
• Snap shot of critical data

Advantages of using iSCSI applications

• You may be able to scale disk storage as per your specific requirement.  As the disks are remote from the server you may be able to easily add a new disk whenever required. Large storage rooms with volumes that are in the range of teta or petabytes can be created.
• As the application is on LAN, you may be able to leverage the existing network architecture.  A block level interface is provided and this is compatible with database applications (Oracle).
• The storage system can be seamlessly integrated into the SAN environment.  It allows mirroring, IP based replication and clustering of data.

As there are many industrial storage solutions providers, it is best to do adequate research about them so that you are able to choose wisely and benefit from it.

 http://www.iscsi.com/solutions/applications/