Citrus Consulting explains why you should consider swapping to Object Based Storage
Object-based storage is one of a few modern data storage solutions that uses data as ‘objects’ to store your data in the most efficient way possible, to allow for much easier finding and retrieving of specific data at any given time.
Metadata Based Storage
Object-based storage works by using metadata to break data down into pieces called ‘objects’, that are then stored in a pool with a specific identifier that allows for that data to be found quickly wherever it has been placed in the pool, upon the need for retrieval. This process of data management is far more efficient than many other forms of data storage as there are vastly fewer pathways that need to be navigated to find the data that you are looking for; rather all data is stored and sorted under its own unique identifier, meaning that your data is always only one small step away from retrieval. This can save plenty of time over a long period of use and is also scalable to your needs, so you can have as much or as little storage as you require and pay accordingly. Metadata-based storage also allows for greater data analytics of your data and its uses.
Scale-Out Storage
One of the biggest draws of using object-based storage is the use of scale-out design. Scale-out storage is a solution for the great amounts of structured and unstructured data now required by businesses of all kinds, all of whom need constantly and easily available data to build newer and larger workloads. This further allows for a potentially infinite pool of data for your business to use at any given moment; however, this also means that you can use as little data as you want as well, reducing the potentially unnecessary cost of unused data storage from your business. This object-based storage also allows for multiple users to more easily find the data they require without having to traverse potentially confusing tiered lists of information to get to the relevant data. In an IT world that is increasingly moving towards the use of subscription-based data management, it is no wonder that scale-out design is a necessary addition to any data storage solution.
NetApp Object Storage
NetApp provides an object-based storage solution called StorageGRID which provides this metadata-based storage solution to the user along with the most efficient and easy-to-use platform for you data storage. StorageGRID also allows you to customise the metadata to some extent, allowing for you to define the data policies and modify where the data is stored, on-premises or in a Public Cloud to give greater flexibility on the storage of your data.