In times of data explosion and the demand for sustainability in the IT sector, companies are more than ever looking for a powerful tool for efficient storage solutions. Long-term storage techniques such as software-defined object storage should receive more attention due to the added value in terms of energy consumption and the wallet. You can also use data much more intelligently. But how does that work in practice?

Companies produce large amounts of data every day, but much of this data is only relevant during processing. Most people are not aware that more than 70% of the stored data is hardly ever actively used afterwards. Then you might be wondering if it wouldn’t be better to store your data more intelligently, by splitting the active data on your primary (more expensive) storage and the inactive data on a cost-effective storage tier.

The technology that supports this is software-defined object storage. This is an intelligent storage layer in which the data is stored in a highly available and scalable storage system. The common denominator here is that you classify data into commonly used hot data and static data. So you know which data should end up where.

An added benefit of DataCore Swarm’s software-defined object storage is that you can also limit power consumption. For data that is not used frequently, the hardware does not have to be running at 100%. Of course, this ensures significantly less hardware wear and tear, which increases the service life of the machines, but above all the savings in energy consumption are enormous.

Lower energy consumption

Specifically: With a node in sleep mode, the energy consumption can be reduced from 700 watts to as little as 290 watts. Imagine you have 60 nodes with 8 petabytes of data, then we are not talking about an annual bill of a thousand euros, but it can amount to tens of thousands of euros or even more! Then it is no less natural. One would wonder why this is not given more attention.

With a node in sleep mode, you can reduce power consumption from 700 watts down to as little as 290 watts. Then imagine you have 60 nodes with 8 petabytes of data.

Ekrem Koç, Sales Manager Benelux of DataCore Software

DataCore Swarm Software-Defined Object Storage is not only a modern technology for data storage, but also ideal for saving both costs and energy consumption. I like to compare it to a garage that you clean up and maintain. In addition, you like to put your workbench and hobby utensils in front of you and keep the less-used items safely at the back. It’s just like with data. So opt for a tidy garage. And when you’re not using your garage, don’t leave the lights on either.

In other words, a tidy garage or infrastructure has three benefits: You are more aware of data management, data security, and data efficiency. Especially the latter is a popular added value in view of the high energy costs nowadays.

Consolidation from hot to cold

But how do you start now? In order to move the data and spread it across different types of storage, you need to know which data is accessed frequently and which is not. This is the data qualification. This is how you optimize your storage tiers. Finally, we all want a long-term storage system that lets you simulate the cost of a tape at the speed of a primary storage system.

So think carefully about which data is essential and which you can store in an energy-efficient storage space: “archive storage”. To continue the comparison of my garage. Think of it like an RV being pulled out of its hibernation just before the holidays.

Today, sustainable data storage also means daring to outsource.

Ekrem Koç, Sales Manager Benelux of DataCore Software

After the holidays, it disappears again for a year. A perfect example of archival storage. Because if you kept the camper yourself, it would affect the location of your other cars, maintenance, energy consumption, etc.

Cold chicken: dare to throw it up

Handing off your data to a public cloud provider or storing it in a third-party regional data center isn’t easy. It is important for companies that their data is secure both at rest and in transit. Storage as a Service (STaaS) offers companies the flexibility to use storage solutions as needed. An effective approach to addressing this challenge is to conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis.

A partnership with reliable STAaaS providers with robust security measures such as data encryption, access control and regular audits is recommended. The benefits such as scalability, flexibility and increased efficiency often outweigh the costs.

Today, sustainable data storage also means daring to outsource. Not only is this the first step toward cost savings and more efficient storage practices, it’s also the necessary step for you to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

This is a contribution from Ekrem Koç, Sales Manager Benelux at DataCore Software.

DataCore Software, through its strategic partner Orbid, offers software-defined object storage and storage as a service in Belgium. They are a proud DataCore Gold Partner and are strongly committed to certifying both sales and technical staff. Click here for more info.