Most businesses these days rely on data -
it's used for everything from effective inventory management to personalizing
customer interactions. But the more data you have, the more difficult and time
consuming it is to manage.
That's where storage virtualization comes
in, making it easier to archive and access your data as well as improving
resource utilization and general efficiency.
In this post, we'll cover what storage
virtualization means, and exactly how it can benefit your business.
What is storage virtualization?
Storage virtualization (also known as
cloud storage) is the process of pooling physical storage from multiple network
storage devices so that it appears to be a single storage device. It uses a
single server and is managed from a central console.
Virtualization is simply the replacement
of a physical component with a virtual one, so the physical storage hardware is
mirrored in a virtual volume. By integrating and consolidating storage hardware
from various networks, vendors, and data centers, it makes your data easier to
manage.
The pool of storage can be used by
traditional architecture servers or in a virtual environment by virtual
machines (VMs). Methodologies such as hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) and
containerization often use virtual storage.
This type of data storage is commonly
used within the banking system and can be used to merge
complex sets of data and to estimate credit risk.
How does storage virtualization
work?
Storage virtualization hides the
complexity of a storage system, such as a storage area network (SAN). This
reduces the time and effort involved in tasks like backup, archiving and
recovery. This affords you more flexibility and time to focus on other areas
such as content creation and blogger outreach to increase your online
presence.
The physical disks are separated from the
virtual volume by a virtualization layer, allowing various operating systems
and applications to access and use the storage. For example, you might have a
software virtualization layer between the hardware of a storage resource and a
host such as a PC, server, or any device accessing the storage.
You can also incorporate free partition software into your storage
set-up which will allow you to isolate different parts of your storage into
sections and treat them as separate systems.
To provide access to the data,
virtualization software creates a map or uses an algorithm to locate it
dynamically. Upon intercepting read and write requests from applications, it
uses the map to find or save the data to the appropriate physical device. PC
operating systems use a similar method when retrieving or saving application
data.
You could use an IBM
mainframe as a service to collect data from multiple sources and get
more value out of your data visualizations.
It is worth remembering that with any data
storage solution, there also needs to be a consideration for data protection for businesses, highlighting
specific data protection implications when handling sensitive data.
It is also important not to continue with your
old legacy software as your company continues to grow, as it will no longer be
effective. You will need to consider Open Legacy cloud modernization to make sure
that you have the most up-to-date software.
You can also add Boomi integration to your open legacy
platform, which will give you greater access to complex legacy assets enabling
more possibilities to innovate.
Storage virtualization methods
There are two basic methods of virtualizing storage: file based or block based.
File level storage is applied for bulk file storage, as the cost of reserving
space is lower than with block level. However, block-level storage is more
versatile and flexible, accommodating any type of file system.
File-based
File-based storage virtualization is
applied to network-attached storage (NAS) systems. It simplifies the management
of multiple NAS devices via a single management console. By pooling NAS
resources, it becomes easier to handle file migrations in the background and
improve performance.
Block-based
Block storage systems operate in a similar
way to the native drive software, meaning less overhead for read and write
processes. This method enables virtualization software to collect the capacity
from available blocks of storage space across all virtualized arrays, and pool
them into a shared resource. This saves time when managing SANs.
Types of storage virtualization
Network-based
This is the most common form of storage
virtualization. It involves a network device, like smart switch or
purpose-built server, connecting all storage devices in an FC or ISCSI SAN. The
connected devices are presented as a single, virtual pool within their storage
network.
Host-based
Typically seen in HCI systems and cloud
storage, this type of virtualization sees the host present virtual drives of
varying capacity to guest machines-which could be VMs in an enterprise
environment, physical servers, or PCs accessing secure
file sharing. Virtualization and management are done at the host level,
and the physical storage can be almost any device or array.
Array-based
Here, a storage array serves as the
primary storage controller, using virtualization software to pool the storage
resources of other arrays. It also presents different types of physical storage
for use as storage tiers, which may comprise solid-state drives or HDDs. The
physical location and specific array is hidden from the servers or users
accessing the storage.
Why is storage virtualization
effective for business data management?
Storage virtualization has many benefits
for business data management. It makes your data easier to handle, helps you
maximize storage resources, and reduces downtime. Using a partition
manager for your storage virtualization will aid with backing up
your data, data recovery, and data archiving.
Easier management
If your data is unorganized, or if
storage systems from multiple vendors are in the virtualization pool, it makes
sense to consolidate it in a single management console. This makes it much
quicker to compile and locate data, or create a data report, and you'll also
benefit from seamless data migration.
Increased efficiency
Storage virtualization also helps businesses
to utilize their resources. For example, pooling storage capacity across
multiple systems means the capacity is allocated and used more efficiently,
while faster storage improves the overall system performance.
A more reliable IT infrastructure reduces
planned and unplanned downtime. And since it's easy to create, store, access,
and replicate data, you can accelerate data flow to the relevant departments for use in
marketing or financial accounting for inventory.
When it comes to marketing it is best to
consider the industry that you work in. For example, if you work in insurance
you may want to look at the best insurance marketing strategies.
Data backup
A lack of data visibility across the
cloud is a risk for businesses, which storage virtualization helps to mitigate.
Your disk drive, storage controller, and power supply are mirrored in the
virtual array, so disruption is reduced if they fail. SANs let you take a
snapshot of storage resources, so you can take backup or recovery of any data
at any point in time.
For additional security when accessing
your data you could use residential IP proxies which will also allow
you to ignore location-based restrictions, and help with projects such as web
scraping and SEO research.
Lower costs
Storage virtualization helps cut costs on
things like infrastructure, hardware, and deployment. You won't have to buy as
many appliances and software licenses as virtual storage doesn't require the
typical hardware redundancies required for traditional enterprise storage
architectures.
Scalability
Storage virtualization is also
scalable-it enables you to use less storage when it's not required, or the full
capacity when there's a spike. You can quickly respond to fluctuations in
server loads or traffic, and add or delete storage without interrupting
applications.
Final thoughts
Businesses that use storage
virtualization can improve efficiency, save money, and reduce the risk of lost
data. By consolidating physical hardware storage into one storage device and
managing it centrally, it's a lot easier to manage the reams of data generated
by modern organizations.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Nick
Shaw - Brightpearl
Nick Shaw has been Chief Revenue Officer
(CRO) of Brightpearl, the number one retail-focused digital operations platform
which encompasses sales and inventory management software, retail
management system, accounting, logistics, CRM and more, since July 2019 and is
responsible for EMEA Sales, Global Marketing and Alliances. Before joining
Brightpearl, Nick was GM and Vice President of the EMEA Consumer business at
Symantec and was responsible for a $500m revenue business. Nick has written for
sites such as Recruitee
and TIMIFY. Here is Nick
Shaw's LinkedIn.