Choosing a Communication and Data Storage Platform
Data is becoming an increasingly crucial to companies as they become more dependent on digital tools and programs. In many instances the storage of data and communication play a crucial role in the relationships between businesses with their customers, clients and other partners. If data is lost or compromised it could deprive these parties of trust and lead to business loss.
To ensure that valuable information is not lost companies must have a reliable data and communication storage platform. The platforms must be able to handle massive amounts of real-time data and have the capacity to store the data for a long time. They must also allow multiple systems to quickly access data.
Direct area storage and network-based storage are the two main types. Direct-attached storage, or DAS is stored on hardware directly connected to the computer. Examples include hard disk drives, USB flash drives, solid-state drives and optical discs like compact discs or digital video discs. DAS devices are usually more expensive than data storage that is network-based but they can provide better access and more local backup capabilities.
Network-based storage of data is performed on servers connected to networks. This usually takes place within a datacenter. This type of data storage enables sharing of information and offers more robust redundancy as well as disaster recovery protection than DAS. It may be more affordable depending on the chosen storage option. Common solutions include storage area networks (SAN), network-attached systems (NAS) and object storage platforms.
