Understanding the Role of Unified Storage in Data Storage Environments Unified storage has been around for nearly a decade and has the ability to present data storage to host systems using different protocols. With the premise of the dedicated unified storage platform, enterprises have an inexpensive, easy to use and fast way for file sharing. Instead of several disk arrays in one system, unified or multiprotocol storage is a centralized disk array. A unified storage gateway system is usually recommended to satisfy the file sharing need in a pure SAN environment. Most functions evolve over time and this demonstrates the flexibility of unified storage to adapt and change as end-users see their requirements change.
The importance of a unified storage Unified Storage was deemed to be a tier-2 storage solution and is now moving up to the data center as a substitute to SAN storage. It ensures reduced hardware requirements and instead of independent storage platforms, like NAS for file-based storage and a RAID disk array for block-based storage, and combines both modes in a single device. Unified storage often limits the level of control in file-based versus block-based I/O, potentially leading to reduced or variable storage performance. With unified storage systems being simpler to mange than separate products, there is lower capital expenditures for the enterprise. Advanced features such as storage snapshots and replication greatly benefit users although heterogeneous support between different storage platforms should be considered closely. A true 99.999% reliability is a must have to meet data center standards and the unified storage needs to provide either dual-head HA (active/active) or N+1 (active/passive) to ensure high availability of data service. This could mean that there would be a downtime of just five minutes in a year.
The Role of Unified Storage in Data Storage Environments Unified storage is said to be both the present and the future of data storage, and is most likely to become the standard storage platform in the data center. With decreasing IT budgets to provide sufficient storage for their needs, the unified storage platform fits the current environment perfectly mostly due to its lower initial capital investment and reasonably low operation cost. With the right storage server, enterprises can build an efficient information infrastructure that lets them store, protect, optimize, and leverage their information, from a single email to production databases. Unified Storage is evidently a constantly developing storage technology with a low barrier of entry for different types of IT projects. It is most definitely the right choice to be part of your data center’s storage infrastructure. Click here for more on custom computer & oem appliance