Data storage solutions for any business should never go under the radar.
If you haven’t thought about how to store data for your business, it’s best to do it now rather than later. Your small business may be getting by for now, but sooner or later, you may find yourself drowning in data.
Think about how many bits and bytes your venture generates every day. On average, small and medium-sized businesses handle 47.81 Terabytes of data. After a year, you can expect that number to increase by another fifty percent!
In this age of data, a business cannot survive without reliable data storage solutions. The emails, online databases, security footage, and other digital assets will need to be stored and protected somewhere.
What are your options? Let’s look at how you can address your data storage problems in this article.
1. Direct Attached Storage (DAS)
These are data storage devices that are physically connected to your computer rather than servers or networks. The DAS device is typically only accessible to a single machine at a time.
Technically, DAS encompasses internal hard drives (hard disk and solid-state drives) and optical drives (CD or DVD drives). However, DAS generally refers to removable media, such as flash drives and external hard disk drives, if you’re talking about data backups. These forms of computer data storage use your USB port.
DAS solutions are more affordable and straightforward to install. However, sharing data between computers can be cumbersome. You’re obligated to move and connect the device to each machine physically.
2. Network Attached Storage (NAS)
In simple terms, a NAS is an independent computer that acts as a file server. At its most basic, it can be a PC with a single hard drive with an ethernet port or Wi-Fi connectivity.
A NAS connects to the company network. All devices (desktops, laptops, smartphones) with access to the network also have access to the data it stores. This solves the problem of shareability with DAS.
NAS can also be scaleable. You can install extra hard drives in a RAID array as needed. Scalability is also one of the features of NAS-type edge computing (click on the link to get additional information).
3. Store Data in the Cloud
Cloud storage is also known as online storage. You’re paying a third party for services that provide remote data storage and backup. As long as you have an internet connection (and these days, who doesn’t?), you can avail of a flexible, scalable, and affordable data storage solution.
The provider is responsible for the upkeep of the hardware that stores your data. You can reduce your maintenance and electricity costs by opting for cloud storage solutions. You also have easy access to your data as long as the internet doesn’t go down.
Keep in mind that the transfer of data is limited by your bandwidth. If your company generates tons of data, it will take some time before you can get a hold of them.
As Your Business Grows, so do your Data Storage Needs
There are many ways to store data, but one thing’s for sure, your business will require one or more data storage solutions. Don’t wait until you’re bleeding data because of inadequate storage. Plan to expand how your data is stored so that your business doesn’t suffer later.
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