How did cloud technologies change data storing?

Date: 2019-04-09

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Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user.

Cloud computing is basically anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

The evolvement of cloud technology has provided a profound impact on data storage options. Previously, to get highly-redundant data with appropriate backups and cold storage options, a company would have to likely foot the bill to buy all of the hardware, write processes and procedures, hire employees to maintain the availability, confidentiality, integrity of that data. Targeting adherence to a specific compliance standard can also increase the associated costs of maintaining and auditing the data. Fines for not holding onto data for the required period of time can result in hefty fines that are certainly undesirable by management!

Depending on the amount of data that needs to be stored, the financial impact to make sure that the storage systems can cope with failure can be profound.

In the modern world of cloud technologies, and specifically, the available data storage options, we can focus in on software-based access control mechanism to those files, as well as how redundant the data is. You pay for what you use, instead of paying for a huge multi-site data centre configuration with offsite backups and the like.

A cloud provider like AWS also enables you to automatically archive data that was uploaded, say 60 days ago to cold storage, where you pay a fraction of the price, without having to worry about data loss. The cloud provides you with the facilities to manage your data like a top-tier enterprise company, for a micro-fraction of the cost.

I think the cloud has changed data storage in three ways.

By making data more accessible, we saw:

1. Fundamental Change in the backing technology change. (S3, Hybrid,
SSD)

2. The ever-increasing amount of capacity growth due to the user
wanting to increase instant access to their private data

3. This might be more of a negative light, but the ever-increasing
need for security. The cloud makes data more available and secure.

As businesses generated and collected more data, the diversity of that data also increased – one size fits all data storage solutions were no longer sufficient nor feasible.

Cloud technologies not only enabled the growth and diversification of data but simultaneously made the necessary storage solutions possible. Cloud adoption allows for the creation of customized data storage solutions based on the needs of the business – including the necessary security, global reach, durability, and on-demand scalability. With ever increasing security regulations including GDPR and the new California Consumer Privacy Act, the ability to modernize infrastructure and security for specific workloads is critical.
Businesses wishing to adopt cloud solutions while still retaining their current infrastructure investments has led to the emergence of Hybrid IT.

Hybrid IT is essentially the optimization of data storage. Hybrid infrastructure leverages existing investments while integrating new infrastructure to meet a business’ growing needs. Cloud adoption often requires businesses to leverage a third party to assist with integration, migration, security, and general data management. Managed Hybrid IT Services Providers, like Cogeco Peer 1, have evolved beyond being just a vendor, and are now critical partners for businesses pursuing digital transformation.