What is Storage Optimization?
Storage optimization is a broad concept that facilitates efficient use of storage resources and infrastructure by leveraging frameworks, processes, and technologies. It has a broad scope of implementation across every layer of technology and management associated with storage to make sure that all existing resources and infrastructure related to storage work in cost-effective and efficient manner.
Storage optimization is basically designed for minimizing consumption or use of disk and Cloud storage across every tier of storage as well as resource. In addition to efficient utilization of storage resources storage optimization also aims to reduce costs associated with storage hardware and administration. It also ensures consolidation of existing storage infrastructure and resources by adopting server virtualization and gaining visibility into storage resources across all systems with an aim to reduce costs of administration as well as storage hardware.
Following processes and technologies are usually implemented for effective optimization of storage:
• Data classification and visualization
• Policy based storage automaton
• Storage management software integration
• Tiered storage architecture
There is a plethora of policy based automation solutions including data deduplication and data compression. Data compression enables data to be compressed during backup process and the built-in compression facility is also made available on several tape drives. Data deduplication method is used for removing commonality of information when the data is being backed on week to week basis. In addition these methods, administrators can also leverage thin provisioning that facilitates allocation of amount of storage that is actually needed by a particular application. Although this is a relatively new concept of data optimization, it is gaining broad acceptance. Thin provisioning is beneficial for database administration, storage administration, and also the application. Advent of automated and policy based storage optimization solution is largely attributed to the need for conforming to compliance and regulations.
