The problem:
Organizations are gathering and generating data at unprecedented levels, which creates unimaginable headaches for overworked and underfunded IT managers.
The reliance on emails, shared files, application data, digitized records, data-backups, and marketing collateral (like videos and images) are at an all-time high. Not only do these files need to be stored, but they also need to be accessed and deployed at an accelerated rate. A low estimate for data growth is somewhere between 25% and 40% annually, this outpaces IT budgets by 10-fold. Combine this with exponential data growth, it is not surprising that businesses are looking for alternative methods to reduce costs while keeping data secure and protected.
Good News:
Even with the industry's increase in data storage requirements, technological advances are becoming more cost effective as time progresses. The overall per-gigabyte price is falling for hard disk and associated data storage, backup, and archiving solutions as technology matches demands. This reduction in cost is helping IT departments stretch their budgets further and to purchase more storage. Now, there are multiple options available to purchase used hardware from vendors around the globe. While there are many options for purchasing hardware, IT managers must consider the following: if the used hardware has been inspected by qualified engineers/technicians, properly handled, refurbished with optimized testing, and professionally packaged for shipping.Between organizations, data needs and data storage requirements vary. Each organization is unique, and solutions that work for one organization may not work for another. As a result, the challenge is to identify the solution and then implement the best option for your IT environment.
Your Data Demands:
Understanding your data demands begins with understanding the value of your organization's data. Data fuels many companies and industries. The value placed on the data determines how you handle it. In order to better assess the value of your data, here are a few fundamental questions many IT managers and staff consider.
- How available does the data need to be? Is it accessed often?
- How easy is the data to recover?
- How quickly must the data be recovered if lost?
- How long does the data need to be retained?
- How secure must the data be?
- What regulations affect the data, its storage, and its processing?
Once the value based questions are answered, data must be prioritized based on how critical it is to operations to effectively utilize data management resources. Based on how critical the data is, resources must be properly designated. While considering the priority of one’s different data requirements, many IT managers find it helpful to establish their data retention policies to conform to both internal and external forces.Data within the organization is kept in enterprise storage, a centralized repository for information. Enterprise storage provides common data management, data protection, and data sharing capabilities. To accommodate the extensive mission-critical information within a company, enterprise storage systems should be scalable without needing extensive cabling or the creation of subsystems. Many IT departments also look for features that allow for unlimited connectivity and support for multiple platforms.
Simple Solution:
Protecting, maintaining, processing, and dispersing data are all major concerns of an IT manager. These IT functions can be overwhelming to the modern IT professional. Each of the enterprise storage systems must be maintained, parts sourced, and multiple support contracts managed. thomastech offers a simplified approach with 24/7 multi-vendor support focused on individual needs. Level three engineers are readily accessible at thomastech and enterprise hardware is available from the large in-house inventory. thomastech’s hardware inventory is engineer tested, refurbished, and verified to be in the optimal operating condition. The maintenance service and enterprise hardware from thomastech cuts costs, stretches budgets, and effectively empowers IT professionals so they can keep data moving.To learn more, visit the support or hardware page, call (330) 225-3117, or complete the contact form to request a free consultation.
