Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 26 | Page 57

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// FEATURE: DATA MANAGEMENT many. As multi-vendor storage environments are becoming more and more common in businesses, this approach suits this structure as it is made up of one system that works across them all. It is also standards-based – it works specifically for the systems that are currently in place, so it can be tailored to any customer regardless of their IT environment. A data-centric approach is typically quick to produce return on investment (ROI) and overall has a low total cost of ownership, making it a popular choice for many business leaders when considering the most cost- effective solution for their company. In the long-term, this approach works well for both smaller businesses and those that grow over time, as it can scale up quickly and easily, Krishna Subramanian, COO at Komprise entire infrastructure will likely become very expensive. It can also be challenging because completing data management after a backup with unstructured data is often not possible – the data is already broken into blocks and grouped together, so any data movement would require the backup system to return the data to the original state, which eliminates any savings that have been made. meaning there’s no need to worry about outgrowing the solution. It has minimal impact on the existing infrastructure and doesn’t disturb the current storage, user access or backup processes. In contrast, different approaches over the years have not always been able to produce the same quality of results as the data- centric approach. For example, a solution that collects data through backups – a data-protection based solution – can be challenging because it requires investment in a backup infrastructure which can be expensive and complicated before it will generate any results. Where a data-centric approach can be added to the existing systems, a data-protection-based approach www.intelligentcio.com may involve removing the old environment and replacing it with the new. Therefore, this is unlikely to be the most cost-effective option as replacing an One of the biggest challenges businesses are facing is ensuring their data management solutions are capable of coping with the pressures of today’s data-driven society. To manage this, there is a vast number of solutions on offer for IT leaders to choose from – to find the right solution and see the greatest positive change, businesses should assess their current IT infrastructure and determine how a data-centric approach could be the perfect answer. By cutting both costs and time spent sifting through data, teams can organise all of their data across all systems, providing a better rounded service for customers around the clock. n FOR BUSINESSES TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THEIR STORAGE SOLUTIONS WITHOUT BILLS SOARING THROUGH THE ROOF, A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO DATA MANAGEMENT IS THE ANSWER. INTELLIGENTCIO 57