Small- to medium-sized businesses have much different storage requirements than enterprise-class organizations. There are cloud-based solutions due to its cost effectiveness and flexibility; however, there are other technologies to consider.
Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have much different storage requirements than enterprise-class organizations. One quick Google search for “SMB data storage” will turn up endless information on cloud-based solutions due to its cost effectiveness and flexibility; however, there are other technologies for SMBs to consider.
“Converged infrastructure solutions are available that are designed for SMB environments. These systems provide high-performance storage and server infrastructure for up to 200 video surveillance cameras, at a price point competitive with direct attached storage typically deployed in mid-sized NVR applications,” said Brandon Reich, VP of Security and IoT at
Pivot3.
“What’s most interesting is that the systems that deliver the IT capabilities are normally only available with enterprise-class systems. For example, system architecture ensures storage is accessible by all cameras regardless of physical location, while built-in server failover protects recording and functionality during hardware failures,” Reich added.
Bob Yang, Regional VP of APAC Sales for
Seagate Technology, believes the future will be about edge and cloud working together to help businesses make smarter decisions instantly and drive up productivity, efficiency and customer satisfaction. “As enterprises increase their edge investment, they must have the right setup to withstand the huge increases in data volume and costs that are coming down the line. Increasing numbers of enterprises will demand lower latency and high performance as they become truly digital and intelligent organizations.”
“Organizations will require efficient data storage solutions that are able to help segregate important data from the unimportant bits, as not all data are created equal. Not being equipped to distinguish what is important and meaningful data for the company to analyze and or store can radically reduce the business productivity and increase cost. Businesses should ask themselves whether they are collecting quality data, and if they are able to make it meaningful in their organizations,” Yang said.
Storage concerns and challenges
IT-based solutions have transformed the storage market, making IT a more critical part of the video surveillance and security equation than ever before. As such, integrators need to be educated on the value of IT solutions to help them meet their data capture needs, according to Reich. “Being knowledgeable about IT-driven solutions helps security leaders better understand the somewhat daunting world of IT and data center technology and helps them prepare their business for the future.”
One of the major challenges in today’s market is that traditional solutions for large video surveillance and security systems are typically cost-prohibitive. Using commodity NVRs can help reduce these costs, however, these systems lack the resilience, scalability, ease of use and advanced functionality required for modern surveillance environments.
“At Pivot3, we’re streamlining large-scale video, security management and storage environments by hosting video management software, security applications and storage on a modular, scalable appliance. This significantly lowers cost and delivers higher rack density for multi-PB video installations with the lowest price point in the market for scalable video surveillance infrastructure,” Reich said.
Besides investing in the right infrastructure, organizations must also ensure their data management solutions are secure against potential breaches. By 2025, almost 90 percent of all data created in the global datasphere will require some level of security, but less than half will be secured, according to an IDC white paper.
“Data breaches can be catastrophic in more ways than one — it can put companies out of business, reveal crucial trade secrets and more. Moreover, with the need for real-time data processing, a hack can halt operations, triggering a domino effect. Data security is not a purely technical task either, it requires a combined effort from organizations and all its employees,” Yang said. “IT and security professionals must continually deploy methods that push employees to follow best practices, while also emphasizing the need for security continuously. It’s not enough to secure your servers alone, in a connected world data security has as much to do with servers as with endpoints that create the data.”
Never-ending evolution
Just as storage technology will continue to evolve, so will enterprise needs. Requirements for flexible, scalable and resilient storage systems will continue, but there will also be more demand for real-time data processing and stronger security. Even though data security is already a major concern, it will continue to be a top priority as enterprises, and the world, become more and more connected.