The benefits of using software-defined storage in a corporate environment

Our company always tries to track positive changes in the market of network technologies and related areas. To the number of such changes we include, for example, software-defined storage systems, the attitude towards which the market is gradually changing. Such solutions are gradually being increasingly used in the corporate sector, with simplifying the process of deploying storage systems and improving the entire set of related technologies.

Managing storage also becomes easier thanks to the emergence of new types of administration of such systems. For example, now with the help of software tools you can collect information about physical storage devices. The administrator of such a system controls not only each unit, but all of them together, as a single complex.

All this is possible thanks to virtualization and virtualized storage. The entire system can be represented by units of different manufacturers, but the management of the computational load for all connected storage systems is performed in a single complex. Unfortunately, the storage system still has a number of drawbacks, and suppliers of such systems should think about improving existing solutions. In the future, the concept of improvement may include the following items:
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Out-of-box equipment support

Software-defined solutions allow you to adapt to the rapid turnover of equipment in data centers. In most data centers, there is an ongoing process of changing equipment and individual items of equipment. Drives, processors, graphic adapters and whole computing blocks are changing.

Previously, it was possible to use new equipment only with careful study of the compatibility of the new element with the existing base. Ideally, new equipment and its elements should be maintained at the same time after installation. The situation is gradually changing for the better, and now you can no longer wait for the manufacturers of server hardware to do the job of changing new elements inside the rack systems. All this can be done through the use of individual devices.

Change of business model

Typically, when assessing the entire fleet of corporate storage systems, an indicator such as capital costs is used. We are talking here about a well-established business model, which involves investing large amounts of money right from the start. Large sums are also allocated for the renewal of "iron" and depreciation.

Software-defined solutions allow you to abandon such a business model, using a more modern. It represents the possibility of paying for only those resources with which the company worked and which were used during the reporting period of the company. We agree with those experts who speak about the possibility of a significant reduction in costs in this case.



Plus, this business model allows the company to quickly decommission equipment that is not required for work now or in the near future.

Significant benefits from the use of software-defined solutions can be extracted and service providers.

Power scaling and horizontal growth

Virtually any modern company over time generates more and more data. They need to be stored somewhere and somehow processed. Usually, with increasing data volume, they cope by increasing computational resources and memory. That is, we are talking about vertical scaling.

In the case of working with software-defined solutions, scaling is done horizontally. That is, additional equipment is added, which does not necessarily have to be a hi-end class. You can add an almost unlimited number of additional devices, the capabilities of which are similar to those of existing systems.

This type of scaling allows you to cope with the increasing volume of data, plus the influence of the new equipment on the existing elements of the operating company data storage system is eliminated. You can start small, gradually adding all the new elements.

Work with virtualization during data migration

This decision was used earlier to address a number of issues. For example, to move arrays of data or restrict access to such data by third-party users. Software-defined solutions open up the possibility of dynamically building storage infrastructure.



As a result, the distribution of free computing power is more efficient. Reduces the negative effect of performance jumps on performing tasks with lower requirements. In addition, work with storage systems consisting of elements from different manufacturers is simplified. This was also mentioned a little higher.

Companies can more effectively use SAN systems, Ethernet and InfiniBand.

Software control functions

Traditional work with storage systems implies a periodic manifestation of time delays. They occur when connecting to the corporate infrastructure ID of new elements or changing the configuration of old ones. With the use of software-defined tools, this problem disappears, and you can initially work with equipment without load, gradually adding load.

It is also possible not to involve additional personnel, but to work through a software add-in, for example, using the API.

In general, changes for the better in the work area of ​​storage solutions are gradually taking place. Software-defined solutions are becoming increasingly popular, reliable and versatile.