Object storage has come on the scene as an efficient, cost-effective way to deal with the tidal wave of unstructured data most companies find themselves being buried under. If your company is considering making use of object storage in the cloud, a likely question is, where do I start?
This blog will look at some of the important things to consider with object storage options, including cost and flexibility, compliance, multi-site redundancy, and the place for public cloud options.
The cost and flexibility of the cloud
Let’s get one thing out of the way first, cloud-based object storage as a service (STaaS) options provide the same benefits that other cloud-based storage options do, namely almost unlimited flexibility when it comes to data storage and significant cost benefits. For example, our clients get unlimited data transfers, at a flat rate. This provides peace of mind, but more than that, it provides cost certainty that you can consume on demand, without some of the drawbacks that come with that cloud adoption.
However, the reasons for moving to object storage usually go beyond cost and flexibility.
STaaS, compliance, and multi-site redundancy
Whether it’s for compliance, peace of mind, or simply wanting to know where your data is, a private cloud or hybrid option fits best for many organizations. Healthcare organizations, for example, generally need to know where their data is stored and how they’ll be able to access it at all times. This may not be possible with a public cloud option.
The way organizations access data doesn’t just affect compliance initiatives, it can have a real effect on cost, as well as your organization’s sense of security, based on the information you’re storing. As a cloud provider that also provides professional services, we can help give organizations a greater sense of comfort and security — one provider that deals with each step of the process — as they consider STaaS. This means we can help run the secondary storage, then have the tertiary storage so that a copy can be pushed offsite. Having one company do that helps with things like critical infrastructure and support.
Our partnership with Switch, for example, offers 3-site redundancy, so you know if one site goes down, you’re still in business — literally and figuratively. Switch’s multi-site redundancy goes above and beyond what most other providers offer. It’s Tier 5 data centers are located in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, providing geographic differentiation. If something hits Reno, it’s highly unlikely it will also affect Las Vegas.
Public cloud object storage options
There are a number of great public cloud options out there, depending on your industry, company size, and other factors, and we support customers that want to investigate this route. Many companies first look to the public cloud, and there are many offerings for object storage, notably AWS. For applications that generate a lot of data and, of course, general storage public cloud can be a great option. Pricing for AWS is readily available, just make sure you consider all the costs when evaluating a solution — including transfer and access fees.
There’s no way around it, there’s a lot to ponder when your organization is considering using object storage. Having one company deal with all aspects of the process, for providing storage to providing professional services to support you, can reduce complexity and provide real costs savings. There are many options out there, and they’re all worth considering, but we think STaaS can be a great one for almost any type of business.
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