Data Center Services for data storage and management
The demand for data is skyrocketing and further fueled by consistently evolving integrated IT infrastructure and the Covid-19 pandemic. Data has the ability to drive innovation, improve the economy and tackle environmental and health challenges. By 2022, the data market is poised to grow to USD 274.3 billion, and the data generated worldwide in 2021 was estimated at 79 zettabytes. By 2025, we can expect around 150 zettabytes of data to be generated, which is double than what was expected in 2022. Hence, storing and managing data in a secure manner will be challenging for every company across the world that uses data as digital fuel that drives their business growth.
Most companies use data centers to store and manage data since they offer an optimized solution that needs fewer hardware systems and less storage space to run business operations and offer the best services to users. Let’s understand the role of data centers in the storage and management of data.
Contents
Data Center Storage
Data center storage includes technologies, tools, and processes to design, deploy, handle & monitor data storage resources and infrastructure and resources within a data center. It is part of the data center setup and includes all IT assets that indirectly or directly play a role in data storage within a data center. Data center storage typically refers to equipment, devices, & software technologies that enable application and data storage within a data center. It includes:
- Tape-drive storage, hard disk drive storage, and other types of external & internal storage devices
- Backup and Storage management software
- External storage solutions like cloud storage
- Network storage technologies like network attached storage (NAS), storage area networks (SAN), RAID, etc.
Data center storage also involves procedures and policies that control the complete process of data storage & retrieval. Furthermore, data center storage also incorporates security and access control procedures.
Data Center Management
Data center management requires three layers – monitor, analyze, and automate. First, we must visualize and monitor the activities and details across all locations and systems. Next, examine the ways to use data centers more effectively to maximize usage and save energy for the existing system. Finally, automate the action system, which enables synchronized management across every part of the facility, networks, IT hardware, and applications.
The above three-layer approach must be extrapolated across multiple data centers, a possible scenario in companies that require multi-site redundancy. At this junction, broader coordination with network service providers & power utilities that run and connect each data center must be combined with the management of all associated data centers. If a network or power fluctuation impacts one particular site, it alerts the data center manager, and he will switch that stack easily to another single or multiple data center. An integrated and wholesome data center management framework allows this kind of agility.
Top Data Center Industry Trends in 2022
- Sustainable Data Centers:
Data Centers operate 24/7 and 365 days and hence can cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Data centers are currently consuming around 200 terawatt hours of energy annually, producing GHG emissions equivalent to the entire aircraft industry. To combat this, sustainable or green data centers must be deployed in coming years that are energy efficient and release negligible to zero CO2. These green data centers will use renewable energy sources like windmills, solar panels, etc., which don’t produce any CO2 emissions. Also, cooling systems, software, and hardware will be designed to meet the zero-emission condition.
- Full Scale AI adoption:
AI has become vital for every field, including data center services. Data centers can utilize AI to carry out storage and management more efficiently. It also helps in deploying better management practices like optimizing power usage during peak and resting hours and regulating bandwidth. Furthermore, AI can make data centers more efficient and increase productivity leading to higher revenue growth and better customer experience.
- Accelerated 5G deployment
5G is the next big thing and will be the driving force for the next industrial revolution. On the other hand, data centers are set to play a vital role in accelerating 5G deployment. They will facilitate 5G deployment by providing the infrastructure, storage, connectivity, and management services. In addition, data centers create the space required to maintain and control 5G networks. This enables easy access between various connecting devices, which is crucial for 5G technology.
Conclusion
Data Centers are going to be part of every organization, either on-premise or cloud-based, as it offers a host of benefits that any other systems can’t provide. As data generation will exponentially increase, effective storage and management will be critical to ensure there are no security issues or wastage of any resources within an organization and its network. Data center services will act as a catalyst that will drive the growth of an enterprise and ensure data is stored and managed with maximum efficacy, regardless of the volume.
