Datamation Logo

The Hidden Costs of Data Storage

October 7, 2010
Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

In evaluating storage costs, it is important for end users comparing systems to understand the absolute performance and capacity of the system for a given price point, and then consider how flexible, scalable, and resilient the system can be.


The exponential increase in drive density, the incorporation of performance acceleration technologies, and the adoption of data reduction tools such as compression and deduplication are changing the perceived and actual cost of storage systems.  Traditional purchasing decisions made on a dollar-per-raw-gigabyte basis may lead buyers to spending more than they presume simply because they are only buying capacity without consideration for other necessary attributes.  These attributes include reliability, security, efficiency, performance, and manageability.  When buying a storage system, consider the following: 

–The cost per raw gigabyte is a poor metric when purchasing a system to support performance-driven applications. It is imperative that the organization understands what applications will be hosted on the storage array and what their performance and capacity requirements will be over time.  Having an understanding of the environment ahead of time will make the soliciting and evaluation of options simpler.

–Performance acceleration technologies may have a direct impact on the ability of the storage system to deliver higher level of IOPS or throughput. Technologies such as compression or deduplication may have a similar impact on capacity and its utilization.  The benefits must be viewed in light of any additional costs associated with deploying them and the actual results that can be expected based on the actual applications and data to be used.

–Advantages of acceleration and capacity optimization technologies may come at a cost in complexity that translates to a storage system’s manageability. Added complexity or reduction in manageability of the system over time may lead to unexpected costs in people, time, productivity, and competitiveness.    

The storage industry has been trending along Moore’s predicted line of growth with HDD capacity increasing and the cost per gigabyte decreasing.

Read the rest at INFOSTOR.

  SEE ALL
ARTICLES
 

Subscribe to Data Insider

Learn the latest news and best practices about data science, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, data security, and more.

Datamation Logo

Datamation is the leading industry resource for B2B data professionals and technology buyers. Datamation's focus is on providing insight into the latest trends and innovation in AI, data security, big data, and more, along with in-depth product recommendations and comparisons. More than 1.7M users gain insight and guidance from Datamation every year.

Advertisers

Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on Datamation and our other data and technology-focused platforms.

Advertise with Us

Our Brands


Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions About Contact Advertise California - Do Not Sell My Information

Property of TechnologyAdvice.
© 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.