Choosing An Enterprise Storage Implementation: On-Premises Versus Cloud

When you deploy a new enterprise storage system, you must decide whether to design and build your own storage system or to utilize a cloud-based storage service.

When you deploy a new enterprise storage system, you must decide whether to design and build your own storage system, utilize a cloud-based storage service or combine both solutions.

On-Premises Enterprise Storage

On-premises storage networks involve setting up the physical hardware and cables, migrating data, configuring the devices and testing the system. Compared to cloud storage on-premises offers more choice but you’ll have to make some additional decisions . For example, you’ll need to select which storage media to use: Tape, hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid state drives (SSDs). You’ll also need to decide on your storage architecture: direct-attached storage (DAS), storage area networks (SANs) or network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Finally, you’ll need to choose a network protocol. Options include the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP), Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) and Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol.

Learn more: Three Steps to Deploy On-Premisesin Webopedia’s enterprise storage definition.

Enterprise Storage Cloud Implementation

Cloud ComputingDeployment steps for cloud storage is fairly straightforward. Select a cloud service that meets your needs, sign up for the service and configure it to work with your existing applications and networks. Your most important task will be researching the services to make sure that you get one that can meet your needs and work with your current infrastructure. The downside to choosing a cloud-based enterprise storage is less choice about the hardware and network architecture because the cloud vendor will handle those for you.

Find a vendor: Webopedia’s enterprise storage vendor list.

The Hybrid Cloud Storage (HCS) Option

For any organizations, storing data in the cloud is a problem because of the vast amount of data that resides on-premises. According to Enterprise Storage Forum, running applications on premise and using the cloud to store active files is not realistic due to latency and bandwidth issues. Hybrid cloud storage (HCS) solves many of these challenges by turning the cloud into a functioning storage tier for an on-premises storage system. The idea of HCS is to integrate on-premise storage systems with online cloud storage tiers to extend the infrastructure across on-premises and cloud domains.

Learn more about The hybrid cloud storage (HCS) model on Enterprise Storage Forum.

This article was originally published on January 24, 2014

Vangie Beal
Vangie Beal
Vangie Beal is a freelance business and technology writer covering Internet technologies and online business since the late '90s.
Get the Free Newsletter
Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
This email address is invalid.
Get the Free Newsletter
Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
This email address is invalid.

Related Articles

Complete List of Cybersecurity Acronyms

Cybersecurity news and best practices are full of acronyms and abbreviations. Without understanding what each one means, it's difficult to comprehend the significance of...

Human Resources Management System

A Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a software application that supports many functions of a company's Human Resources department, including benefits administration, payroll,...

How To Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft

Almost every worldwide government agency responsible for identity theft issues will tell you the same thing: The first step to fighting identity theft is...

Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of information or data. It combines the words information and graphic and includes a collection of imagery, charts,...

Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company that specializes in information technology (IT)...

Gartner

Gartner is a world-renowned information technology (IT) consultancy and advisory firm that conducts...

Coursera

Coursera is an online education platform that offers a variety of courses and...