Whether you’re a Fortune 500 enterprise or a fledgling startup, there’s one thing every business can expect to confront: Change. This is resoundingly true when it comes to data management. Even greenfield operations will, sooner rather than later, need to change how and where they leverage their data. After all, every business—including those launched with the most cutting-edge technology—is built on a series of choices and compromises. As technologies and business priorities change, so should your data mobility strategy.
In a world of ever-changing variables, what’s the right data mobility strategy? There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It does, however, help to start with a solid foundation on which to build your strategy.
With the right platform that allows for flexibility and change, it’s time to build the structural framework for your data mobility strategy. When creating the framework for your data mobility strategy, there are a few considerations to keep in mind, including your desired use of on-premise storage, your hybrid cloud strategy and “supercomputing” capabilities, and the storage area network (SAN) needed based on your organization’s needs. Let’s review what they might mean for you:
Developing a Hybrid Cloud Strategy
The reality is that the hybrid cloud is now achievable for most organizations. According to Flexera’s 2023 State of the Cloud Report, 72% of organizations have embraced a hybrid cloud strategy. Your data mobility strategy should reflect that.
With a proper hybrid cloud environment, the user experience should be seamless regardless of where your data exists, whether that’s on-premise, in a private cloud, or in the public cloud. As the potential for more dynamic resource allocation grows, your data mobility strategy inherently becomes more critical. Data mobility, in effect, now equates to computing mobility.
Leveraging the “Supercomputer” in the Cloud
Data mobility becomes even more imperative as entities gain more opportunities to take advantage of “supercomputing” capabilities.
The computing power that exists in the cloud now is tremendous, and thanks to modern dynamic cloud pricing, even smaller organizations can tap into it. According to one estimate, the cloud-based high-performance computing market should reach $55 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7% from 2023 to 2030.
So for example, if you’re a FinTech startup, you could pay by the minute to leverage high-performance computing capabilities to test your trading algorithm. Previously, these powerful capabilities were only available to the biggest customers — think NASA — and came with astronomical costs.
On-Premise Solutions Aren’t Going Away
Even as cloud services and capabilities become more accessible and more valuable, on-premise operations aren’t going to disappear. Customers have all kinds of reasons for keeping data on-premise, whether it’s for compliance purposes, costs or the desire to leverage existing infrastructure. Certain workloads, meanwhile, simply don’t make as much sense on the cloud.
The reality is that even the most compelling alternatives couldn’t eliminate on-premise operations, because business ecosystems and industries evolve organically. Think about it: Many businesses still use landlines, and workers still use desktop computers. Nearly half a century after marketers first coined the term the “paperless office,” it took a full-blown pandemic to push our collaboration tools to the point where we are finally, basically, paperless.
Fiber Channel and iSCSI
When it comes to data mobility, how does an organization decide whether to adopt fiber, iSCSI or both? As organizations manage workloads that require low latency and other networking capabilities, they’re going to be investing heavily in this area.
Traditionally, a significant amount of data management is fiber-channel-based. With iSCSI, an organization doesn’t need to invest in separate physical infrastructure, such as switches or cables. Moreover, iSCSI has become more attractive to entities moving workloads to the cloud. A whole range of products, from Pure Storage, NetApp and even cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, offer iSCSI-based storage in the cloud. Your data mobility strategy should consider how to move from fiber channel to iSCSI and back again.
Change is the Only Constant
Ultimately, no one can predict all of the major technological innovations that will impact their business down the road. To stay nimble, you need a data mobility strategy that you can execute with the team you have — whether their primary expertise is in storage, networking or elsewhere. This can be especially challenging in large organizations, with teams that have to meticulously plan their projects and stay accountable for their budgets. Now more than ever, it’s important to have a solid foundation on which to build a strategy that fits your needs.