Question

Enterprise storage solutions are attractive for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, some of the very things that make enterprise storage so attractive are some of the biggest potential vulnerabilities.

Explain the attractive reasons for enterprise storage as well as the potential vulnerabilities.

Answer 1

So let us start with what is Enterprise Storage?

As we know that data is increasing day by day so large organizations need to store a large amount of data and for that special kind of depository is designed which is known as Enterprise Storage. With Enterprise storage we can perform the same functions as can be performed by small-scale data storage solutions. It usually involves centralized storage repositories, such as storage area networks (SANs) or network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Organizations can choose to purchase and deploy on-premises enterprise storage systems, or they can choose to store their data with an external cloud computing service. Having Enterprise storage has many advantages and some vulnerabilities as well as discussed below:

Advantages (Attractive reasons) :

1. First is Backup- A data backup is a result of copying or archiving files and folders for the purpose of being able to restore them in case of data loss. Data loss can be caused by many things ranging from computer viruses to hardware failures to file corruption to fire, flood, or theft (etc). So with Enterprise storage data backup can be easily taken and can be recovered in case of disaster.
2. Storage- There is a centralized storage where data can be stored and shared. This makes auditability very fast and also intra office communication and transfer of data are very easy. This makes the process efficient and is helpful for the smooth flow of organizations.
3. Disaster Recovery- Due to regular backup of data in a place other than where original data resides helps in easy recovery from disaster. If suppose you are storing data on A and if in case A fails for some reason, then instead of facing downtime, the data access can be restored from another point B in order to achieve data continuity.
4. Archiving- Most of the data in organizations are not actively accessed and once some operation is performed on them then that data can be stored in another storage that costs less and makes software run smoothly. We cant delete such type of data because that data can be needed at a later point of time and at that time we can access it from archives.

Vulnerabilities :

1. Exponential information development and problematic stockpiling updates: One of the main problems is that organizations are storing huge amount of data and for that, after some time they need to increase their storage capability which leads to distruption of services due to migration of data from old storage to new storage. Even archiving from high-speed storage to low-speed storage may cause problems.
2. Low use of existing resources: Initially, it is impossible for an organization to predict its data requirement. So they may buy huge storage and most of that storage remain unutilized for a long time or maybe ever. So this causes loss to an organization.
3. Developing administration complexity with diminishing spending plans for IT staff headcount: Organisations have to spend lot of money on IT staffing as well on the management of IT staff and if organization required to cut off their IT staff then again it will be problematic for them.
4. Expanding hard expenses and natural expenses to get, run and oversee storage: Lot of money is needed for the overall management. This expense is increased if the storage center is installed abroad. Costs may include, Cost of hardware acquisitions and support, Cost of software licensing, Increased floor space and real estate required, Total cost to manage the storage, estimated by analysts at many times more than its cost of acquisition.
5. Guaranteeing quick, top-notch storage service conveyance to application and businesses: Whatever happen it is required that quality of service should be high. It is difficult to provide high reliability with availability and secure access for the information needed by various units of the organizations.
6. Accomplishing cost-effective business coherence and information security: From an overall corporate governance perspective, this issue widens to encompass contingencies and processes in place for application specific, local data center and site-wide disaster recovery and business continuity. Many reports find the cost of just an hour of system downtime in most enterprise organizations can be staggering. But, likewise, the typical costs to implement robust disaster recovery practices can mount. Consider the expense of replication software often available in enterprise-class storage systems, not to mention the cost of replicating critical data to 1 (or even 2) remote data centers, which often contain other storage and servers. Achieving the right mix of protection and investment can require tough decisions.