NETWORKING that data needs to be analysed right away , storing it is essential , and that ’ s where cold storage comes into play .”
“ As we reach the Zettabyte Age , cold storage is a segment of storage that is only increasing in demand ”
DAVIDE VILLA DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EMEAI , WESTERN DIGITAL
backlog and inefficiency ; storing everything on a disk drive or flash array can eat up an eye-watering amount of electricity , regardless of whether you ’ re accessing that data or not .
“ This isn ’ t just a problem for the sports industry of course . Experts estimate that global data streams are growing around 30 % annually , potentially generating 175 ZB by 2025 ,” Villa continues . “ While not all of
What is Cold Storage ? Cold Storage when it comes to storing data isn ’ t a literal reference to temperature . It refers instead to methods of retaining “ data that is not actively in use ,” Villa explains . Cold storage - depending on the medium used - can , to differing degrees , cut the cost of retaining huge sets of typically unstructured data at the expense of recovery time . The ultimate upshot is that , if you have exabyte upon exabyte of financial records , benchmarking data , compliance information , or anything else you need to hang onto for a very long time , but don ’ t need to use every day , cold storage can do it more efficiently and , most importantly , more cheaply .
“ The more data is stored , the more it costs ,” says Villa . “ As we reach the Zettabyte Age , cold storage is a segment of storage that is only increasing in demand . According to industry analysts , 60 % or more of stored data can be archived or stored in cooler storage tiers until it ’ s needed . As the world generates and stores more archival data than ever before , cold storage is becoming the fastest growing segment in the industry . In fact , cloud providers are reinventing their architectures with accessible archives to keep pace and ensure effective management .”
Different Types of Cold Storage There are different mediums and “ tiers ” of cold storage , each with their own benefits and drawbacks . Villa explains that “ until recently , most secondary cold storage has been contained on either tape or hard disk
54 December 2021