What to consider when building your own secure data store
The amount of data on both personal and business computers has ballooned over the past few years, creating new challenges for data storage and security. A hard drive failure can mean the loss of terabytes of data collected over long periods. Businesses need to be able to give access to data to large numbers of employees, reducing risk of data and connectivity loss.
More and more of us are turning to cloud computing and it could be a good idea to consider building your own cloud-like storage solution for yourself or your business. Here are some of the key considerations to keep in mind when undertaking such an implementation.
Making use of multiple drives
With large amounts of data it’s clear that one hard drive won’t be enough – but even with smaller amounts of data you should consider making use of multiple storage drives. With a set up like this, your data can be spread out and replicated across multiple drives, using technology such as RAID, meaning that if one of your drives fails you don’t lose any of your precious data.
Replicate your data
A RAID, or similar set up with multiple drives, protects against typical mechanical faults of individual drives. But what about more dramatic risks, such as a fire in the building where your drives are stored? To protect against such outcomes, you should replicate your data storage set up in two distinct locations, preferably in different buildings.
Manage the growth of your storage
If you buy hundreds of terabytes of storage before you need it, you’ll have empty hard drives sitting unused for long periods, and the price might have dropped by the time they come into use. On the other hand, it would be a disaster to find that your company’s storage has run out of capacity, putting a halt to your work. Make sure your system is easily extensible, so you can add storage as and when you need it and avoid both of these risks.
