Big data is touted to transform the future of information technology.
However, there is a likelihood that we will lack space even considering options such as the artificial DNA.
The amount of new data that is created on a yearly basis worldwide is expected to explode by over ten times in the next decade. At the same time, the current trend shows that people fill their hard drives, smartphones, USB drives with tens of thousands of personal documents and photos.
Besides, organisations also have many documents to store. Scientists predict that if the current trend persists, the world will run out of storage space in the next 181 years – even if we were to use every atom available to store data.
The Relevance of Effective Data Storage Solutions
Data storage is one sensitive area that organisations value.
In information technology, information storage is divided into data storage and file storage. File storage comprises of documents and files in attachments while data storage includes accounts, emails, contracts and custom objects.
One of the most widespread problems that companies run into is exceeding data storage limits.
Sometimes, companies offering data storage solutions give notifications pointing that the data storage limits have been exceeded. That usually includes the extra overflow buffers. In these cases, the companies have terms and conditions that are against the additional data creation until there are reductions in the current data storage.
Given this predicament, there are losses in data that are bound to be encountered if the contracting companies will have to keep on enjoying storage services.
Unfortunately, the users might be denied access to some files or these files can be deleted. If the user operates in an industry that is very sensitive, that means that performance goes down. Furthermore, there will be suspicions about the organisation’s reliability to handle classified data.
Potential Solutions to Data Storage Limitations
1. Clearing Memory
One of the most-effective solutions that might help an organisation or a user to avoid reaching the data limits is deleting some files that are less significant – which is almost impossible given that many files are relevant.
To add on – making local backups that can offer more space for data archiving is another possible solution. Additionally, the users can opt to purchase extra storage.
Mr Pititto, at The Original PC Doctor states, “be cautious when backing up and restoring data. If you do experience data loss, never restore the backup to the same machine where you lost the previous data”.
2. Cloud Storage
Due to the exponential growth of data, companies can upgrade to cloud storage. The advantage is that cloud storage is flexible and scalable. Users can acquire more storage while accessing more features without disrupting the workflow.
Therefore they will be able to avoid downtime. Some of the best cloud solutions include the pay-as-you-go model, such as Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure Cloud and Amazon S3
3. Edge Computing
The other solution in data storage lies in edge computing. Users will be able to use an architectural model that enables them to gain access to the cloud while keeping latency low and maintaining performance.
The design offers cloud economics allowing users to avoid incurring cloud access costs.
The storage management will require technology providers to implement the infrastructure that can be shared to prevent problems of having to buy hardware storage devices.
Looking Forward
The interventions mentioned above could be effective in the short-term. They need to be implemented consistently for maximum performance.
However, the prospect that could revolutionise data storage is the possibility of encoding digital data in DNA. The rationale is creating a system that enables high-density large scale data packing.
The only challenge is that it could be capital intensive to create the storage cells.
