In the current era, companies are rapidly transitioning from physical data storage to cloud infrastructure. Cloud storage has several advantages such as scalability, ease of management, and reduced costs. However, integrating cloud infrastructure with Storage Area Networks (SAN) can bring up a few challenges. In this blog, we’ll discuss the various challenges that emerge when trying to merge SAN storage in the cloud era, and how the market is responding with innovative solutions.
Challenge 1: Integration between SAN Storage and Cloud Infrastructure
Merging SAN storage with cloud infrastructure can cause compatibility issues. To achieve a successful integration, organizations must ensure compatibility between SAN devices and the cloud infrastructure. A perfect example is the integration between AWS and SAN devices. AWS has its set of rules and requirements to synchronize with a SAN. One possible solution to overcome this obstacle is the adoption of hybrid cloud infrastructure. Using hybrid cloud infrastructure enables companies to use a combination of private and public cloud, in a most cost-effective way, while maintaining the highest level of security.
Challenge 2: Security and Data Privacy
With the significant adoption of the cloud in recent years, data privacy has emerged as a top priority for many organizations. Although cloud providers promise superior security and data privacy, on the other hand, 86% of companies state that data breach is inevitable. In SAN storage, access to storage is restricted by administrators for security purposes while the security of cloud infrastructure is provided by the cloud service provider. Therefore, merging SAN storage with cloud infrastructure and maintaining an optimal level of security and data privacy can be a challenging task. Companies need to adopt robust data protection policies and use encryption technologies to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data to overcome this challenge.
Challenge 3: Management complexities
The management of SAN devices in the cloud is much more complex than managing physical storage appliances on-premises. With cloud storage, multiple cloud-based storage locations are hosted in different environments that need to be managed by different IT teams. It is essential to adopt proper monitoring solutions that can provide visibility into the entire SAN environment and cloud storage activities. Companies must also ensure that a central management system is in place to operate on operations in the cloud, including the monitoring of storage devices in the cloud.
Challenge 4: Migration issues
Migrating data from SAN storage to the cloud can be a time-consuming process, even with automation tools. Data migration from an on-premises SAN to the cloud storage with a good planning enables the discovery of problems beforehand, before extensive costs are incurred. Companies need to conduct thorough testing and evaluations before implementing SAN-storage in the cloud. If a clear migration plan is absent, there is a high possibility that you might bump into unforeseen circumstances, such as data losses, that can be disruptive to business activities.
Conclusion
Provided that these challenges are correctly identified and mitigated, businesses can reap the full benefits of merging SAN solution with cloud infrastructure. With the adoption of cloud-based edge IT infrastructure, businesses can take full advantage of the scalability and flexibility of cloud infrastructure and still maintain the essential physical storage devices. In making the switch, businesses need to evaluate their specific business requirements, including the workload they require to run in the cloud, the security measures in place, the budget they have, and the service level they need. San-storage integration in the cloud era is a significant business opportunity that requires a careful approach.
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