FINAL WORD
By gaining a thorough understanding of data and its needs , IT can place high priority data on top-performing storage while moving older , less important data to cheaper storage .
Common tactics of re-architecting applications , managing cloud sprawl and monitoring spend using the tools each cloud provides are a great first start . However , these methods are not the full picture . Storage optimization is an integral piece . Focusing on cloud storage costs first is a smart strategy , since storage constitutes a large chunk of the overall spend . More than half of IT organizations ( 55 %) will spend more than 30 % of their IT budget on data storage and backup technology , according to the Komprise 2024 State of Unstructured Data Management .
Calculate current storage costs across all storage technologies in your data centers and / or the cloud . Since most organizations have a hybrid cloud approach , you need to calculate the cost of both on-premises storage and backups as well as cloud storage . Calculating this across various accounts , buckets and storage silos can be time consuming and laborious . Look for automated ways to deliver these costs such as through a data management solution .
Predict future storage costs based on data growth rates . Unstructured data typically grows at 20 % or more each year , so when looking at how much you can save , consider current costs but also future projections . An ongoing data management strategy is needed to save costs as data continues to pile up .
Include backup and disaster recovery costs in your analysis . Even in the cloud , most organizations create additional data copies for backups , snapshots and multi-site redundancy . Be sure to include these costs in your analysis to get the full understanding of your true costs and potential savings .
Model new storage plans for savings opportunities . Your data management analysis should detail how much you can save by leveraging the various cloud storage tiers and right-placing cold data at the appropriate lower tier . In most clouds , the cheaper storage tiers are often 20x less expensive than the performance tiers .
The reality is that most organizations don ’ t have a clear idea on current and predicted storage costs and how to economize nor how much data they have nor where it resides . By gaining a thorough understanding of data and its needs , IT can place high priority data on topperforming storage while moving older , less important data to cheaper storage . The point is : if you don ’ t efficiently manage data over its lifecycle , both options will be expensive .
Six Ways to Cut Storage Costs and Optimize Cloud Investments
Get holistic visibility on data to make the best cloud decisions . Understanding characteristics of enterprise data – which is primarily file or object data not sitting in a database – is critical to optimize cloud investments and right-place data . Top metrics include : top data owners , most common file type , most common file size , total data , data growth rate , data by time of last access ( which indicates active or hot data versus inactive or cold data ). As well , metadata search can highlight files containing PII , IP or other sensitive data that has unique storage and security requirements .
Create an ongoing data lifecycle management plan . Rather than moving data to the cloud in a ‘ set and forget ’ fashion , long-term savings requires continuous refinement to accommodate data as it ages or when other conditions materialize such as the need to move data under compliance rules to secure archival storage . With more than 12 classes of storage on some of the popular clouds , you ’ ll want to leverage them all at the right time . Don ’ t keep data on top tier file storage once it is no longer in active use – such as at the completion of an analytics project or marketing campaign . Ensure that users can access tiered data from the lower storage tier without having to bring it back to a more expensive tier so that you don ’ t lose the savings .
As organizations look to reduce cloud waste this year , attaining a data-centric perspective has a multitude of benefits . Analysis can indicate data growth rates , hot versus cold data , compliant data and more so that IT can make the best decisions balancing data requirements , business needs and budget . This way , you can continue to embrace the cloud for digital business initiatives without starting alarm bells in the CFO ’ s office . p
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