Entries Tagged 'Data Storage' ↓

I’m not going to lie, I’m a hard drive and typing ain’t the easiest thing.  But, it’s time for me to get back on the bus.  So much has been going on and those guys over at Universe Point are working me like a dog.  They’re currently offering their latest version of ION which allows for VAR’s, MSP’s and IT Professionals to be the off-site storage provider for their customers.

I’m not going to go into the sales pitch because they don’t give hard-drives commission.  But you should check it out.

Those of you looking to get into the data center business are in luck if you happen to own a bit of land 50-100 miles outside of Washington DC. Computer World reports a trend toward data center outsourcing for the federal government with an eye on facilities outside the instant-death-and-destruction radius of a nuclear weapon. So, if you have the land start building. If not, there is still a lesson here I think.

Now, your business might not be particularly concerned about the destruction range of a nuke, at least not in terms of business continuity, but there is probably still a “blast zone” outside of which it would be wise to store some data. For instance, if your business is located in Tornado Alley, you might want to store some data in a place that doesn’t have a natural disaster in its name (Tranquil Springs, or Safe Town for instance). You really don’t want to have to explain the embarrassing phenomenon of having all your data locations wiped out by one catastrophe. That would be like locking all your spare keys in one car. Shameful.

That said, you should still have some versions of your data on-site and/or nearby in case you need a non-disaster related recovery. After all, most data restores are not prompted by disaster.

While skimming through Wikipedia looking for a bit more info on Conway polyhedron notation (not as interesting as it sounds), I came across an article on molecular memory. Apparently nanotech, the future savior of humanity (according to an influential member of the nanotech community), is taking a break from making my pants stain-proof to bring us a super-speedy new type of memory. It probably goes without saying since we are talking nanotech, but this is also, potentially, a pretty compact memory option.

Now my nano-physics education stopped right after second grade, so I don’t really understand a great deal about the details of this idea. Apparently, the goal is to store bits of data on molecules only a few nanometers wide. Eventually, the hope is to have a byte per molecule, but for now it is more likely that a group of molecules would contain each byte. There were also some things about photochromism and capacitance which make for an interesting read, but are a dull in the retelling (especially from a blogger who’s topic already ranks pretty high on the bored o’ meter). Suffice it to say, should they pull this off we would be looking at memory that makes flash drives look like my 80 year old grandmother in an Olympic sprint event.

Most of the research going into this is attempting to create a replacement for RAM. This, of course, isn’t exactly our area of interest in the backup world. We tend to be more concerned with non-volatile memory (memory that doesn’t forget when turned off). But, don’t worry. A quick Google search for ” non-volatile molecular memories” brings up quite a few results, some with promising names like Harvard in their URLs.

This may not be the very next step in data storage, but its probably not that far off. With the demands for space growing as rapidly as they are and the concerns of storage capacity, speed and environmental impact growing with them, we should expect plenty of innovative thought in the area.  I, for one, will be waiting anxiously to ask a molecule for my missing files.

I have had an interest in RFID ever since I designed a logo for a company using the technology in combination with electronic paper. There are some patent issues and non-disclosure agreements surrounding that, so I can’t say much more. I can, however, point you to this cool new product from Stysen.

I don’t currently have much need for this sort of technology myself, but for those with heavy travel schedules and sensitive information this could be an excellent addition to the laptop bag.

Thanks to Dustbowl for the heads up.

In an apparent effort to help me make yesterday’s point about the importance of on-site backup, Data Center Knowledge reports that two of Joyent’s online backup centers have been down for the last three days . If one of these is your only backup location than you are without access to your data for at least three days. Cross your fingers, knock on a hard drive (lightly) and hope you don’t need it.
As I said before, these things happen. Joyent got hit by a major bug. They have been upfront about the issue and are apparently making every effort to correct it. While such occurrences may be relatively rare, it is your responsibility to prepare for contingencies. The best way to do this is through a multi-site backup plan including an on-site location.

If you have a story of downtime at your online or off-site storage center let me know in the comments.

We’ve all heard of, and understand the importance of, off-site backup, but what about offshore? According to an article on Data Center Knowledge, off-shore could be the new off-site for those willing to brave the high seas. Apparently, a nautically fixated company, known as IDS (International Data Security), is planning to build data centers on de-commissioned cargo ships.

Concerns in the comments of the post reflect the sort of things you may imagine, particularly hurricanes, tsunamis and other potential oceanic disasters. However, the company literature claims that being afloat is actual protection against natural catastrophes. While I’m not sure I buy that (disaster-proof on the gulf coast?), I’m intrigued enough to want more info.

There are a couple of interesting “green” components to the plans to please those of us concerned about the impending global meltdown to which data storage is contributing to on an increasingly high level. Backup is still nowhere close to cow flatulence in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is an increasing worry. The cargo ship data center claims a significant decrease in cooling costs due to being waist deep in sea water as well as an intention to make use of bio fuel and recycled drive heat.

Port security and weather concerns are definitely going to cause some hesitation when deciding to get on board with this project (I know, terrible pun), but it is an exciting way to recycle space. I will definitely be keeping an eye on IDS.