Virtual data storage is now an increasingly popular option for companies who want to reduce their IT costs. In fact, because these solutions do not require the hardware redundancies that are typically required in traditional storage architectures for disaster recovery, they’re able to cut down on upfront costs as well as ongoing operating costs by an impressive amount.
Virtual data storage enables IT departments to pool physical storage devices, such as SANs that appear to be one device or storage array. There are many ways to use the technology that includes host-based virtualization as well as network-based storage (which combines storage devices from an FC or iSCSI storage device into a single pool addressed by a central management console). Host-based virtualization is typically found in HCI systems and cloud storage.
To function the way it should, virtual storage must be compatible with underlying hardware infrastructure such as networking components and servers, along with the most common management tools and hypervisors. It should also be able to support data encryption, granular access and authentication controls, as well as robust backup and disaster recovery capabilities.
Virtual storage must also be able address issues with latency and performance. This includes ensuring that critical software are able to run without compromising performance or causing latency to retrieval of data. This means evaluating storage controllers, bandwidth for networks, and disk I/O capacities and using cache mechanisms. It also involves implementing advanced storage features like replication, tiering, and virtualization at the virtualization layer.
