Information Storage and Management

Storing, Managing, and Protecting Digital Information

Chapter 1: Introduction to Information Storage and Management

Topics: Data Center Infrastructure

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Data Center
Organizations maintain data centers to provide centralized data processing capabilities across the enterprise Data centers store and manage large amounts of mission-critical data The data center infrastructure includes computers, storage systems, network devices, dedicated power backups, and environmental controls

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Example of an Order Processing System

Server/ OS Client

LAN

FC SAN

Application User Interface

DBMS Storage Array

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Key Requirements for Data Center Elements

Availability Data Integrity Security

Manageability

Performance Scalability

Capacity

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Key Requirements: Availability

Assuring access to data when and where it is needed (Five 9s goal of 99.999% available) is key to business success. It has major impact on the business and any interruption to accessing the data may have significant consequences to the business. Availability can be increased by having redundant components in the storage environment. The goal of 100% availability can be difficult to reach due to unplanned interruptions or planned maintenance and upgrade activities.
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Key Requirements: Security

Assuring a secure environment in all elements of the Data Center is important. Assuring access to data only for authorized users (applications). Physical and logical security must be implemented to prevent unauthorized access to the data and storage components such as strong passwords, cameras, ID cards etc.

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Key Requirements: Capacity

Ability providing adequate resources to store and efficiently process data. Capacity requirements will change over time and that storage infrastructure components should have capability of providing additional capacity without interrupting availability, or at the very least with minimal disruption.

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Key Requirements: Scalability

Ability to smoothly increase resources as needed. Resources need to be added as appropriate to the needs of business and applications. Storage strategy should include assessing the scalability of the environment and ease of adding storage resource.

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Key Requirements: Performance

Meeting user (application) expectations for response to requests. Planning is needed to address the speed of access to data.

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Key Requirements: Data Integrity

Assuring that data at rest and data in transit does not get altered. It is important for business transactions, such as a funds transfer between banks. The money needs to be credited and debited accurately and neither action should be considered complete until the status of the other is verified. Applications and storage systems need to communicate to assure accuracy of the data.

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Key Requirements: Manageability

Assuring the capability to plan, design, implement, administer, and maintain a storage system that meets the needs of users and applications. The central focus of the requirements is providing a manageable storage environment. Manageability is improved by having storage components that are easily monitored.

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Challenges in Managing Information

Exploding digital universe
Multifold increase of information growth

Increasing dependency on information

The strategic use of information plays an important role in determining the success of a business

Changing value of information

Information that is valuable today may become less important tomorrow.

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