What is data storage?

Every piece of information you gather in your business is potentially important. Whether it’s a database of customer accounts and their purchase histories, human resources records for every employee, financial information such as payroll or accounts receivable, or intellectual property such as specifications for your products, that information needs to be stored somewhere so you can access it as needed to operate your business.

Forms of data storage

File storage Also referred to as file-level or file-based storage, this type is presented as files that are stored in folders and subfolders in a directory. If you’ve used a PC and saved a document to the hard drive, for instance, you have experienced file storage. Files are accessible through a path that users must know. File storage is the most common type of storage on computer hard drives and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Block storage Rather than storing data in a complete file, block storage breaks apart data and stores it in blocks that can hold 256 KB up to 4 MB. The blocks are then placed randomly on the storage device – which doesn’t hinder access speeds because each block is tagged with a unique identifier. When a user or application needs a file, the computer queries the block storage system, which rapidly identifies and collects all the needed blocks and reassembles them into a complete file. Block storage is ultra-efficient because it doesn’t use metadata, which takes up room on the storage device. Because it’s so fast, businesses tend to use block storage when they want to scale up quickly and when read/write performance is a critical priority. Object storage This type of data storage separates information into distinct objects with unique identifiers and metadata. It doesn’t form a hierarchy like file storage and is considered “flat.” Metadata is a critical component of object storage and each object can have quite a bit of metadata, such as information about the creator of the data and keywords, as well as policies for security, privacy, and access. Object storage works well with APIs so it’s simple to use with existing software and systems. It also scales very well. It could be spread across hundreds or thousands of devices and locations and still be super speedy because all the data is stored in one namespace. It’s the storage type of choice for public cloud providers, such as AWS, and organizations that deal with a lot of unstructured data such as video files, emails, IoT sensor data, social media content, and more.

Types of data storage solutions

Direct-attached storage (DAS)Network-based storage: NAS and SAN

The importance of data storage

Long-lasting preservation of data – Digital data storage makes it easy to pool large volumes of information for long periods of time. Easier accessibility – Everyone can get the information they need, right from their desktop computers instead of having to physically go to a room full of file cabinets.More efficient data recovery – Stored data is easily backed up by making copies, so recovery is faster and simpler if a file gets lost or corrupted. Smaller physical footprint and easier scalability – There’s no need for physical file cabinets, which take up lots of room over time, and adding more digital capacity is simple.Potentially increased security – For very sensitive data, there are many more ways to secure and protect that information digitally using today’s advanced security tools and features.Easier collaboration across teams – Centrally stored data is accessible to every authorized user and can be accessed and shared among teams as they work together. More efficient document management – It’s easier to categorize and organize data digitally, and it can be done from a computer desktop or other connected device. Enhanced productivity and workflows – Saving data digitally takes less time than printing out physical pages and creating files, which must be stored in file cabinets.

How does data storage work?

When you store data on a computer, the digital information is saved to a device, where it remains until deleted. Storage differs from computer memory in a major way: While you can access information quickly from your computer’s RAM, that data is only available in RAM until your computer is turned off. Data storage, however, retains data whether the computer is powered on or off. That’s how it can store data long-term.Saving data on a computer storage device lets you access that information when you need it. For example, the accounting department can retrieve stored data about employee work hours and use it to carry out bimonthly payroll tasks. A sales rep can pull up information about a customer before a sales call to see recent orders and go over the last visit to remind them of the issues they discussed.

Types of data storage devices

Cloud storageHybrid cloud storageSSD and flash storageBackup storage

What is the best for storing data?

DAS can be a good choice for:Small businesses, branch offices, and home offices that want a cost-efficient solution and don’t need networkingHosting just one application and its dataSecuring and isolating data for compliance purposesSAN can be a good choice for: Large data centers or business-critical applications that need centralized storage resourcesLarge numbers of employees and an IT staff with skills to manage and maintain the solutionApplications that require very high performance, such as transactional databases Hosting large relational databases that need high performanceLarge enterprises that need a high degree of storage scalabilityA fault-tolerant environment for critical applicationsNAS can be a good choice for:Reliable, cost-effective storage for many users that doesn’t compromise performanceLarge volumes of unstructured data that need to be shared among usersApplications that aren’t performance-sensitiveArchiving or backing up dataServers hosting virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and virtual machines (VMs)Cloud storage can be a good choice for: Archiving or backing up data for disaster recoveryData lakes and data analytics platformsApplication development and testing Storing workloads during a data migrationStorage for cloud-native applications and their dataStorage for industry and regulatory complianceIoT and machine learning data

What is the safest form of data storage?

DAS can be considered secure in the sense that a hacker cannot infiltrate a network and carry out an attack. Many removable storage devices such as SSDs, USBs, and so on are considered “air gapped” if they aren’t on a networked system. However, if the device is damaged or lost, the data could be irretrievable. NAS is a fairly common target for hackers. The storage system is only as secure as your network and router, so it’s important for NAS users to take proven security measures such as regular updates, two-factor authentication, single sign-on processes, encryption, and so on. SAN is inherently more secure than NAS because its data protection algorithms stay consistent and because if your LAN is attacked, having your data stored on a separate network keeps it protected. Cloud storage is typically considered the most secure type of data storage because major cloud service providers, such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft have put billions of dollars into making it secure. It’s also secure because providers make multiple copies of your data to create a high degree of redundancy – so if a cloud server goes down, you can still access your data because it’s stored in various servers and locations.

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Announcing Cisco ACI Integration with Nutanix Cloud Platform

Discover the top three benefits of how Cisco ACI with Nutanix Cloud Platform simplifies, enables, and unifies a secure and connected hybrid multicloud.

By Mike Barmonde, Nutanix Senior Product Marketing Manager, Network and Security

August 31, 2023 | min

Nutanix Cloud Platform’s built-in hypervisor, AHV, and Nutanix Flow Network Security are now integrated as an approved Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) VMM (Virtual Machine Manager) solution. Together, they deliver security policies via an integration with Nutanix AHV VLANs into Cisco ACI EPGs (endpoint protection groups). Following the recent announcement that Cisco will offer Nutanix Cloud Platform on its UCS platform, this Cisco ACI integration further assists customers wanting to create a more secure and connected hybrid multicloud platform.

Why does this partnership matter? As customers look to define their cloud operating model, networking and security become paramount to operate. The need to simplify networking anywhere, create strong cybersecurity that follows data and apps, and leverage current security tools that already exist, are huge challenges.

Nutanix Cloud Platform, the industry-leading HCI solution combined with Cisco ACI, the industry’s top infrastructure security solution, creates a best-in-class connected and secure hybrid multicloud platform delivering an end-to-end, secure hybrid multicloud connected from anywhere.

Let’s break down the top 3 benefits of integrating Cisco ACI with Nutanix Cloud Platform (NCP)

Simplify Networking and Security Operations
Enable Microsegmentation Seamlessly
Unify and Strengthen Your Hybrid Multicloud

1. Simplify Networking and Security Operations

Cisco ACI enables Nutanix Flow Network Security (FNS) microsegmentation to deliver contextual security policies for VMs running on AHV within its software-defined networking (SDN) technology. This process is simple, needing only 4 steps to start your Cisco ACI and Nutanix integration:

(on Cisco APIC) Create a Nutanix VMM domain.
(on Nutanix Prism Central) Assign host links to the virtual switch.
(on Cisco APIC) Associate EPGs for the VMM domain.
(on Nutanix Prism Central) Assign VMs to subnets and categories.

In this design, either Cisco admins and Nutanix admins can utilize their expertise without the need to learn the different technologies. The result is a powerful approach to security operations with the ability for Nutanix admins to create natural rules for more secure applications and Cisco admins validating the software-defined nature of extending a secure network.

2. Enable Microsegmentation Seamlessly

Once configured, FNS microsegmentation policies will be pushed to Cisco ACI EPGs (endpoint protection groups) which map applications to the network, either between EPGs on different subnets (Inter-EPG), or between EPGs in the same subnet (Intra-EPG). Future changes to Flow Network Security policies will update VMs within the AHV VMM domain managed by Cisco ACI automatically.

This combined design translates to a fast, secure, and contextual policy system:

Deploy microsegmentation policies on the fly without complex network operations
Adapt to a changing application security landscape to ensure business continuity and cyber resilience
Align to how you define applications without compromise. Security policies follow applications without refactoring a security posture

3. Unify and Strengthen Your Hybrid Multicloud

Nutanix’s hybrid multicloud is the integration of your data centers connecting to the public cloud (Hybrid), and also connecting to multiple public clouds (Multicloud). Your business is unique. All aspects of a given public cloud may not fit with your data centers or cloud services you may use. The Nutanix Cloud Platform ensures you have the choice to securely align your unique cloud operating model, however you see fit.

The Nutanix Cloud Platform and HCI used with the Cisco ACI solution, leverages your current investment in Cisco’s industry-leading software-defined networking stack to help create a secure hybrid multicloud. Networks become easily extendable, security policies are seamlessly enabled, and your data and apps become securely accessible.

What’s Next?

How do you get started? Start with where you’re comfortable:

View the Nutanix Best Practices for Cisco ACI
Start integrating with the Cisco ACI and Nutanix AHV Integration Guide
Reach out to your Cisco or Nutanix sales rep for a demo or more information

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