Unlimited data storage. This is a phrase used (and abused) by many IT vendors. When the phrase gets tossed around without much context or nuance, towns and cities might think that low-cost options exist providing infinite storage for any data. But there are complex parameters around how the concept of unlimited storage works that towns and cities need to consider when evaluating solutions.
By evaluating these solutions in the right way, towns and cities can discover some powerful options that help with data storage, data backup, and disaster recovery. Let’s look more closely at the complexities of unlimited storage.
If you own hardware, you will run into physical storage limitations—both in terms of physical space to store hardware and the amount of storage space each device can hold. Sure, you can have “unlimited storage” by buying more hardware, but that is a costly, square-foot consuming nightmare.
The cloud allows you to expand your data storage without hitting physical limits. Cloud storage providers offer seemingly endless amounts of storage for a low cost and eliminate the need to own and maintain your own hardware.
Whether you experience physical storage caps (such as storage space within an onsite physical server) or arbitrary storage caps (from vendors that don’t allow you storage beyond a certain limit), an unlimited storage option removes the boundary of a storage cap. Why is this important? Many towns and cities use solutions that limit the total amount of storage space—forcing them to delete data or archive data in risky ways (such as using external hard drives or tape drives).
Because of modern data storage demands that include rich media, videos, and images, towns and cities need to alleviate and remove worries about whether they will be able to store large amounts of data. Unlimited storage takes that worry away.
Unlimited storage doesn’t mean free storage or ridiculously cheap storage. Depending on the solution and vendor, you might see different price points. Three of the most common include:
While related, the concepts of unlimited storage and unlimited backup are very different from each other.
Unlimited storage simply focuses on the storage of municipal data such as documents, files, databases, applications, images, videos, and other data. Unlimited backup involves a separate data storage strategy for two scenarios:
With unlimited data backup, the solution ensures that all critical data is backed up and ready to restore if needed. A municipality and IT vendor can work together to identify data that needs backing up, the right methodology for backing it up, and applying best practices (such as following state record retention schedules). Data backup serves a function different than simply existing as a place to store data.
Unlimited storage sounds great…unless it hinders your municipal operations and productivity. For example, some issues may include:
Unlimited storage needs an interface that works seamlessly with your municipality's current technology environment. Without ease of use, unlimited storage will not work well at your municipality.
Unlimited storage should not become a dumping ground for any and all information without planning or intent. Even vendors that charge a fixed fee will usually have some parameters around the use of unlimited storage due to sheer practicality. Best practices include:
Unlimited storage sounds like a simple, one-size-fits-all solution—but it’s more complex than it appears at first glance. To evaluate the right unlimited storage solution, it helps to assess your municipality's needs, budget, and restrictions. If you feel that your storage situation is not ideal, then it may be time to consider new options.
Need help assessing your data storage situation? Reach out to us today.
Original Date: 10/14/2020