Data Tiering in SAN: Balancing Performance and Cost

 

Data tiering is an essential aspect of storage management for enterprise storage systems such as storage area network (SAN). Data storage needs in the enterprise world are constantly changing, and businesses need to manage their data storage arrays to accommodate growth while keeping costs low. Tiering is one way to balance high-performance requirements against storage costs. In this post, we will take a closer look at data tiering in SAN and how IT administrators can manage multiple data storage tiers.

 

What is Data Tiering?

 

Data tiering is the process of dividing data into tiers, each with a particular level of service, capacity, and cost. The goal of data tiering is to optimize storage infrastructure by placing data on the most appropriate level of storage. This can be achieved by using different storage mediums, such as flash storage or magnetic hard disks, and placing data on each respective tier based on its frequency of use, access speed, and other factors. The most frequently accessed data gets stored on the storage medium that provides the highest performance, and less frequently accessed data gets stored on storage media that provides lower performance levels.

 

How Does Data Tiering Work?

 

Data tiering uses automated processes to move data between tiers based on policies set by IT administrators. Typically, data tiering involves a minimum of two storage tiers: a high-performance tier that uses solid-state drives (SSDs) or other high-speed storage media, and a lower-performance tier that uses conventional magnetic disks. There could be additional tiers based on the storage needs of the business. IT administrators define policies that specify when data gets moved between tiers. Policies can be based on arbitrary criteria, like user activity patterns or file type, or established by the IT department based on best practices.

 

Benefits of Data Tiering

 

Data tiering offers several benefits. By placing data on the most appropriate tier of storage, it's possible to optimize storage performance and capacity while keeping storage costs low. High-performance data can take advantage of the latest storage technologies like solid-state storage, while infrequently accessed data can get stored on slower spinning disks or even the cloud. This ensures that storage is used efficiently and that hardware investments are maximized.

 

Challenges of Data Tiering

 

Data tiering can present unique challenges, especially for businesses that require high-performance levels and have to balance storage costs. Managing a data tiering system can also be complex and time-consuming. The IT administrators have to define the data migration policies, monitor storage usage, and ensure data consistency across the storage tiers. These operational challenges require careful planning, management, and monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of the tiering approach.

 

Conclusion

Data tiering is an ideal way to manage data storage in a SAN by balancing the performance requirements of data against storage costs. Tiering allows enterprises to develop a cost-effective storage hierarchy where data is placed on the most appropriate storage layer, based on its usage pattern. With auto-tiering functions in modern SAN solutions, IT administrators can tweak policies and reorganize data storage based on usage patterns. By adopting data tiering, enterprises can optimize their storage infrastructure and maximize return on investment. As the volume and diversity of data continue to grow, data tiering will become increasingly valuable for managing storage effectively.