The size of public cloud data storage providers and the number of "objects" they are storing are quite large. For example, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Simple Storage Service (S3) stores in excess of 2 trillion objects, but it did not get that large all at once. The growth in S3 storage has accelerated since the service was launched in 2006. Today, AWS S3 is the de facto standard for cloud data storage with an "ecosystem" of 350+ compatible applications. So, if you want your own AWS S3-compatible private storage cloud, how little can you start with? The answer is 10TB.
When designing and building "capacity" storage for a private storage cloud, you have to start somewhere. Having a requirement for at least 10TB of data storage is the smallest amount you should consider. And just what types of data can you store in your own private storage cloud? The answer is, you can store a wide range of "unstructured" data in your private storage cloud.
Okay, what is "unstructured" data? Unstructured data includes document files, worksheet files, presentation files, audio files, video files, archive files, backup files, snapshots of VMs, scanned image files, web content files, log files, diagnostic files, sensor files, and machine-generated files. That last category, machine-generated files, is interesting because machines are now generating more data than people. All of this "unstructured" data needs to be stored, and it is growing 10x to 50x faster than the "structured" data contained in your database systems.
In reality, coming up with 10TB of data in your organization should be easy to do once you locate where all of your unstructured data currently resides on your primary storage devices. Primary storage devices include Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Storage Area Networks (SAN), and Network Attached Storage (NAS). You may also have unstructured data parked on external USB disk drives scattered throughout your organization. The bad news is the discovery process for locating all your unstructured data might take some time to complete. The good news is you can start moving your unstructured data to your private storage cloud as you locate it.
As you examine your "silos" of unstructured data, you will typically find multiple copies of the same file. Finding multiple copies of the same file in different locations is not unusual, but do you really need to keep multiple copies of the same file? The answer is no, because your private storage cloud provides a very robust level of data durability. You can also choose to "de-duplicate" your data files before they are moved to your private storage cloud.
You may wonder why put all of your unstructured data in a private storage cloud? The answer is, so you can manage it, make better use of it, and spend less on storing it. It is more expensive to manage and provide access to unstructured data stored in multiple silos on your primary data storage systems. Having your own MonadCloud private storage cloud, powered by Cloudian, allows you to create a large "pool" of capacity storage that you can more easily manage and access using a wide variety of applications that are AWS S3-compatible.
With your own private storage cloud you do not need to guess how much storage your are going to need in the future. You can add additional storage nodes to your cluster as you need them. There is no over-spending on storage capacity you may not need for several years, and no need--ever, to engage in time-consuming "data migration weekends" when you need to add new storage nodes or replace older ones.
Your MonadCloud private storage cloud, powered by Cloudian, delivers continuous up-time access to your data, and is a proven way to simplify the management and use of your unstructured data. And 10TB of data is all you need to get started.