It may only be November, but anyone in IT knows that now is the time to be thinking about and planning for your data growth – and how you’re infrastructure will accommodate it – in 2015. If you’ve read the Markley Group blog with any regularity, you know that we often offer suggestions for how to better manage your data in the cloud and in the data center, as well as industry trends that organizations need to be aware of. So in order to help you prepare, here are our top three tips for making the most of your budget, infrastructure and IT manpower in the coming year.
#1: It’s Time to go Hybrid
2014 has been the year that hybrid cloud has really taken hold, and we expect 2015 will be a continuation of that trend. If you’re looking to implement a flexible, scalable offering at your organization, hybrid cloud could be the perfect solution. As I’ve highlighted in previous blog posts, hybrid cloud delivers the benefits of the public cloud, in terms of cost-effectiveness and ease of deployment, as well as the benefits of private infrastructure, including security and management control. Take Markley Cloud Services for example – we ensure clients can increase efficiency and security while better managing costs and capacity planning by delivering a dynamic, self-service Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform.
#2: Consider Colocation
As the amount of data companies generate – and in turn need to manage and store – grows exponentially, in-house infrastructure is becoming less and less viable. One option that has remained as a top choice for organizations over the past few years has been colocation, which ensures companies can optimize their data and storage environments. First, colo facilities deliver extremely affordable solutions, especially given that they’re run by full time data architects, engineers and contract managers—and feature equipment such as generators, chillers, fiber, grounding, fuel storage and more. They also offer strong connectivity, since there is often direct access to multiple carriers and service providers. If you were to add up all these individual elements and implement them yourself, you would be looking at a pretty hefty price tag. Businesses that select colocation are able to save time and money and then invest in making themselves more profitable and successful.
3: Optimizing Archiving Services
Employees are most concerned with the data they need to access at any given moment, but IT departments know better. Just because data may go unused or is less relevant, it doesn’t mean it can be neglected (or deleted) altogether – especially for those organizations that must comply with strict regulations, such as HIPAA. In 2015, focus on optimizing your data tiering, which is key in managing your organization’s growing amount of data. The first step is to properly categorize your “hot data,” or the critical data that needs to be accessed quickly and frequently, and “cold data,” which is the data that is infrequently or rarely accessed. There have long been high performance Tier 1 and Tier 2 solutions, but now there are an increasing amount of quality Tier 3 solutions as well. Markley Cloud Services recently launched MCS Archive, a cloud-based storage and archiving solution that provides clients with maximum reliability and accessibility to “cold data,” along with the ability to easily scale at an unmatched price point.
What do you have on the radar in your IT department for 2015? Share your comments with us below or connect with us on social media. You can find Markley Group on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
To learn more about Markley Group and how our solutions can help your organization succeed in the year ahead, visit our website or drop us a line at info@markleygroup.com. We would be happy to connect and make sure you’re making the most of your data solutions in 2015.
