Replacing Legacy Storage

Organizations are drowning in data. Not only is there a lot of it, it’s growing exponentially and is widely dispersed in numerous silos, including local storage and third-party sharing applications. As Petra Davidson, Vice-president of Panzura, described it during her Digital Agility Summit 2022 breakout session, “There is an ever-changing, ever-evolving pool of data.” Knowing where it is and managing it is daunting. And that is further complicated by compliance with regulations for keeping and securing it.

Network attached storage (NAS) has been a mainstay of business for three decades or more. NAS needs to be kept in a localized data center because it’s unworkably slow to access it from any distance. This presents a problem for collaboration, especially as the company adds locations. Legacy storage has to be backed up for each office, creating complete copies of datasets that have to also be stored onsite and offsite. Then the copies have copies, so the company will be protected against data loss or disaster.

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If you need a partner to guide you through a successful digital transformation, contact the experts of Applied Software today.

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One option is to replace NAS with centralized cloud storage. Using the cloud seems like a natural option, but the cloud comes with its own performance issues. Davidson said, people have found that “This cloud thing is harder than we thought it would be.” So it’s typically been relegated to storage of data that companies don’t use very often, for example archives.

However, if you could replace NAS with a centralized cloud storage and management service that is easy to use and also provides analytics and data protection, it would be ideal. There is a distinct correlation between choosing the right solution and enhancing your company’s performance.

Davidson explained why that solution is Panzura.

The Panzura global cloud file system allows users across many offices to work as if they’re in the same room. Enterprises can combine the flexibility, performance and productivity of distributed storage with the manageability, security and economics of centralized storage. Features include:

• Cost effective compared to legacy storage (1/3 cost)
• Enables people to get out from underneath operations and into innovation
• Exceptionally secure and ransomware proof
• High performance and low latency
• Data insights to understand your unstructured data
• Truly collaborative experience with a local feel

Using Panzura makes it easy for companies to perform at their highest possible level. Davidson said, “Amazing things can happen.”  

One way that is achieved is to consolidate all datasets into one, making it quickly accessible from anywhere and keeping it safe. This takes the pressure off the IT staff and also enables users to work collaboratively from a live dataset in real-time with file locking. The data is always up to date and can never be overwritten.

Studies have shown companies that upgrade their onerous legacy storage processes to a better, centralized style of data management are able to work on more projects in less time with a high-performance environment; they can bring their products to market faster; they have better profitability and higher achievers.

When you have the right technology, it empowers your top-quality talent to do their best work. It provides the performance boost that comes from harnessing collective creativity, knowledge and brain power.

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