Group Seeks to Enliven Archival Storage
As organizations try to cope with the spiraling growth of the data they create every day, more and more of that information is being sent to archives. A problem with archival storage is finding the archived data stored there in a timely way when it needs to be found. That problem is the focus of a new group dedicated to “turning offline archives into visible, accessible extensions of online file and storage systems.”
The group calling itself the Active Archive Alliance lists among its founding members Compellent Technologies, FileTek, QStar Technologies and Spectra Logic Corporation. It declares that its mission will be “to provide organizations with the best practices, tools and information they need to achieve simplified access to the online storage of their archived data.”
There is a begging need for greater awareness of active archival storage, according to Mark Peters, a senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “The trend towards active archives is driven by such factors as unrelenting data growth, retention compliance, and the need for cost reduction and data center consolidation,” he said in a statement.
Addison Snell, CEO of InterSect360 Research, added that active archiving is set to become an important part of data centers as they expand to accommodate burgeoning data demands. “The ability to run file system interfaces over storage pools that include high-throughput, high-density tape libraries will allow more organizations to economically leverage the data in their archives, so they can take full advantage of their institutional knowledge,” he observed.
Added Molly Rector, vice president of marketing and product management for Spectra Logic, “Active archive solutions increase the efficiency of the data center by providing businesses the benefit of simple, online access to all their institutional knowledge.”
“And,” she continued, “with new applications that enable users to access tape archives through a file system interface, organizations have more flexibility in designing efficient and affordable active archive solutions using the right mix of tape and disk media.”
What do you think. Is this a problem your oprganization is trying to cope with? And if so, what are you doing to quell this business challenge?
