Enterprise Storage Management Software

Enterprise data storage is the practice of backing up and archiving vast amounts of information in centralized storage repositories for retrieval later. This is often accomplished through enterprise storage devices. 

The primary difference between enterprise and small business storage solutions is the amount of storage they require. Enterprise storage management solutions are built to store, search, and retrieve large amounts of data from numerous users, at a scale that would overwhelm a smaller or consumer-grade data storage devices. 

An enterprise-level storage solution often has centralized storage devices, such as network-attached storage (NAS) and storage area networks (SANs) arrays. These central repositories, when combined with data storage management tools, can support an enterprise data management strategy with protection and sharing protocols as well as a more uniform and centralized means of accessing and backing up business information.

Common enterprise data storage architecture solutions include:

• SANs – SANs are networks or subnetworks independent of the networks an enterprise’s end users access daily. These high-performance networks interconnect disk and solid-state storage with multiple servers, allowing each server to access the stored information as if they were directly connected.
• NAS – NAS is another type of enterprise storage device that’s a centralized pool of disk space. NAS essentially functions as a node on the network and allows users to store and retrieve data. 
• Direct-attached storage (DAS) – DAS refers to hard disk and solid-state drives directly connected to one workstation or server and cannot be accessed by any other devices—this can offer better server performance but limits how data can be shared between servers.
• Cloud storage – Another option for large organizations in cloud storage is to purchase enterprise storage capacity from a cloud service provider. This can help reduce the upfront costs of on-premises storage, but the lifetime costs may be more than having an on-premises storage solution. 

Technology solutions employed in enterprise storage management solutions are like those used by consumers and small businesses but designed to be able to operate on much larger scales. However, due to the increased size of enterprise organizations and the potential for storing large amounts of sensitive data, enterprise-wide storage solutions tend to also require greater degrees of access, reliability, and scalability.

There are three main types of storage to consider when choosing an enterprise solution:

1. Primary storage – Primary storage, where the data users are currently accessing is stored, is designed to provide better performance to not impede user tasks.
2. Backup storage – Backup storage refers to copies of primary storage housed in case of data loss, audits, or other situations where two or more copies are required.
3. Archive storage – Archive storage refers to where old or obsolete information is housed for compliance or data trend purposes.

Enterprise storage management is important for scalability, as enterprise storage capacity can expand or shift depending on business needs. Enterprise storage management may involve shifting storage solutions, such as purchasing cloud storage, implementing virtualization, or adding storage hardware.

Enterprise storage management is also critical for effectively managing backups. Should a server or other enterprise storage system fail, having data backups are essential for restoring normal business function. Backups must be recent, and recovery must be fast to avoid productivity impacts. 

With effective enterprise storage management, you can allocate storage resources to potentially avoid incidents of storage failure and improve performance.

With the amount of data that enterprise companies generate daily, it can be a bit of an undertaking to efficiently manage the storage and transfer of that data across an entire organization.

Enterprise storage management software makes it easier to monitor, manage, and troubleshoot aspects of enterprise storage, like compression, utilization, and storage provisioning. By connecting to managed storage devices and instances, users can view metrics from multi-vendor storage devices in a single dashboard. In addition to helping monitor storage resources, this type of tool can help organizations demonstrate compliance with regulations regarding data retention, privacy standards, and record keeping.

SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor allows you to view and track the performance and volume capacity of multiple network storage devices via an easy-to-use interface and customizable web console. The user dashboard offers a unified, high-level overview of enterprise storage devices and objects currently being monitored—from the performance of NAS and SAN arrays to RAID groups and storage pools—and is designed to provide granular information like each device’s firmware version and serial numbers. 

The interface also allows you to view and sort objects by different metrics, including by vendor or storage risk and latency, and even monitors hardware health to help ensure you’re getting the most out of each device’s lifecycle. As part of its integrated AppStack™ feature, Storage Resource Monitor is designed to offer powerful end-to-end visibility for all your application and virtual layers, allowing you to easily troubleshoot and find the root cause of storage and availability issues.