White Paper: 5 Ways Cloud-integrated Storage Reduces Costs

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1 White Paper: 5 Ways Cloud-integrated 5 Ways Cloud-integrated

2 Introduction Many companies consider using cloud storage to reduce costs and the IT burden of storing data in the enterprise. However, simply calculating the annual cost of a SAN or NAS server versus the per GB cost of cloud storage does not produce an accurate view of cost savings, because cloud storage alone is not equal to all the functionality found in today s enterprise-class storage solutions. Cloud-integrated Storage (CiS) delivers the benefits of cloud storage with the features and functionality that enterprises require, while still reducing the cost of storage. Using examples of real companies, this white paper will illustrate five different ways enterprise organizations can save money by transitioning from traditional hardware to Nasuni Cloud-integrated Storage for storing file data. Integrating the Cloud Premium cloud storage providers offer reliable and lower cost raw data storage with the advantages of multiple copies stored in several locations and capacity on-demand. However, when companies look to the cloud to replace their storage infrastructure, including primary file servers, replication, backup, offsite tape and WAN optimization to deliver file storage across the organization, the cloud has some undesirable limitations. These limitations include object-based, not file-based, storage, new APIs, unpredictable pricing and latency when recovering data, placing a real barrier between the enterprise and cloud storage adoption. Cloud-integrated Storage solutions are designed to enable enterprise organizations to experience the benefits of cloud-based storage without any of the limitations. Features introduced in CiS include out-of-the-box integration with cloud storage providers, block and file storage, snapshots for backup and recovery and a local cache of data for optimum performance. In addition to eliminating the barriers to adoption, CiS can provide real cost savings for enterprise organizations looking for alternatives to hardwarebased storage. Nasuni s Cloud-integrated Storage solution builds cloud storage into a complete storage solution, providing enterprise organizations with functionality to store, protect, manage and access file data in all locations. When comparing costs to hardware-based storage, savings can stem from vastly different categories of spend depending on how the existing infrastructure was configured. For example, savings will differ in a centralized versus a distributed environment because the cost structure is different in each. This paper includes examples of how enterprise organizations have put Nasuni Cloud-integrated Storage to work for them resulting in not only better data storage but also significant cost savings. Comparing True Costs Comparing costs of traditional vs. Cloud-integrated Storage requires clearly understanding the costs of storage it s more than just comparing acquisition costs of file servers to per GB costs of cloud storage. CiS replaces multiple components of a file storage solution across the enterprise. On the next page is a summary of products replaced and the corresponding functionality included in CiS. For a more detailed overview of Nasuni s Cloud-integrated Storage solution, refer to /resources/cis. Comparing the different cost models, traditional storage includes acquisition and maintenance costs for each component, while Nasuni CiS is priced per TB of usable storage per year and includes all features and functionality listed in the table on the next page. The pricing model of CiS reduces, streamlines and makes costs more predictable. 2

3 Traditional Hardware Storage Nasuni Cloud-integrated Storage Store Primary Storage: SAN/NAS/DAS On-premises storage controller supports CIFS, NFS and iscsi. Backup Application An unlimited number of snapshots can be taken as frequently as every 60 seconds. Protect D2D/Offsite Tape Replicated SAN/D2D An unlimited history of files enables fast, simple restore. As many as six copies of data are stored in the service. Tape Storage Copies of data are stored in geographically dispersed locations. Access WAN Optimization A predictive cache delivers local access for users and regularly syncs with the gold copy of data stored centrally. HTTPS and mobile clients deliver file access via the web and mobile devices. Table 1: A summary of components found in traditional storage and the associated features included in Cloud-integrated Storage Real World Cost Savings The following examples illustrate specific customer examples of cost savings as a result of transitioning from hardware-based file storage to Nasuni Cloud-integrated Storage. Each example highlights a different area of cost savings because each company has a unique infrastructure and budget structure for storage. In all cases, companies were able to realize a significant cost savings in a particular area, ranging from backup to primary storage, which produced a strong overall return on investment. Replace backup in remote offices ($1.5M saved) Replace tape backup systems ($66K saved) Reduce dependency on MPLS ($97K saved) Eliminate costs of replicated copies ($70K saved) Cut costs on primary storage ($75K saved) Replace backup in remote offices Company: Global architecture and design firmsavings: $1.5M (50%) over three years Before: Enterprise backup software and hardware was deployed in each remote office for data protection. This solution delivered the data protection the company needed, but it was extremely expensive to maintain the software licenses, maintenance and hardware on top of the file servers. When it was time to renew the backup software licenses, the company explored more cost-effective alternatives. Nasuni solution: Nasuni CiS delivers superior data protection included in the solution. With frequent snapshots, unlimited file version history and five copies of data centrally stored in the service, premium data protection is available in every location. The added benefit of cloud mirroring, or storing data in two different cloud providers, quickly eliminates the need for separate backup software and hardware components. 3

4 Nasuni Solution: Data is automatically stored in at least two different geographic locations in the cloud, automatically providing true geo-redundancy. As a result, the expense of tape, tape libraries and the associated software is eliminated. 50% Cost Savings Benefit: In addition to significant cost savings, replacing file storage at the edge with Nasuni dramatically reduces the company s Recovery Point Objective (RPO) from 24-hours to 60 seconds because previous backups were scheduled for once per day and Nasuni snapshots are taken every 60 seconds. Users and IT have access to an unlimited file version history stored in the cloud, which is accessible via a web UI and Windows Previous Versions. The result is near-instant recovery of a file or set of files from any point in time. Replace tape backup systems Company: Global consulting firm Savings: $66K (22%) over three years Before: The firm relied on tape storage for offsite data protection. In addition to requiring two full-time employees to manage the system, IT was spending $100K per year on tape, tape libraries, offsite storage and long-term storage to ensure that data was protected in case of a hardware failure or a business disruption. 22% Cost Savings Benefit: Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is dramatically improved because the entire file system can be recovered by deploying a new hardware or virtual filer and connecting it to the data stored in the cloud. End-users have immediate visibility into the file system once the new filer is deployed. The risk of tape technology becoming outdated or the risk of lost data due to human error is also eliminated. Reduce dependency on MPLS Company: Global goods manufacturer Savings: $97K (24%) over five years Before: With a centralized storage infrastructure, this company depended on MPLS and WAN optimization to transfer data from the datacenter to remote locations to support users. The cost of MPLS bandwidth alone was straining the IT budget, independent of the cost of the WAN optimization. 4

5 Nasuni solution: In Nasuni CiS, data travels over the public Internet between the Filers and the public cloud. Filers in all locations access a single global namespace in the cloud, allowing users in all locations to work off of the same, most recent versions of files. In addition, the commonly accessed files are cached locally for optimum performance. As a result, data is available in all office locations without the use of MPLS and WAN optimization, dramatically reducing costs associated with transferring data between locations. Eliminate costs of replicated copies Company: Global market research firm Savings: $70K (28%) in one year Before: In a distributed storage environment, the firm was using DFSR to replicate data to each location where it was needed. As a result, they were paying for primary storage capacity to store as many as six copies of each file in addition to the cost of implementing, managing and maintaining DFSR. Nasuni solution: Nasuni CiS is priced per TB of primary storage including a local cache of data in an unlimited number of locations. Companies only pay to store a single copy of the data, and it is available locally in as many offices as needed. 24% Cost Savings Benefit: In addition to reduced costs, this centralized global namespace with a local cache of data provides faster access to files in remote locations. Users in distant offices experience better file performance and increased productivity. 28% Cost Savings Benefit: The Nasuni solution scales to an unlimited number of locations, while DFSR fails when the solution becomes too complex and cumbersome to manage. With Nasuni, customers can expand and grow without having to make significant changes to the infrastructure or incur additional storage costs. 5

6 Cut costs on primary storage Company: Testing and monitoring company Savings: $75K (25%) over three years Before: Expansive NAS storage systems in the datacenter and remote locations of this high-tech firm were consuming large footprints in the datacenter and requiring a significant investment in power, cooling and IT personnel time for management of the systems. It was becoming increasingly complex and difficult to add additional hardware to keep pace with growing demands for capacity. Nasuni solution: The Nasuni solution eliminates the need for expansive NAS systems, reducing the footprint to a much smaller hardware or virtual appliance in each location. In the end, the costs of owning and managing separate primary file systems are dramatically reduced. Conclusion Calculating the cost of traditional hardware-based data storage and comparing it to Cloud-integrated Storage can be a complicated task. Companies configure and manage storage differently, resulting in very different cost structures. This paper outlined five different ways companies have realized true cost savings by implementing Nasuni CiS. In all cases, companies experienced added benefits such as better performance, user experience and functionality. To explore cost savings specific to your organization, access our online tool designed to quickly and accurately compare the cost of your hardware infrastructure with Cloud-integrated Storage: /tco. 25% Cost Savings Benefit: In addition to primary storage, Nasuni CiS delivers all the functionality required to store, manage, protect and access data in a single solution. Additional hardware components for backup, replication and WAN optimization are eliminated. 6

7 About Nasuni Nasuni offers a powerful Storage Infrastructure as a Service: a uniform, complete storage solution delivered as a service, enabling distributed organizations to offload the management of the storage infrastructure (including backup, replication and offsite protection) and consume storage on-demand, without any change to the way users access information. With Nasuni, corporate data is uniformly available in all locations, enabling organizations to increase user productivity, streamline costs and improve business agility. Our team is made up of enterprise storage, security and networking industry veterans with a shared vision of transforming the way enterprise organizations view data storage. We believe that storage should be as easy to purchase, consume and manage as the electricity that keeps the lights on. Nasuni Corporation 2014, All Rights Reserved 313 Speen Street, Natick, MA WP_2.14