Spectra Logics 10 Storage Predictions for 2011 and Beyond

Spectra Logics 10 Storage Predictions for 2011 and Beyond

by Chris Preimesberger

Trend 1: SAS Disks vs. SATA

SAS disks will replace SATA for archive/backup storage by the end of fiscal year 2011.

Trend 2: Cloud Storage Limited to 10%

At its peak level of deployment over the next year, “cloud storage” will contain no more than 10 percent of the total U.S. stored data volume.

Trend 3: Tape Reigns Supreme

Tape will be the preferred medium for 80 percent of all data in electronic archives.

Trend 4: Hardware-Based Verification the Gold Standard

Hardware-based data verification will be considered a requirement in all archive storage platforms.

Trend 5: SSD Prices Will Keep Falling

SSDs will arrive in commoditized arrays, dropping cost per GB, moving into a position as being the preferred medium for performance disk.

Trend 6: Deduplication Appliances Losing Favor

Dedicated deduplication appliances will fall out of favor. Deduplication will preferably occur in file systems and backup software applications.

Trend 7: Active Archives Stored on Tape

Data centers will implement active archives to tape as a means of offloading primary disk storage.

Trend 8: x86-Based Storage Squeeze High-End Products

Lower-cost disk storage solutions based on??íx86 architectures will put extreme stress on traditional high-end storage providers by 2013.

Trend 9: LTO Architecture Gaining Favor

Enterprise tape drives will continue to give way to LTO (Linear Tape-Open) architectures.

Trend 10: Backups Move to Online Archives

Traditional backup practices will begin to shift. Data centers will begin to move to online, file-based archives for their long-term data retention instead of utilizing offline backups in proprietary formats.