09-30-2019, 02:07 PM
You're asking about the Nexsan Assureon and its role in SAN tiering, especially in relation to archiving and backups, which is a fascinating topic. Nexsan has built a reputation for providing a robust archiving solution designed to manage data efficiently while allowing seamless integration with existing SAN infrastructures. The core idea here is that Assureon presents a secure archiving layer, which is essentially a method of managing your data's lifecycle through tiered storage.
The architecture of Assureon works by allowing users to set policies for data retention and movement. You can configure it to automatically move data based on specific criteria like age, access frequency, or data classification. The integration with SAN storage allows you to employ a hybrid approach. This means you're not limited to just one type of storage technology. Instead, you can write hot data to a high-performance SAN and move older, less-accessed data into the Assureon archive. The SAN tiering aspect helps you optimize performance and storage costs, as frequently accessed data lives where it can be accessed quickly, while lesser-used data goes into a more economical tier.
In terms of specific systems, there are other brands like Dell EMC Data Domain and HPE StoreOnce that also provide effective tiering and archiving capabilities. Data Domain specializes in deduplication and offers features like source deduplication, which can compress data before it even reaches the system. In comparison to Assureon, this feature leads to reduced storage footprints right from the start. However, when it comes to ease of management, Assureon's approach to policy-based data movement can save you time and reduce administrative overhead. You have to weigh your operational needs against storage efficiency.
The security aspect is crucial to any archiving solution. Assureon employs features like data integrity checks and policy-driven access controls to ensure that your archived data remains secure over its lifetime. You can configure it for immutability, which locks archived data and makes it virtually untouchable until specific retention times are reached. This contrasts with HPE StoreOnce, which offers encryption both in-flight and at-rest but may not have the same level of built-in immutability unless you implement additional solutions. In compliance-heavy environments, Assureon's emphasis on secure data retention gives it a solid edge, but you'll want to consider how that fits with your specific compliance mandates, especially around industries like finance or healthcare.
Performance can fluctuate significantly between these systems based on what you're actually doing. Assureon can deliver solid read and write speeds, but if your data access patterns involve a lot of random read/write operations, something like Dell EMC's Unity might perform better. Unity has a flexible architecture, which may allow for faster handling of active workloads due to its flash capabilities. If you're using SSDs for your primary data, then moving archival data to Assureon's HDD tiers can provide cost efficiency while maintaining access speeds for critical data. You should keep your workloads in mind when making these decisions.
Integration with third-party applications and existing infrastructure also stands out in this discussion. Assureon has a solid lineup of APIs that allow you to integrate with different backup software solutions like Veeam and Commvault. If you're heavy on certain backups like VMware or Hyper-V, you need to check compatibility and support with your chosen archiving solution. Some systems may come with out-of-the-box capabilities while others might require additional configuration or even middleware. When you're looking at products, you'll want to ask about the current partnerships and community support around integrations. Those can make or break your experience.
Another thing to consider is the scalability each system offers. Nexsan describes Assureon as being designed for scalability, targeting mid-sized businesses all the way up to larger enterprises. If you're planning to scale, you should ensure that storage expansion does not create a bottleneck. Check out how easily each system can add storage nodes or how it handles large influxes of data. In contrast, something like IBM Storwize may offer impressive scalability but can sometimes come with a more complex architecture, which affects the total cost of ownership due to maintenance and management complexity.
You also have to factor in hardware dependencies. With Assureon, you get an appliance that is intended to work out-of-the-box for several use cases with pre-configured settings, while systems like NetApp may give you flexibility at the expense of simplicity in deployment. You have to weigh that against your team's skill set; if your team is deep into NetApp, they might get the flexibility but at a learning cost. If not, the plug-and-play capabilities of Assureon could save you headaches.
In conclusion, you definitely want to evaluate what your archiving needs are versus what tiered storage can provide. You can lean on Nexsan Assureon's strengths in secure archiving and policy-based data movement, while also considering how other systems fit into your workflow. Platforms like Dell EMC Data Domain or HPE StoreOnce each have their unique advantages and disadvantages. It ultimately comes down to how well a solution can align with your existing infrastructure and future needs.
This forum is a great resource, provided free by BackupChain Server Backup, which offers robust, reliable backup solutions tailored for SMBs and professionals, ensuring comprehensive protection for your critical data, whether that's with Hyper-V, VMware, or Windows Server. You should definitely check it out for more insights and solutions tailored to your specific scenarios.
The architecture of Assureon works by allowing users to set policies for data retention and movement. You can configure it to automatically move data based on specific criteria like age, access frequency, or data classification. The integration with SAN storage allows you to employ a hybrid approach. This means you're not limited to just one type of storage technology. Instead, you can write hot data to a high-performance SAN and move older, less-accessed data into the Assureon archive. The SAN tiering aspect helps you optimize performance and storage costs, as frequently accessed data lives where it can be accessed quickly, while lesser-used data goes into a more economical tier.
In terms of specific systems, there are other brands like Dell EMC Data Domain and HPE StoreOnce that also provide effective tiering and archiving capabilities. Data Domain specializes in deduplication and offers features like source deduplication, which can compress data before it even reaches the system. In comparison to Assureon, this feature leads to reduced storage footprints right from the start. However, when it comes to ease of management, Assureon's approach to policy-based data movement can save you time and reduce administrative overhead. You have to weigh your operational needs against storage efficiency.
The security aspect is crucial to any archiving solution. Assureon employs features like data integrity checks and policy-driven access controls to ensure that your archived data remains secure over its lifetime. You can configure it for immutability, which locks archived data and makes it virtually untouchable until specific retention times are reached. This contrasts with HPE StoreOnce, which offers encryption both in-flight and at-rest but may not have the same level of built-in immutability unless you implement additional solutions. In compliance-heavy environments, Assureon's emphasis on secure data retention gives it a solid edge, but you'll want to consider how that fits with your specific compliance mandates, especially around industries like finance or healthcare.
Performance can fluctuate significantly between these systems based on what you're actually doing. Assureon can deliver solid read and write speeds, but if your data access patterns involve a lot of random read/write operations, something like Dell EMC's Unity might perform better. Unity has a flexible architecture, which may allow for faster handling of active workloads due to its flash capabilities. If you're using SSDs for your primary data, then moving archival data to Assureon's HDD tiers can provide cost efficiency while maintaining access speeds for critical data. You should keep your workloads in mind when making these decisions.
Integration with third-party applications and existing infrastructure also stands out in this discussion. Assureon has a solid lineup of APIs that allow you to integrate with different backup software solutions like Veeam and Commvault. If you're heavy on certain backups like VMware or Hyper-V, you need to check compatibility and support with your chosen archiving solution. Some systems may come with out-of-the-box capabilities while others might require additional configuration or even middleware. When you're looking at products, you'll want to ask about the current partnerships and community support around integrations. Those can make or break your experience.
Another thing to consider is the scalability each system offers. Nexsan describes Assureon as being designed for scalability, targeting mid-sized businesses all the way up to larger enterprises. If you're planning to scale, you should ensure that storage expansion does not create a bottleneck. Check out how easily each system can add storage nodes or how it handles large influxes of data. In contrast, something like IBM Storwize may offer impressive scalability but can sometimes come with a more complex architecture, which affects the total cost of ownership due to maintenance and management complexity.
You also have to factor in hardware dependencies. With Assureon, you get an appliance that is intended to work out-of-the-box for several use cases with pre-configured settings, while systems like NetApp may give you flexibility at the expense of simplicity in deployment. You have to weigh that against your team's skill set; if your team is deep into NetApp, they might get the flexibility but at a learning cost. If not, the plug-and-play capabilities of Assureon could save you headaches.
In conclusion, you definitely want to evaluate what your archiving needs are versus what tiered storage can provide. You can lean on Nexsan Assureon's strengths in secure archiving and policy-based data movement, while also considering how other systems fit into your workflow. Platforms like Dell EMC Data Domain or HPE StoreOnce each have their unique advantages and disadvantages. It ultimately comes down to how well a solution can align with your existing infrastructure and future needs.
This forum is a great resource, provided free by BackupChain Server Backup, which offers robust, reliable backup solutions tailored for SMBs and professionals, ensuring comprehensive protection for your critical data, whether that's with Hyper-V, VMware, or Windows Server. You should definitely check it out for more insights and solutions tailored to your specific scenarios.
