White paper - Alternative Storage Technologies

Alternative Storage Technologies Whitepaper

THE CLOUD What it is: “The Cloud” is a term used for storage services where the data is stored in virtualized pools operated by third parties. These hosting companies operate large data centres, filled with servers, which could be located anywhere in the world. They are normally subject to strict security measures such as restricted access, environmental control and emergency backup power supply. Store and ignore: For the end user, the Cloud offers clear advantages such as instant access, ease of use with no need for maintenance, and it is inexpensive to buy or lease storage space. This makes it well suited for basic storage needs. How- ever, for the valuable data that requires secure, Amazon Glacier is an online file storage service developed for long-term storage of data that does not require instant access. Like other Cloud ser- vices, Glacier is based on hard drives, but the data retrieval time is 3 to 5 hours according to Amazon. Storage is cheap, but users are charged for retriev- ing the data hence the risk of vendor lock-in should be considered. The privacy, security and ownership concerns related to cloud storage also apply to Amazon Glacier.

long-term preservation the Cloud involves some major concerns related to security, privacy and ownership. Ownership and privacy concerns: The Cloud in- volves entrusting a third party to store the data. This means the service provider has access to the data and may accidentally or deliberately disclose or alter the information. The service provider may also go out of business, posing questions as to who owns the servers and the data on them. The data owner will in this situation have limited control, and the data is inaccessible from the moment the network connection or power supply is switched off. Security issues: Data accessible through the web is vulnerable to hacking. Although the service providers strive to increase the security level, there is no guarantee that the data is out of reach of individual hackers, companies or national security agencies that might have an interest in accessing the information. Some data centres offer offline back-up, normally in the form of magnetic tape, in addition to cloud storage. This makes the data more secure, but a migration-based archiving strategy is then needed when the time perspective is long.

Data centre with servers