Is it possible that you have a “needle in a haystack” problem with your data storage?
In today’s digital economy, data and information are vital resources for every modern business. More than ever, the ability to find the data that you need, when you need it, and act on it has become a key business requirement.
When your data is in a database, or some other kind of structured format, finding what you need is easy. These days a majority of all data is unstructured. That’s the kind that exists outside of a database, making it much more difficult to manage. Unstructured data storage includes pictures, audio and video files, text documents, presentations, web pages, big data analytics, and a host of other business assets. Many of these assets are critical to organizational health and effectiveness, but once they are not being used frequently, they tend to go missing.
Let’s imagine that you have been tasked with reviewing historical financial models or uncovering old sales records. Those documents exist somewhere (you hope), but odds are good that they have been stored on an object storage bucket or networked storage in a folder that has the digital equivalent of being covered with dust. Or they may as well have been archived to the cloud. As unstructured data grows (expected to triple in size by 2024 according to Gartner), we get worse at managing it. The upshot is that locating and accessing the data we need is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
What makes the situation even more challenging is that we have traditionally relied on file storage systems for the bulk of our storage needs. These worked well initially, especially when storage requirements were modest. But over time, and with spiraling data volumes or organization evolution, we have ended up with more and more object storage buckets scattered around the enterprise. Each one is a silo with a separate catalog. And more silos equal more haystacks, making it more difficult to find the data we are looking for.
If you have had this problem, you are probably looking for a new streamlined and pain-free approach to finding what you need, when you need it. Let’s look at how global namespace can be a simple and efficient means to solve your distributed object storage and access problem.
What is a Global Namespace?
A global namespace is a core capability of a distributed storage system that provides a unified control and management plane to search and access unstructured data spread over diverse object storage buckets, shares, and object stores. Consider the global namespace as a universal directory that enables all the unstructured data distributed across devices and locations to appear as if they are available on a single repository. This simplifies the storage architecture by eliminating islands of storage and disaggregated namespaces on each cluster and makes finding objects much faster and easier.
Being an integral part of object storage, global namespace provides a consistent view of objects across domains, buckets, and sites for easy access. It uses human-readable uniform global identifiers to retrieve objects, ensuring that users can seamlessly locate and interact with data regardless of where it is physically stored. This capability simplifies data management, enhances accessibility, and streamlines the overall user experience within the object storage system.
Global namespace, when combined with metadata awareness, takes data management to the next level. Metadata is essentially a label for your data, describing what it is, where it came from, who created it, and more. When data is ingested into an object storage system, metadata is assigned to it, making it easier to search and access.
Imagine having a comprehensive catalog for your data that allows you to quickly filter and find specific objects. Metadata can include information such as creation date, file type, author, and even custom tags. When integrated into a global namespace, metadata-aware object storage transforms the haystack of unstructured data into a well-organized library, ensuring you can always find the “needle” you’re looking for.
Leveraging DataCore Swarm for Efficient Data Management with Global Namespace
DataCore Swarm stands as a versatile software-defined object storage solution for tackling the challenges of unstructured data. At its core, Swarm introduces a powerful global namespace, acting as a centralized control hub that unifies data across various clusters. This means that, whether your data resides in different locations or clusters, it’s seamlessly integrated and presented as a singular, coherent storage system.
But it doesn’t stop there. Swarm enhances data management by introducing custom metadata support. This means your data is enriched with vital details, such as creation dates, file types, author information, and even custom tags. This rich metadata not only aids in better organization but also makes your data highly searchable. Finding the specific content you need becomes a straightforward task.
Furthermore, Swarm employs cluster federation to ensure that content retrieval is not just efficient but lightning-fast. Whether you are accessing your data at the core of your network or at remote edge locations, DataCore Swarm’s cluster federation ensures quick and reliable access. The result is an overall user experience that is optimized for efficiency and accessibility.
Contact us to learn more about DataCore Swarm and test-drive it in your environment and see it in action.
Benefits of Using Global Namespace in Object Storage
- Unified Access: Simplifies navigation across diverse data sets
- Better Searchability: Enables quick, metadata-based file location
- Efficient Management: Streamlines handling of data across locations
- Scalable: Accommodates growing data volumes effectively
- Enhanced Collaboration: Aids in sharing and analyzing data
