Fast and scalable storage even for large amounts of data: This is what object storage offers

In view of rapidly increasing data volumes, it is becoming more and more important for companies to store large amounts of data securely. In addition, companies must be able to access the data quickly when needed. All this is made possible by so-called object storage. In this article, you will find out what the specific characteristics of object storage are.

Object storage is the term used to describe a storage infrastructure in which the respective data stocks are compressed, divided into individual objects and stored. Each object can be clearly identified by content-related metadata and specific labelling.

This not only ensures that data can be retrieved quickly, but also allows immediate, cross-location access - which plays an important role, for example, in implementing hybrid working models.

Another advantage of object storage is compression. By storing the data in compressed form, their data volume is significantly reduced. Accordingly, large amounts of data can be saved easily with object storage - especially since object storage solutions are designed to be scalable.

The ability to store large amounts of data is indispensable for companies simply because of the rapid growth of data.

In addition, modern use cases such as big data analyses or machine learning processes are only feasible with the use of large data storage - as provided by object storage solutions. Such analyses and processes require a large amount of data.

IT security with high importance

In order for companies to benefit not only from a large, but also secure data storage when they rely on object storage, object storage solutions have several security functions. These include, in particular, the encryption of the stored data. The solutions usually use the AES-256 encryption standard, which is preferably used to protect documents and data with a high level of secrecy from unauthorized access.

Furthermore, modern object storage solutions are able to continuously monitor the stored data, detect anomalies and automatically restore the affected data if necessary.

Object storage solutions from Scality and HPE: tailored to cloud-native applications

One manufacturer that has object storage solutions in its portfolio is the software provider Scality. Under the name "Artesca", it has developed a series of object storage solutions based on container technology in cooperation with HPE. These are intended to support companies in getting to grips with the storage and management problems that arise from the continuous growth of data.

In order to achieve this, Artesca provides companies with an immutable, scalable, fast and secure object storage - according to the manufacturer. With this storage, companies could cover different use cases - such as Big Data analyses or machine learning processes. As Randy Kerns, analyst at the Evaluator Group, points out in an article in the specialist portal "Storage Insider", Artesca is particularly suitable in the area of cloud-native applications.

"Scality has found a way to incorporate the right attributes for cloud-native applications into Artesca: lightweight but fast object storage with enterprise capabilities," the analyst said. "The container-based design enables Artesca to fit into modern Kubernetes ecosystems - that's a requirement for today's cloud-native applications."

Artesca also places a special emphasis on data availability and IT security. Dirk Hannemann, Principal Solution Architect at HPE and Christian Hansmann, Solution Sales Architect at CANCOM, emphasise this in the expert podcast of the "Storage Consortium" trade portal.

In addition to functions such as short-term and long-term backups (for short-term and long-term data protection, respectively, editor's note), the object storage solutions have dedicated security functions such as ransomware protection. In this context, partner technologies such as those from HPE are also used. In addition, companies can also quickly access the data stored on Artesca on premise. This further increases data availability. In this way, companies are not dependent on the quality of their WAN connection.