Week 5 Discussion This is a required assignment worth 20 points (20-points/1000-points). Assignment must be submitted by the due date. No late assignments are allowed. Please discuss the following top

Define and describe a SAN.

Storage area network (SAN) is the most common storage networking architecture used by the organisations for business-critical applications that have to deliver high throughput and low latency. By storing data in centralized shared storage, SANs enable organizations to apply consistent methodologies and tools for security, data protection and disaster recovery. SAN Protocols include Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), Non-Volatile Memory Express Over Fibre Channel (FC-NVMe).

Define and describe the NAS.

Network-attached storage (NAS) are the devices that connect to a network and provide file access services to computer systems. These devices generally consist of an engine that implements the file services, and one or more devices, on which data is stored. NAS uses file access protocols such as NFS. NAS systems are popular with enterprise and small businesses in many industries as effective, scalable and low-cost storage solutions which can be used to support a wide variety of business applications.

Describe how cloud-based data storage works.s

Cloud storage involves at least one data server that a consumer connects to via the internet. They send files manually or in an automated fashion over the Internet to the data server which forwards the information to multiple servers. The stored data is then accessible through a web-based interface. Cloud storage systems involve vast numbers of data servers to ensure their availability. If one of the servers requires maintenance or fails, the consumer can be assured that the data has been replicated elsewhere to ensure availability.

List the pros and cons of cloud-based data storage.

Pros:

Cloud Storage Can Save Costs: Cloud vendors buy a lot of storage and pass those savings onto customers. Data Redundancy and Replication: Cloud storage vendors keep multiple copies of your data even within a single data centre to reduce any likelihood of data loss. Regulatory Compliance: Keeping the backups in the same region as where the data originates

Cons:

Backups May Be Slower: Internet bandwidth and cloud storage max ingest speeds may be more limited than the local network. Restores May Be Slower: Restoring an entire server may take longer. Higher Internet Utilization: Internet bandwidth may need to be controlled.

References:

Jamsa, K. A. (2013). Cloud computing: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, virtualization, business models, mobile, security and more. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Waters, J. K. (2011). Cloud-Based Data Storage. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, v76 n8 p28-34 Apr 2011. 7 pp.
Barker, R. & Massiglia, P. (2002). Storage Area Network Essentials: A Complete Guide to Understanding and Implementing SANs. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)