Distributed Block Storage and How to Leverage It

Distributed block storage; helping businesses to thrive
So, what is distributed block storage? Distributed block storage all servers are connected to storage blocks through a storage area network (SAN). It offers lowest possible latencies, highly performant and highly redundant in nature. You can have multiple modular data blocks connected to the network which provides a capability for data replication and potential for switching to a redundant SAN should hardware fail in the master. An alternative is a file storage system that is connected as a network attached storage NAS which servers can access centrally. It is highly scalable, accessible to multiple runtimes and can simultaneously read or write by multiple users. Or you could have a hybrid environment of both technologies being used. 

But why should you care about any of this, you likely have a way of working that you are used to, even if you are a relatively new business. Well, if you work with large or big data classes such as for research or media processing the lowest latency storage solutions include NVMe protocols that make data much more flexible in how you wish to configure your business solution. For example, NVMe can process read and write data at the same time similar to SAS that is typically used in business solutions. The real advantage of NVMe is both speed and increased bandwidth allowing multiple users to work with the same data storage. When combined with distributed block storage infrastructure an additional benefit is that there is no interpretation needed at the storage media before retrieval or storage unlike SATA or other protocols. 

This means even in the simplest configurations or the most complex the company will have the least number of bottlenecks and wait times which can be crucial in data rich organizations. For instance, the organizational storage may contain digital media assets that can be added to a multitude of different marketing videos. If it takes a long time to query and retrieve that data for client-side integration into a project that is resource time that has been wasted. If a team is working with the same data, then speed and bandwidth is vital which NVMe offers. Furthermore, big tech giants such as Microsoft and Facebook believe that NVMe will be the last protocol the world will need for the foreseeable future, maximizing the potential to unify devices and data structures. In fact, the only storage hardware that cannot take advantage of NVMe are tape drives due to the speed being bottlenecked by the technology tape drives utilize. Furthermore, big data can be automatically divided across storage devices increasing availability to users that may be working on team-based projects. 

More effective resource utilization
In the near future SATA and other protocols will be made redundant due to NVMe outperforming all others and we will see the transition from the older paradigms to this one due to the necessity for businesses to be as performant and user friendly as possible to increase resource productivity. Should a distributed block storage fail then a mirrored distributed block storage device can be switched to production instantly. During disaster recovery, any failed hardware can be replaced and the acting production data storage can be used to replicate delta to the production server and switch it back to production when finished. This can all be managed by one centralized data management software without complex workflows and multiple programs slowing the administrator down at a critical time. 

Summary
The current question of what is distributed block storage? Is a question being asked in many companies currently to see how it can be leveraged and when a company can feasibly transfer to the new paradigm going away from SATA and other protocols. Though leveraging distributed block storage, you can accelerate productivity with large data while being able to scale and manage the business solution much more efficiently than with older protocols.