Preparing Your Data Storage for the AI Era

The rise of AI has amplified the demand for robust data governance, pressuring companies to achieve data maturity. On a global scale, numerous businesses are either implementing or investigating AI, with over 82% actively utilizing or contemplating its integration into their operations. However, Gartner reports that only 14% of cybersecurity leaders can effectively balance the efficient use of data while securing it to meet business goals.

As more businesses rush to embrace AI, they must ensure they achieve peak data maturity through a comprehensive framework to manage the expanding volumes of critical data. By employing a data maturity model framework, organizations can identify optimal strategies for data optimization, pinpoint security gaps, and enhance data efficiency. Additionally, a mature data management strategy is crucial within this framework.

An often overlooked aspect of a mature data management strategy is having adequate storage capabilities for backing up and storing critical data. Companies face numerous threats to data security, and adequate storage to accommodate AI workloads may be essential to prevent AI-generated data from being compromised by ransomware or other disasters. While your business may be AI-capable, is your storage infrastructure ready for AI?

The Importance of Storage in the AI Dialogue

There are several reasons why proper storage is critical for AI-generated and consumed data. Businesses must ensure data is easily accessible, secure against evolving threats, recoverable in case of a disaster, and optimized for AI workloads.

Accessibility is vital because developers need quick and efficient data retrieval to train AI algorithms. Often considered “mission-critical,” this data is invaluable to business operations, and having it readily available ensures streamlined processes when it matters most.

The security of data during storage is paramount. As 96% of ransomware attacks now target backup data, storage must withstand such threats and ensure data can be restored in the event of an attack. Ransomware often targets backups, as companies are more likely to pay a ransom if they cannot restore critical data. During such incidents, businesses may be left defenseless and face prolonged IT outages if they cannot access their “mission-critical” data, resulting in reputational and financial losses detrimental to shareholders, customers, and employees alike.

Beyond cybersecurity threats, data can be compromised in other ways. Production data, vital for daily operations, should be treated as though it can be destroyed or corrupted. A golden recovery copy— a clean, reliable, isolated copy of essential data—is imperative. Human errors, such as accidental deletion or data overwrites, can jeopardize data integrity. Furthermore, software and hardware malfunctions, such as corruption or viruses, can risk data, especially if systems lack recent updates. Environmental factors like power outages, floods, and extreme weather further underscore the need for recoverable backup data.

Moreover, AI tools can generate vast data volumes rapidly, which traditional storage systems might struggle to accommodate. Therefore, storage for AI must efficiently handle large workloads. Scalable and secure storage solutions like tiered storage systems offer optimal capabilities for monitoring and saving data.

Cost-Effective Storage Solutions for AI Data

Tiered backup storage is one of the most cost-effective methods, ensuring quick access to vital data. It supports data retention, allowing data to be accessed and reused anytime. Tiered storage and backups organize data based on importance and access frequency. High-priority data is stored on fast, expensive storage like SSDs, while less critical data is kept on cheaper, slower media like HDDs or cloud storage. Given AI’s demands, data should reside in tier 0 or tier 1 storage, where tier 0 offers high-speed storage with NVMe media and all-flash arrays, and tier 1 provides high-performance storage with SSDs and hybrid Flash media.

To enhance this approach, frequent backups of data housed in tiered storage facilitate quick restoration during disasters like human errors or malicious data alterations. Ensuring backup copies are stored in diverse locations with varied encryption types and media is essential for securing backups.

When selecting a ransomware-proof backup and storage provider, choosing immutable storage that withstands potential disasters threatening your data is crucial. It’s important to note that not all “immutable” storage solutions meet this promise. True immutability is compromised if ‘immutable’ data can be altered by a backup/storage admin, a vendor, or an attacker. Understanding true immutability is key to distinguishing secure backup systems from ineffective vendor claims.

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