There are advantages and disadvantages to using NAS or object storage for unstructured data. Find out what to consider when it comes to scalability, performance and workload type. Show
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Published: 07 Sep 2022 Unstructured data is among the fastest-growing data types out there. With organizations creating and attempting to store growing quantities of data year over year, this naturally leads to the question: What's the best storage for unstructured data? Unstructured data is information that doesn't adhere to a traditional database format. Text in the form of email and documents, along with multimedia -- such as photo, video and audio files -- are common examples of unstructured data. When looking for the best way to store unstructured data, NAS vs. object storage are the two primary choices. NAS vs. object storageNAS has been around for decades and puts a hierarchical system of directories and folders between the users and their files. This approach enables organizations to neatly categorize individual files for later use. Object storage, on the other hand, doesn't impose a file system paradigm on data. Instead, object systems use metadata tables that exist separate from underlying data elements. The metadata table stores attributes that describe the underlying data, such as file name, creation date, user ID and the location from which the data can be retrieved. There are pros and cons to both approaches, especially in the context of unstructured data storage. And, in the NAS vs. object storage debate, the type of storage that's right for your organization also depends on the kind of workloads supported. The pros and consThe key advantages of using NAS for unstructured data storage are that it's organized, at least insofar as you create a decent folder structure, and it's user-friendly. NAS is also ubiquitous with many services supporting NFS or SMB storage. In addition, it's relatively fast and provides support for applications where the data changes quickly. Scalability, on the other hand, isn't a strong suit of NAS. This is changing with the advent of more capable, scale-out offerings, but NAS still isn't close to the scalability potential inherent in object storage systems. Object, file and block storage comparedIn fact, scale is the biggest benefit of object storage systems. Increasing capacity is a simple exercise, and it's pretty invisible once you get beyond adding hardware. The reason: Many object storage systems scale out rather than up. All you have to do is add another node and then tell your management tool to add the new node to the cluster. Some magic happens behind the scenes, and your cluster now has more storage capacity. Performance is the challenge with traditional object stores. However, this is also changing with newer object storage products. Another downside to object storage is both the metadata and object data must be updated. So, if you have fast-changing data, the process can take longer than with NAS. Moreover, although there are gateways and somewhat standardized access protocols, such as Amazon S3, object storage standards aren't as consistent as their file-based cousins. Features of NAS and object storage systemsAlthough file and object storage are significantly different approaches at the logical level, the actual storage subsystems can share a large suite of features and functionality. Enterprise users can consider an array of NAS or object features, such as:
NAS and object use cases in the enterpriseNAS and object storage share the same fundamental purpose: storing data for enterprise users and applications. But the strengths and weaknesses of both technologies make them each suited for different uses. NAS offers a more traditional approach to data storage and is ideally suited to a wide range of tasks, anywhere file data must be stored or accessed, such as:
Object storage also stores data. But the flat (non-hierarchical), nonstructured, metadata-based nature of objects makes object storage attractive for various storage applications in the enterprise, including:
NAS and object storage in the cloudAs more users and applications use the public cloud, providers are delivering an array of storage services designed to emulate file and object -- as well as block and application-specific -- storage resources that can offer global accessibility, high durability and high resilience.
Organizations just starting work with public cloud services, developing a hybrid cloud infrastructure or requiring ongoing local storage requirements might consider selecting storage systems that are compatible with public clouds. The key to hardware/cloud compatibility is typically in the storage system's OS platform. For example, Cohesity SmartFiles supports varied Amazon services, including S3, GovCloud, Snowball, EFS, FSx for Windows File Server and Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. As another example, NetApp platforms such as NetApp ONTAP 9 support Google Cloud Storage. Common NAS and object storage platformsThere are many different NAS and object storage system product offerings. NAS platforms include the following:
Object storage platform offerings include the following:
Storage systems must be selected carefully, based on requirements for factors such as storage capacity, form factor (tower or rack mount), network and I/O performance, resilience features and scalability. The bottom line for unstructured data storageSo, which approach comes out on top when it comes to NAS vs. object storage? In general, if you have applications that include fast-changing data and streamlined access, NAS is probably your best option. If you have workloads for which storage is more of an archive, and you don't need a very high level of native integration with applications, object storage is the way to go. Scale also plays a part in your NAS vs. object storage decision. NAS systems differ wildly in how far they can scale, so it's possible that, at some point, you could grow beyond the limits of the NAS product you pick. Dig Deeper on Primary storage devices
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Which type of database is best for handling unstructured types of data such as audio?Speaking of databases for unstructured data, the most suitable option for this type of data will be non-relational databases, also known as NoSQL databases. NoSQL stands for “not only SQL.” These databases have various data models and they store data in a non-tabular way.
Which databases support unstructured?Since unstructured data does not have a predefined data model, it is best managed in non-relational (NoSQL) databases.
How are unstructured data managed in databases?Unstructured data can be managed with more modern technologies such as NoSQL databases, data lakes and data warehouses. Think of all the media files, documents and emails that your organization stores outside databases — that is unstructured data.
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