Data and efficient data storage is increasingly becoming a differentiator and success factor for companies: higher capacities and better response times contribute to higher customer satisfaction.
Modern technologies like AI, IoT, automation and more are optimizing efficiency of companies in almost every industry, but they are also driving an increase in the amount of data that is generated, collected, analyzed and stored.
This data growth presents companies with a challenge. This is because it requires different data storage solutions to fulfil a wide range of requirements. As a result, companies’ storage architectures are also becoming increasingly complex. To ensure the fastest possible retrieval of performance-important ‘hot’ data, companies should rely on enterprise-class NVMe solid-state drives (SSDs). For less frequently accessed ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ data, however, more cost-effective enterprise-class hard disk drives (HDDs) should be used. This tiered approach helps to optimise the cost of storing and accessing data and can be fine-tuned according to the company’s capacity, performance, availability and recovery requirements.
However, storage infrastructure is not only important to success in large companies, hyperscalers or data centres. The right storage can also be a success factor for small and medium-sized companies (SMBs). This is because data helps them to understand and improve any kind of business processes, so they can pinpoint inefficiencies in their operations and consequently, resolve challenges and save valuable money. So what should these decision-makers consider when optimizing storage infrastructures? The most important aspects contribute to lowering overall total cost of ownership (TCO) include:
– Capacity: The solutions must be able to store large amounts of data with room for future growth. Higher capacity storage devices increase storage density without increasing the physical footprint.
– Performance: Different workloads require different performance levels, so it’s important to match storage performance to the needs of the application.
– Reliability: Solutions must be robust and durable – even in continuous operation. Storage solutions should ensure reliability and data integrity. Look for specific workload ratings, endurance levels or drive writes per day to help protect infrastructure from possible downtime.
– Energy efficiency: An efficient storage strategy helps to reduce the TCO. This includes selecting storage solutions that offer competitive watts per terabyte, ultimately lowering power consumption and generating less heat.
– Flexibility and scalability: Storage solutions that are drop-in ready allow business owners and decision-makers to scale their infrastructure to meet growing data demands.
WD Gold® and Western Digital® Ultrastar® – scalable storage for businesses
Western Digital’s high-capacity WD Gold HDDs have been specially developed for use in storage-intensive environments typically encountered in small- and medium-sized business environments. The WD Gold storage solutions enable fast and reliable access to data around the clock.
With WD Gold® SATA HDDs, companies receive innovative HDDs with capacities between 1 TB and 24 TB1. They allow demanding workloads of up to 550 TB2 per year to be mastered with ease. WD Gold® HDDs are reliable and durable – with an MTBF of up to 2.5 million hours3. They can be used in traditional storage arrays, rack-mounted storage enclosures and server-based distributed storage systems. HelioSeal™ technology (14-24TB1 models) offers improved storage density, low power draw and provides additional energy efficiency. These features in combination with the competitive efficiency index (W/TB) of WD Gold® HDDs help customers to lower their TCO overall. Performance is also enhanced by effective vibration protection based on state-of-the-art hard disk monitoring technologies and real-time correction of linear and rotational vibrations.
The Western Digital® Ultrastar® DC SN655 NVMe™ enterprise-class SSDs are a great complement to this. They can be used either independently or in combination with WD Gold® HDDs. The PCIe® 4.0 dual-port NVMeTM SSDs are also available in capacities up to 61.44 TB1 and offer an optimal combination of high-capacity and high-performance with lower latency. With read speeds of up to 6,800 MB/s4 (3.84TB and 7.68TB1 models) and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s4 (7.68TB1 model), they are suitable for even the most demanding applications and allow for lightning-fast system response. The Western Digital® Ultrastar® DC SN655 SSDs also include power-loss protection and end-to-end data path protection so data can remain protected even if in the case of an unexpected power interruption.
All the ingredients for a high-performance storage infrastructure
The combination of products from the WD Gold® and Western Digital® Ultrastar® portfolio creates solutions for a wide range of applications in demanding storage environments. Capacity can grow with requirements and keep pace with business growth. IT decision-makers can invest in this infrastructure without hesitation with WD Gold® and Western Digital® Ultrastar® solutions. Not only because of the five-year limited warranty, but also because the storage solutions can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT systems and are compatible with all common operating systems.
And finally: Thanks to their low energy consumption, high performance, quality, reliability, cooling, and weight, Western Digital® solutions help to reduce the total cost of ownership. This enables a successful balancing act between performance and optimized operating costs. No compromises need to be made when it comes to storage. You can future-proof your storage infrastructure – for all the complex requirements of modern companies of every size.
Learn more about data center storage on the Western Digital website.
1. 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. 1TB=1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.
2. MTBF: Projected values for model numbers WD241KRYZ, WD221KRYZ, and WD202KRYZ. Final MTBF and AFR specifications will be based on a sample population and are estimated by statistical measurements and acceleration algorithms under typical operating conditions, workloads of 220TB/year and 40°C device-reported temperature. Derating of MTBF and AFR will occur above these parameters, up to 550TB/year and 60°C (device reported temperature). MTBF and AFR ratings do not predict an individual drive’s reliability and do not constitute a warranty.
3. Workload Rate is defined as the amount of user data transferred to or from the hard drive. Workload Rate is annualized (TB transferred X (8760 / recorded power-on hours)). Workload Rate will vary depending on your hardware and software components and configurations.
4. Up to 100MB/s read speed; up to 90MB/s write speed.4. 1MB = 1,000,000 bytes Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device, interface, usage conditions and other factors. 1MB = 1,000,000 bytes
5. See support.wdc.com for regional specific warranty details
Western Digital, the Western Digital design, the Western Digital logo, HelioSeal, OptiNAND, Ultrastar, and WD Gold are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. NVMe word mark is a trademark of NVM Express, Inc. PCIe® is a registered trademark of PCI-SIG Corporation. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change without notice. Pictures shown may vary from actual products.
