How Data Storage Affects Business Operations

Your data has a temperature, and you are wasting money if you don't know it. Hot, Warm, and Cold data. Storing data is not just about saving it and forgetting about it. You need to understand how often you will access the data and how long you should keep it. You can group data into three categories based on how often it's accessed: 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 • What It Is: Data that you need often and fast. • Where It's Stored: On fast storage like SSDs or even in memory. • Examples: Things like product recommendations or cached search results. • Cost: Storing hot data is expensive, but accessing it is cheap because it's always ready to go. 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 • What It Is: Data you access occasionally, like once a month. • Where It's Stored: On slower but still accessible storage, e.g., Amazon S3 Infrequently Accessed Tier, Google Nearline. • Examples: Older logs or data that are not as frequently needed. This could be data that you use for reporting or analytics. • Cost: It is cheaper to store than hot data, but accessing it costs a bit more. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 • What It Is: Data are rarely accessed and primarily kept for long-term storage. • Where It's Stored: On the cheapest storage options, like HDDs or cloud archive services. • Examples: Old backups or records that you keep for compliance reasons. • Cost: It is very cheap to store but can be slow and expensive to access. Retention is a different animal, explains "how long you should keep data" and is based on 4 pillars: 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 Is this data critical for you, or can it be recreated if needed? You should keep Important data for longer. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 For data you store in fast-access places like memory, set a time limit (TTL) for how long it stays there before moving it to cheaper storage. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Some laws require you to keep data for a certain amount of time or delete it after a specific period. Make sure your data storage practices follow these rules. 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 Storing data costs money. To save on storage costs, you can automate deleting or archiving data when it's no longer needed. Don't just store data—manage it. Save this for your next Storage Decision.

Data Is the New Oil, But Only If You Can Store & Move It We generate more data than ever, yet most of it sits unused, draining resources instead of driving decisions. The harsh truth? Data isn’t valuable just because you collect it it’s valuable because of how you store, process, and move it. Many companies treat data like a trophy hoarding it with no clear plan. But data without strategy is like crude oil without a refinery useless. The Real Data Problem: 1. Poorly managed data slows down operations 2. Inefficient storage eats up costs 3. Disorganized data increases security risks How to Make Your Data Work for You: 1. Simplify storage: Invest in scalable, secure cloud solutions 2. Prioritize mobility: Ensure seamless access across platforms 3. Govern smartly: Build a structured framework for data usage The smartest businesses don’t collect more data, they use it better. What’s your biggest data challenge? Let’s discuss in the comments. #DataStrategy #DigitalTransformation #TechLeadership #BusinessGrowth

If you feel like your business operations are feeling sluggish, listen up... Odds are quite high poor data management could be part of the problem. In my experience, companies that struggle with inefficiencies often overlook how their data is being handled. If you want to streamline operations, you must take control of your data. Here are 3 actionable steps to get started: 1️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Many businesses store data in silos across different departments. The result? It’s hard to get a clear picture of what’s really going on. The solution is to integrate your data into a central platform. This will eliminate redundancy and create a single source of truth that everyone can access. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽: 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴. 2️⃣ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 Manual data entry is not only slow but also prone to error. Automation tools can help you capture, process, and organize data in real-time. This frees up your team to focus on higher-value tasks. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽: 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘡𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 3️⃣ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗽-𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 It's essential to work with the most current data to make well-informed decisions. Ensure your analytics are refreshed regularly to give you accurate, up-to-date insights. This allows you to respond to changes and make decisions based on the latest available data, improving your business agility. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽: 𝘚𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘐 𝘰𝘳 Looker 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. TLDR: Streamlining your operations starts with managing your data effectively. The more accessible and accurate your data is, the faster you can make informed decisions. P.S. What’s the biggest data challenge your business is currently facing? Let me know in the comments!