The larger the web design project the more complex project management becomes. In many cases, this involves managing massive amounts of data – everything from libraries of high resolution photos to data-consuming audio, video and multimedia files. Historically, these projects have been managed on either large, powerful hard disk drives or in hard disk arrays. As storage technology evolves, more web design firms are relying on flash storage arrays to manage large-scale web design projects. The downside to flash storage is that it’s often much more expensive than its traditional hard disk counterpart. The good news is that it is faster, more stable and easy to implement.
Flash Storage Arrays For Beginners
Understanding how flash storage arrays benefit web designers requires at least a cursory understanding of how flash arrays work. Disk arrays have been around for a long time. In a nutshell, an array is a storage component that contains several multiple storage devices. Historically, disk arrays have been constructed with traditional, mechanical hard disk drives. Recently, there has been a shift in storage array construction as some companies have started implementing flash storage into disk array systems.
Flash Storage vs. Hard Disk Storage
Hard disk storage is made up of several moving parts. Data is stored on a rotating disk. As a computing system searches for data on the hard disk, the disk spins at a rapid speed, as data is located. Flash storage on the other hand, is made with electronic components. In other words, there are no rotating disks and all data is stored on an electronic computer chip. Flash storage drives are silent, fast and often don’t require much power to operate.
Benefits of Flash Storage Arrays for Large Web Design Projects
Longer Lifecycle – For starters, there are no moving parts. This often translates to a longer lifecycle. Hard disk drives have a lifespan of about five years. Flash drives on the other hand – depending on how intensively they’re used – can last anywhere from five to 20 years. This is particularly crucial for web design firms looking for long-term backups and archives of past projects.
Faster Data Transfers – In general, flash storage drives are nearly twice as fast as traditional hard drives. This is important for web design companies managing massive projects. In many cases, web design firms need to be able to pull project data quickly.
Simplicity – Web designers are not IT professionals. That means they don’t have hours upon hours to read manuals, and learn the ins and outs of storage architecture. Most flash array storage systems are built around easy to use software applications for managing large sets of data in a storage array. In other words, the learning curve is shallow, which is good news for web design firms.
Speed is infinitely important for successful web development. Many web design firms have stayed away from flash arrays because of the price. Historically, flash-based storage arrays have cost nearly double what hard disk arrays cost. However, new companies are utilizing flash technology in a new way by providing enterprise-level flash storage at hard disk prices.
