The quiet evolution of data migration

In an era when data is considered the new gold, the preservation and security of this data is critical. Data migration, the process of moving data from one system to another, plays a key role in this. Experience shows that data migration often takes a long time and presents some challenges. However, this can be done much faster and easier! You can read the solution in this blog.

Reasons for migration

The lifespan of IT hardware is on average 5 years. After this period, replacements are required, often due to performance limitations or safety risks. In addition, technological advances are causing organizations to need to update their data systems. Outdated systems pose security risks. Migration to more modern systems reduces the risk of data breaches and damage from cyber attacks. Further, the focus on data protection and privacy laws encourages organizations to migrate to comply with new regulations and standards.

Challenges in migration

Traditionally, data migration is done file-by-file, which can be time-consuming and risky. Each file is moved individually, which takes a long time with large amounts of data. The accuracy required to ensure data integrity, such as checking for errors or corruption, further slows down the process. Sometimes conversion or modification is required for compatibility with new systems, which takes additional time. While this diligence is essential to the integrity and functionality of the migrated data, it can create operational challenges, such as limited access to files during migration. Flexibility and patience are therefore crucial in this process.

Migration faster and easier

However, data migration today can be much faster and easier, without disruption during daily operations. FAST LTA’s Silent Cube system offers a minimum lifespan of 10 years, which halves the migration requirement compared to systems with an average IT lifespan. In addition, Silent Cubes offer a unique method of data migration: Silent Transfer. As the name implies, it is a silent migration process taking place in the background. This way you won’t experience any inconvenience during daily activities. With Silent Transfer, data is migrated block-by-block, which is a lot more efficient than file-by-file. In addition, the Silent Transfer ensures that data is verified by matching the hash key of the source data with the hash key of the data on the new system. This way you can prove that data has not been changed, and compliant archiving becomes a lot easier.

The Silent Cube system is certified annually by KPMG for compliant filing. Thus, with this system you demonstrate that you file according to guidelines. This eliminates the need for an expensive audit to determine that your organization is filing compliantly.

A real-life example

To make the benefits of FAST LTA’s Silent Transfer method concrete, let’s look at a recent case study. In a test scenario, 0.95 TB of data, spread across 6.3 million files, was migrated. This migration lasted a week and a half. The total size of the archive to be migrated consisted of 96TB and 630 million files. The traditional turnaround time for this size of data, performed using the file-by-file method, would take an estimated 152 weeks – an enormously long period for such a task. Not only is this approach hugely inefficient, but we must not forget the potential operational disruptions that can occur with conventional data migrations.

However, by implementing the Silent Transfer method of FAST LTA, this gigantic task was reduced to only 7 months. This not only illustrates significant time savings, but also highlights the efficiency and ease of use of this method. With Silent Transfer, organizations can migrate huge amounts of data with minimal disruption to their daily operations, while maintaining data integrity and security.

This practical case demonstrates that Silent Transfer is a real gamechanger, saving organizations a lot of time, costs and unforeseen disruptions. Are you interested in the benefits of Silent Transfer? Then inquire about how Silent Cubes can fit seamlessly into your existing infrastructure.