Contoural Services - Data Classification and Storage Strategy Services

Data classification and storage strategy services enable you to understand your data and manage your storage appropriately. By defining data classes and storage tiers, you can improve service levels and lower costs while also ensuring compliance and reducing risk.

Service Objective
Establish data classifications that enable IT managers to agree with application and data owners on storage service levels and compliance requirements. Then define tiered storage architecture and implementation plans.

Example Deliverables

Applications Catalog
Infrastructure Inventory
Application Data Groups
Data Classes
Storage Service Level Configurations
Tiered Storage Architecture
Implementation Plan

Benefits of Contoural Project Approach

Comprehensive overview of your applications, data and storage environment enables effective planning and storage strategy
Common conceptual framework helps IT and business teams quickly define required data retention, security and service levels for existing data sets and new applications – reducing risks while optimizing service levels and lowering costs
Tiered storage architecture provides optimal service levels at affordable cost points
Menu of storage service configurations enables cost-effective provisioning

Business Drivers
To meet regulatory compliance requirements and business needs, enterprises today are creating and storing large volumes of electronic records. These records typically include different data types, such as databases, messages and document files. They are created by dozens or hundreds of applications, and owned by many different groups.

Companies may want to rationalize their storage practices and infrastructure by moving old data to less-expensive storage tiers, eliminating unneeded data and excessive replication, or improving availability and service levels for their most critical applications. However many organizations find it hard to move forward:

The task seems too complex.
No one has a complete view of the problem.
Users all want their data kept on the best storage available
Service levels are not well defined.
All data is treated the same, or each application has unique requirements

Approach: Understanding the Data
Data classification is the missing link that ties business requirements to storage strategy. Contoural offers Data Classification and Tiered Storage consulting services that help companies understand the business requirements for their data, and then map groups of application data to appropriate storage service configurations and storage tiers.

These services are structured as discrete projects that offer immediate value, starting with better understanding of the entire enterprise data catalog, and then developing specific action plans that reduce risks, ensure compliance, optimize service levels and lower costs.

Data Classification
The fist step is to classify the data, using proven methodologies that are tuned to meet the needs of each organization. Typical phases include:

Kick-Off and Conceptual Framework
Application Data and Infrastructure Discovery
Data Grouping and Classification

Tiered Storage Architecture
The second major step is to map the data classes to appropriate storage service configurations, based on distinct storage tiers or platforms. Typical phases after data classification include:

Gap Analysis, Recommendations and Socialization
Tiered Storage Architecture Design and Storage Service Configurations
Implementation Plan

Data Sheet
The Data Classification and Tiered Storage Services data sheet provides a more detailed description of the typical project phases and deliverables.

Contoural data classification analysts and tiered storage consultants have at least 10 years of professional experience in data storage, data management and archiving, focused on the selection and deployment of cost-effective data-storage hardware and software solutions. They have a broad understanding of business application requirements and storage solutions across the full life cycle of data. They are familiar with proven technologies and standards for data storage and migration, and with all of the cost factors that influence the total cost of ownership (TCO) over the life of a solution. They have extensive experience solving complex problems, leading cross-functional teams, and articulating policy and technology directions around data storage, archiving and information lifecycle management.

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