Why does direct access storage have an advantage over the virtualized clusters from a solid-state drive (SSD)? According to the French hardware website, hardware.fr, solid state drive were not reliable when they were previously on  the market. The four year old study found these solid drives tended to fail just as much as direct access storage drives. They failed 1.63 percent of the time versus the 2.05 percent of solid-state drives that weren't working. But are direct attached storage (DAS) devices really better than using a solid state drive or SAN option?

Why is direct access storage now seen as reliable and no longer a disappointment? Today's DAS devices are able to process information just as fast as networked storage arrays. Depending on their configuration, they may also be just as cheap as a solid state drive or a SAN option.

What matters when determining SAN Costs

What should you keep in mind when looking at the affordability of DAS versus SAN? While direct access storage may still cost more than a SAN option, DAS can still outperform a storage access network in some regards. For example, a DAS device may offer better response times when used throughout applications that rely heavily on disks.

The DAS did cost more than a SAN, but its cost may not keep businesses from deciding to use direct access storage, if employees trained to manage these storage devices do not keep adding storage unnecessarily.

Studies showed that DAS devices did not offer a significant difference above SAN options, even when premium high-spec disks were used in systems. DAS may be a better choice for businesses that need large amounts of storage space.

The Pros of a DAS Device

DAS may help businesses protect themselves against hackers because this option is not sharable. It will only allow a certain number of slots to connect to SCSI or SAS cards. This may keep a company's sensitive data safe from hackers. A hacker cannot hope to rely on advance features such as saving snapshots or trying to replicate the whole of your computer remotely.

Businesses can also combine their DAS to use this option with a RAID array. This is why DAS is a good option for businesses that want to store larger amounts of data and keep it safe from prying eyes. Only one physical server must be used and businesses do not have to shell out more money for hardware.

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