Hybrid storage solutions to meet business requirements

Hybrid storage solutions offer a blend of on-premises and cloud storage to meet varying business requirements, enabling organizations to leverage the scalability and flexibility of the cloud while still maintaining some data on their own infrastructure. This is particularly useful for businesses subject to regulatory constraints or those with latency-sensitive applications.

Understanding Hybrid Storage Solutions

AWS provides several services that facilitate hybrid storage solutions, which are essential when studying for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) exam. The primary AWS services for hybrid storage solutions include AWS Storage Gateway, AWS Direct Connect, and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server.

AWS Storage Gateway

AWS Storage Gateway is a service that connects an on-premises software appliance with cloud-based storage. It provides seamless integration between on-prem environments and AWS’s storage infrastructure. The gateway can be deployed on-premises as a virtual machine (VM) or connected to the AWS Cloud for storage.

Storage Gateway offers three types of gateways:

• File Gateway: For flat files, stored directly on S3.
• Volume Gateway: Block-based storage, integrated with your on-premises environment. It contains two modes:
  • Stored Volumes: Entire dataset is stored on-site and asynchronous backups are sent to S3.
  • Cached Volumes: Only the most frequently accessed data is kept on-premises, while the bulk of the data is stored in S3.
• Tape Gateway: For virtual tape library (VTL) integration, which enables the replacement of physical tapes with virtual tapes in S3 and Amazon Glacier for long-term storage.

AWS Direct Connect

AWS Direct Connect provides a dedicated network connection from on-premises to AWS, which allows for more consistent network performance than internet-based connections. This is crucial for hybrid environments where large amounts of data are often transferred or when low-latency access is necessary.

Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

Amazon FSx provides fully managed third-party file storage. FSx for Windows File Server offers a Windows-native file system with full support for the SMB protocol, Active Directory (AD) integration, and DFS namespaces.

Meeting Business Requirements with Hybrid Storage

When designing hybrid storage solutions for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam, one should consider the following business requirements:

• Data Sovereignty and Compliance: Ensure sensitive data that must remain on-premises due to regulatory requirements is stored securely, using Storage Gateway’s Stored Volumes.
• Performance: Use AWS Direct Connect to reduce latency for performance-critical applications that access data stored in AWS.
• Scalability: Leverage the virtually unlimited storage capacity of AWS S3 through File Gateway or Cached Volumes to accommodate growing data needs without significant on-premises infrastructure investment.
• Disaster Recovery: Implement a DR strategy by using Tape Gateway for off-site backups and quick data recovery in AWS, or by setting up periodic backups to S3 from on-premises through Volume Gateway.
• Cost Optimisation: Utilize S3 lifecycle policies in conjunction with Storage Gateway to transition data between storage classes automatically, reducing costs while meeting access requirements.

Sample Use Case Scenarios

• File Sharing Across Multiple Locations: Use Amazon FSx for Windows File Server to provide SMB-based file shares that can be accessed across on-premises and AWS environments, ensuring users at different locations have low-latency access to shared files.
• Backup and Archiving: Implement Tape Gateway to replace physical tape backups with a cloud-based VTL, enabling scalable, cost-effective, and durable archival storage using Amazon S3 Glacier.
• Hybrid Applications: For applications that require block storage, use Volume Gateway in Cached Volumes mode. Frequently accessed data is kept on-site for fast access, while the complete dataset resides in S3 for durability and elasticity.

In conclusion, understanding and effectively implementing hybrid storage solutions is a critical aspect of preparing for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam. By using services like AWS Storage Gateway, AWS Direct Connect, and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server, businesses can custom-tailor their storage solutions to meet specific needs—balancing cost, compliance, performance, scalability, and disaster recovery.