Tag Archives: data
The Truth about RAID Technology
RAID – Redundant Array of Inexpensive (or sometimes “Independent”) Disks – is a method of combining several hard drives into one logical unit. It can offer fault tolerance and higher throughput levels than a single hard drive or group of independent hard drives.
RAID is a mature technology that speeds up data access while at the same time protecting your data from hard disk failure. RAID is quickly becoming a necessary component in every network since data loss and downtime can prove both fatal and financially destructive. Most networks are designed to provide instant access to massive amounts of data. More and more employees have to access customer and other databases. Intranets and corporate Web sites provide access to huge databases online.
RAID provides increased storage capacities, and protects your important data from hard drive failure.
RAID Levels:
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 3
RAID 5
RAID 10
There are multiple benefits of using RAID:
Reliability
Scalability
Real-time data recovery with uninterrupted access when a hard drive fails
System uptime and network availability
Protection against data loss
multiple drives working in parallel increase system performance
A disk system with RAID capability can protect its data and provide on-line, immediate access to its data, despite a single disk failure (some RAID storage systems can withstand two concurrent disk failures). RAID capability also provides for the on-line reconstruction of the contents of a failed disk to a replacement disk.
RAID offers faster hard drive performance and nearly complete data safety. Storage requirements are expanding as file sizes get bigger and rendering needs get more complex. If you handle very large images or work on audio and video files, faster data throughput means enhanced productivity. RAID can be backed up to tape while the system is in use.
There are 5 most commonly used RAID levels. These levels are not ratings, but rather classifications of functionality. Different RAID levels offer dramatic differences in performance, data availability and data integrity depending on the specific I/O environment. There is no single RAID level that is perfect for all users.
Storage Requirements can be calculated through RAID Calculator.
RAID 0: STRIPING
RAID 0 refers to striping data across multiple disks without any redundant information. Data is divided into blocks and distributed sequentially among the disks. This level is also referred to as pure striping. The number of disk drives needed to create a RAID 0 is one or more. In other words, a single drive can be configured as a RAID 0 array. This type of array can be used to enhance performance in either a request rate intensive or transfer rate intensive environment. Unfortunately, striping reduces the level of data availability since a disk failure will cause the entire array to be inaccessible.
RAID 0 was not defined originally but has become a commonly used term.
Advantages:
Easy to Implement
No capacity loss – all storage is usable
Disadvantages:
Not a “true” RAID due to the lack of fault-tolerance
Failure of only one disk will result in loss of all data on the array
RAID 1: MIRRORING / DUPLEXING
RAID 1 is the first defined level that allows a measure of data redundancy. Data written to one disk drive is simultaneously written to another disk drive. If one disk fails, the other disk can be used to run the system and reconstruct the failed disk. Since the disk is mirrored, it does not matter if one of them fails because both disks contain the same data at all times.
RAID level 1 provides high data availability since two complete copies of all information are maintained. In addition, read performance may be enhanced if the array controller allows simultaneous reads from both members of a mirrored pair. Higher availability will be achieved if both disks in a mirror pair are on separate I/O busses, known as duplexing.
Advantages:
Higher read performance than a single disk
Disadvantages:
Requires twice the desired disk space
RAID 3: SRTIPING AND PARITY
In RAID 3, data is striped across a set of disks. In addition, parity is generated and stored on a dedicated disk. With RAID 3, data chunks are much smaller than the average I/O size and the disk spindles are synchronized to enhance throughput in transfer rate intensive environments. RAID 3 is well suited for CAD/CAM or imaging type applications as well as streaming media. Since parity is used, a RAID 3 stripe set can withstand a single disk failure without losing data or access to data.
Advantages:
Good data availability
High performance for transfer rate intensive applications
Cost effective – only 1 extra disk is required for parity
Disadvantages:
Poor random I/O performance
Disk failure has a significant impact on performance
RAID 5: SRTIPING AND PARITY
RAID 5, similar to level 3, stripes data and parity to generate redundancy. However, instead of requiring entirely new disk for parity storage, the parity is distributed through the stripe of the disk array.
In RAID 5 both parity and data are striped across a set of separate disks. Next, the new parity is calculated. Finally, the new data and parity are written to separate disks. Data chunks are much larger than the average I/O size, but are still resizable. Disks are able to satisfy requests independently which provides high read performance in a request rate intensive environment. Since parity information is used, a RAID 5 stripe can withstand a single disk failure without losing data or access to data.
Advantages:
Highest read data transaction rates
Cost effective – only 1 extra disk is required
Disadvantages:
Individual block data transfer rate same as a single disk.
RAID 10
RAID 10 is technically (RAID 1 + RAID 0), a combination of RAID 1 and 0 – mirroring and striping, but without parity. RAID 10 is a stripe across a number of mirrored drives. It is implemented as a striped array whose segments are RAID 1 arrays. RAID 10 has the same fault tolerance as RAID level 1, as well as the same overhead for fault-tolerance as mirroring alone.
Advantages:
Very high I/O rates are achieved by striping RAID 1 segments
Excellent solution for sites that would normally use RAID 1
Great for Oracle and other databases which need high performance and fault tolerance.
Disadvantages:
Expensive to maintain
As with Raid 1 total capacity is equal to half of the total capacity of all disk in the array.
Could A One Time Password Already Be Securing Your Industry?
Technology affects every aspect of our life, especially our security. Luckily there is always new technology being created to help keep our lives more secure. As our lives become digitized it seems that more and more sensitive information is being added to databases connected to networks or accessible from the web. This raises a red flag to anyone who has been affected by identity theft or fraud. With all of our personal data being stored in so many places it would seem that we more vulnerable to malicious attacks than ever. However this is not true, as technology begins to change the way we interact and share information it is also changing the way we secure our data.
Two- factor authentication utilizing a one-time password is technology that has been around for decades although the need for such security has risen lately. With many industries going paperless and wireless it opens the gate for hackers to siphon private data. Industries such as education, financial services and healthcare are all in need of higher security since they deal with important information that must be kept confidential.
OTP in Education
The education industry has been utilizing electronic records for a long time to manage students. These records are stored on a computer that is connected to a network for administrative use, the very same network that students are accessing from their laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Even on a password secured network these records are vulnerable since you do not need to be extremely computer savvy to use a key logger. Any student could simple attach a device to their teachers computer or install malicious software that operates discreetly behind the scenes to log keystrokes. Potentially stealing their teachers login credentials and gaining access to confidential information.
Any agency collecting, maintaining and storing sensitive information is responsible for managing that data responsibly as stated in “The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act” also known as FERPA. With security being their government appointed responsibility and malicious attacks becoming easier to perform, many education agencies are securing their confidential information with two-factor authentication through a one-time password.
OTP for Financial Services
Identity fraud is most apparent in the financial services industry for a good reason, it deals directly with money. Just like everything technology has affected the way we bank with online banking being offered by almost every bank. However this poses a threat to client identities. To keep account holders secure a one-time password is used to keep online banking customers safe by authenticating a user when they log in from different IP addresses. Two-factor authentication is also used to identify an account holder at almost every point of transaction through a bank card and PIN.
OTP in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is facing many changes in the future from regulations demanding increased security of patients confidential information. With more sensitive data being readily available over the internet for physicians the need to secure that information is extremely critical. Authorization to access a patients medical record is crucial and a one-time password provides that security by identifying the physician, issuing the OTP and allowing a single sign on. Even on mobile devices such as laptops and tablets, zero footprint security can allow access to records without leaving any data on the device.
Transmitting data securely is the future of security in almost every industry. Info is power and with almost every industry moving over to wireless interaction between tablets, laptops and smartphones hackers are using technology against us to gain power. Securing that information through two-factor authentication and one-time password services is the future of technology in order to protect the same users it was put in place to help.
Could A One Time Password Already Be Securing Your Industry?
Technology affects every aspect of our life, especially our security. Luckily there is always new technology being created to help keep our lives more secure. As our lives become digitized it seems that more and more sensitive information is being added to databases connected to networks or accessible from the web. This raises a red flag to anyone who has been affected by identity theft or fraud. With all of our personal data being stored in so many places it would seem that we more vulnerable to malicious attacks than ever. However this is not true, as technology begins to change the way we interact and share information it is also changing the way we secure our data.
Two- factor authentication utilizing a one-time password is technology that has been around for decades although the need for such security has risen lately. With many industries going paperless and wireless it opens the gate for hackers to siphon private data. Industries such as education, financial services and healthcare are all in need of higher security since they deal with important information that must be kept confidential.
OTP in Education
The education industry has been utilizing electronic records for a long time to manage students. These records are stored on a computer that is connected to a network for administrative use, the very same network that students are accessing from their laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Even on a password secured network these records are vulnerable since you do not need to be extremely computer savvy to use a key logger. Any student could simple attach a device to their teachers computer or install malicious software that operates discreetly behind the scenes to log keystrokes. Potentially stealing their teachers login credentials and gaining access to confidential information.
Any agency collecting, maintaining and storing sensitive information is responsible for managing that data responsibly as stated in “The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act” also known as FERPA. With security being their government appointed responsibility and malicious attacks becoming easier to perform, many education agencies are securing their confidential information with two-factor authentication through a one-time password.
OTP for Financial Services
Identity fraud is most apparent in the financial services industry for a good reason, it deals directly with money. Just like everything technology has affected the way we bank with online banking being offered by almost every bank. However this poses a threat to client identities. To keep account holders secure a one-time password is used to keep online banking customers safe by authenticating a user when they log in from different IP addresses. Two-factor authentication is also used to identify an account holder at almost every point of transaction through a bank card and PIN.
OTP in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is facing many changes in the future from regulations demanding increased security of patients confidential information. With more sensitive data being readily available over the internet for physicians the need to secure that information is extremely critical. Authorization to access a patients medical record is crucial and a one-time password provides that security by identifying the physician, issuing the OTP and allowing a single sign on. Even on mobile devices such as laptops and tablets, zero footprint security can allow access to records without leaving any data on the device.
Transmitting data securely is the future of security in almost every industry. Info is power and with almost every industry moving over to wireless interaction between tablets, laptops and smartphones hackers are using technology against us to gain power. Securing that information through two-factor authentication and one-time password services is the future of technology in order to protect the same users it was put in place to help.