All-flash storage array is running SAN or NAS protocols on a set of controllers and is best when optimized software is engaged to take advantage of all enterprise SSD drives allowing quick IOPs and throughout.  All-flash systems will not run spinning hard drives and must be all SSDs.

A method used for storing information on multiple devices. In storage terms ‘array’ is commonly a collection of hard disk drives in a server arranged in a particular way, that stores the same defined data as each other but can have different values.

After data has been written to the primary storage site, new data can be written to that site, without having to wait for the secondary (remote) storage site to also finish writing data. Asynchronous Replication does not have the latency impact that synchronous replication does, but has the disadvantage of incurring data loss, should the primary site fail before the data has been written to the secondary site.

New technology first introduced by Compellent around 2007.  EMC and 3PAR also came on strong around 2008 with their solutions.  Auto tiering is most commonly referred to; data residing on two or three classes (performance) of storage.  These would most commonly be today; SSD, 10k and 7200RPM drives. Autotirering resides on the controllers and as data is utilized by the user, data moves to the appropriate performance storage.  For example, high-speed data being written to the storage can write to SSD then move to lower-cost 10k drives. Once the data becomes less required, the data can move to lower-cost near-line 7200RPM archive drives.

Backup is the process of replicating your vital data onto a secondary storage device or off-site storage, for the purpose of recovery incase the original data is accidentally erased, damaged, or destroyed.

A two-step process. Data is first backed up to a secondary storage device i.e. external media such as hard drive, tape, DVD or backed up remotely (Online Storage). In the event of computer problems (such as disk drive failures, power outages, or virus infection) resulting in data loss or damage to the original data, the backed up data is then retrieved and restored to a functional system.

Allows backups to occur automatically at a designated time on set days of the week.

The software used to create your backup data as a precaution against loss or damage of the original data.

A hardware device used to record and store data.

The time period available or allotted for backing up data.

Software or hardware designed to be compatible with earlier versions of the same product.

In storage terms, bandwidth is the total amount of data that can be transferred at one time between CPU and storage. Generally, bandwidth refers to large block data transfers and is usually measured in MBps.

Bare-metal restore is a form of data recovery which allows users to restore a system from “bare metal”, i.e. without any requirements as to previously installed software or operating system.

Raw data which does not have a file structure imposed on it. Database applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange Server transfer data in blocks. Block transfer is the most efficient way to write to disk.

The ability of an organization to continue to function even after a disastrous event, accomplished through the deployment of redundant hardware and software, the use of fault-tolerant systems, as well as a solid backup and recovery strategy.

A unit of storage capable of holding a single character. On almost all modern computers, a byte is equal to 8 bits. Large amounts of memory are indicated in terms of kilobytes (1,024 bytes), megabytes (1,048,576 bytes), and gigabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes).

A high-speed memory or storage device that helps reduce the time required to read and write data to a slower device, such as a hard drive.

Cloning is a type of backup which allows users to copy the whole partition or disc to another partition or disc with all files and folders. If the partition is bootable, the cloned partition will become bootable too.

Cloud storage is a cloud computing model in which data is stored on remote servers accessed from the Internet, or “cloud.” It is maintained, operated, and managed by a cloud storage service provider or on storage servers that are built on virtualization techniques. Cloud computing is essentially delivering computing as a service. Cloud computing uses different chargeback plans than traditional data center approaches, typically billing flat fees per user per month.  These data centers also are known as co-locations rent space in their data center and the customer can house their own hardware products. These data centers also provide data backup solutions.

The process of reformatting data so it takes less space on your storage medium(s).

A device’s ability to connect or link with other devices on the network.

Consolidated storage connects multiple servers and/or workstations to a centralized array of hard disk drives. This type of storage setup is designed to result in higher availability, manageability, scalability, and performance for the applications these servers support.

The capability of software or hardware to run on different platforms i.e. an application that is compatible with Windows and Macintosh operating systems.