According to a recent survey that questioned 600 security practitioners, participants reported that 85% of their companies experienced more than one data loss incident in the past year. Additionally, 50% reported business disruption consequently. With as much information and innovation that goes on in the technology industry, organizations often overlook one key component of their high-performance computing (HPC) systems: durability.

Data durability and availability are frequently grouped together and measured as one by HPC suppliers. However, there are very significant differences between them. Simply put, availability ensures that data is accessible whenever needed, regardless of the time. However, for availability to be truly effective, it must be supported by durability. Durability is what keeps data safe from being lost or damaged during incidents like outages or system failures. Essentially, it means that your data will remain intact and retrievable once the system is back up and running.

Typically, system managers only considered system downtime when their system encountered a setback, and they were directly faced with the predicament of how long it would last and how much it would cost. Now, they know they can’t do that as their end users become more aware. Organizations believe poor data quality to be responsible for an average of $15 million per year in losses. Therefore, it’s essential to bring durability into early discussions, along with assessing performance speeds and uptime figures, to secure a comprehensive ROI and maintain system effectiveness.

Choosing a data platform that understands

When data system managers begin their search for a vendor and data partner, they typically prioritize requirements such as performance, uptime, and cost. This focus is understandable, as media headlines often highlight achievements in speed and consistent data access, creating a competitive drive to match or exceed industry standards. This narrative around speed and availability can overshadow other factors, leading to the misconception that these are the most critical aspects to consider when designing HPC architecture.

Although improvements in performance and uninterrupted uptime are significant, they can bring hidden costs and reduce return on investment if durability is neglected. A system that prioritizes constant access to data, usually by maintaining high uptime and implementing failover tactics, may still leave data unprotected from outage or failure. In such scenarios, most recently in the case of the Microsoft Crowdstrike incident, users and applications may have non-stop access to data, but there’s no certainty that the data will remain accurate, intact, or recoverable.

There are many things to consider if a company endures losing critical data due to inadequate durability measures. Ninety-four percent of companies that experience data loss are unable to survive because of the reputational and financial impact.

Gone are the days when HPC systems could afford data losses and storage was viewed as a temporary solution. Modern users expect robust service level agreements (SLAs) similar to those offered by public cloud providers. They insist on reliable data access, irrespective of the hurdles faced by system administrators. Consequently, HPC providers must adapt to these evolving durability expectations or risk falling behind in the market.

Achieving high data durability

According to the above study, over 56% of organizations that lost data also lost revenue, while an additional 38.9% had a damaged reputation. The stakes are high, so data storage strategies should include:

• Regularly scheduled backups, both on-site and off-site, to create a multi-tiered defense. Off-site backups, such as those in cloud storage, safeguard data against localized catastrophes.
• The implementation of redundant storage systems, like RAID, bolsters data resilience through instantaneous replication and error correction.
• Routine backups at multiple locations to ensure an extra layer of security. Cloud-based backup solutions provide an additional safeguard, ensuring data protection even during a site-specific disaster.

If you’re having trouble finding a vendor or solution that delivers the best performance, along with availability and durability ratings that meet your expectations, it’s probably time to reevaluate your priorities and carefully consider the demands of your project. Reflect on whether consistent accessibility and durability are more important to you than sheer speed.

Think about the operational dynamics of your company. As a data center operator catering to thousands of users requiring constant data access, ensuring high availability is critical for your revenue and client service. Nevertheless, lacking high durability could compromise the data’s integrity, which might undercut customer confidence and result in significant financial loss.

Imagine that you are an academic researcher leading a team of students processing petabytes of data. Here is a prime example of how performance and durability are mission critical. Simulations need to be run quickly, but none of the valuable data can be lost as it is of the utmost importance for research. High availability would help you get fast access to the data, but if it’s not highly durable you could risk compromising your findings.

Both use cases illustrate how high availability and high durability require the other to function at their best to protect organizations from the financial and reputational repercussions of data loss. By harmonizing performance with solid data availability and durability, you’re able to make knowledgeable decisions that resonate with your ambitions and functional necessities.