Tackling Storage Overload Via Information Lifecycle Management Part 2 Policy

Tackling Storage Overload Via Information Lifecycle Management, Part 2: Policy

By Joe Purcell
Expert Author
Article Date: 2011-07-25

Previously we discussed the first step in creating an Information Lifecycle Management system: categorization. Now, we will take a look at the ILM policy that will guide data through the various stages of its life.

The first step of categorizing data, if done well, will make implementing a policy much easier. Thus, it is best to spend sufficient time getting to know the data involved under any ILM policy well. There are plenty of great suggestions for categorizing data, and there is no one size fits all.

There are no good models for how the ILM process works. The best model I have found of what the ILM process looks like is published in a Jericho Forum paper by the Open Group, and a JISC Infokit paper is a good supplement. However, even it is unnecessarily complex and wordy. The best ILM policy should look like the following using the three category levels as before:

Category	Storage	Duration
Level 1	Tier 1	3 Months
Level 2	Tier 2	1 Year
Level 3	Tier 3	5 Years
Archive	Archive	> 5 Years

More than likely there will not be a one size fits all approach to ILM policies either, hence the need to classify data well. The three storage tiers refer to the practical reality that not all storage systems are equal, thus, the most important data should be stored on a system that has higher confidentiality, integrity, and availability than others. The duration of data will need to be tailored to the amount of storage capacity at each of the tiers. For example, if Tier 1 has 1 TB of space and 1 TB of data is created monthly, then either the tier needs expanded or the duration shortened.

Keeping a simple ILM categorization and policy will make it much easier to implement. If a much more complex ILM needs to be implemented due to security or volume, perhaps look to getting Storage Networking Certification (SNC). In any case, implementing an ILM policy can solve the issues that come with storage overload.

About the Author:
Joe Purcell is a technology virtuoso, cyberspace frontiersman, and connoisseur of Linux, Mac, and Windows alike.