10 Best Practices for Implementing Block Storage

Block storage has risen as a key component in many IT infrastructures, owing to its flexible, efficient, and scalable nature. For businesses planning on implementing block storage or those looking to optimise their existing deployments, here are ten best practices to consider:

1. Needs Assessment: Before diving into the implementation, assess your organisation's storage needs. Understand the types of applications you're running, their I/O requirements, and forecasted data growth.
2. Choose the Right Storage Protocol: Depending on your infrastructure and requirements, choose the most appropriate storage protocol. iSCSI, FC (Fibre Channel), and FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) are common choices.
3. Prioritise Data Security: Always encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit. This ensures that your data is protected against breaches and unauthorised access.
4. Regular Backups: While block storage devices are reliable, it's essential to have regular backups. Implement a consistent and automated backup strategy to safeguard your data against unexpected failures.
5. Implement Redundancy: To increase data availability, use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations. This ensures that even if one or more disks fail, your data remains accessible.
6. Monitor Performance Metrics: Consistently monitor key performance indicators like IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), latency, and throughput. This helps in identifying bottlenecks and ensuring optimal performance.
7. Stay Updated: Ensure your block storage systems, as well as their firmware and drivers, are regularly updated. Manufacturers often release updates that address vulnerabilities, optimise performance, or introduce new features.
8. Capacity Planning: Monitor storage usage patterns and plan capacity upgrades well in advance. This avoids last-minute scrambles for additional storage, which can be disruptive and costly.
9. Leverage Storage Tiering: Not all data is accessed with the same frequency. Implement storage tiering, wherein frequently accessed data is stored on high-performance disks, and less-frequently accessed data can be relegated to slower, cheaper storage.
10. Document Everything: Maintain a detailed documentation of your block storage configurations, policies, and procedures. This not only helps in troubleshooting but also ensures smooth handovers to new team members.

By adhering to these best practices, organisations can ensure they harness the full potential of block storage, offering an efficient and robust environment for their data.

Remember, as with any IT implementation, it's crucial to stay abreast of evolving technologies, continually review your strategies, and be open to adjustments as and when needed.