Being deep into a project looking at possible cloud storage options, I would like to second Gail's suggestions if it's decided to include more questions about external cloud use.   This would be good basic information to have about how cloud storage is being used.  

Have a good weekend --
Shawn

Shawn Rounds
State Archivist, Minnesota Historical Society



On Feb 22, 2013, at 6:46 PM, Gail Truman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi all - I hope I am not too late, I was literally head in the cloud
> last week on a new project...But it looks like this is still alive, and
> I can weigh in?
> 
> I'd like to add more about the use of external cloud (to understand what
> is missing from today's offerings or precluding them from adoption)
> 
> For the question "how are you using" - if you wanted to use a checklist,
> then 2 would be "backup" and "archival copy" (I'm sure we can get more
> granular here if others want to chime in). Another might be "behind
> another application offered by a solution provider" (think of a client
> who contracts with a VNA (vendor neutral archive in healthcare) who puts
> some or all of the data in the cloud, or a client whose DAM vendor uses
> the cloud.
> 
> 
> Continuing on relating to questions 19/20 about external cloud, for 'is
> your company using' - if they say yes, can we capture the name of the
> cloud provider? And also can we collect if they are using block or
> object cloud storage? (some vendors offer a choice) - and can we also
> add in Glacier? (i.e. differentiate the Amazon cloud to include both S3
> and Glacier).
> 
> 
> I'd like to also get a feel for initial upload/ingest requirements for
> cloud storage/archive use - (i.e. if they have several TB of data or
> more, it gets massively time consuming over the WAN and hinders adoption
> IMO). In this case, shipping physical media (FedEX or UPS) is faster.
> Amazon offers this, not everyone does. And same for export - what are
> their requirements if they want a bulk export of their stored (archived)
> data from a cloud provider - ship a drive back? A tape? 
> 
> Perhaps question or two such as (feel free to wordsmith)...
> "Are you using the WAN or physically shipping media to upload bulk
> (large amounts of) content to the cloud" . And a way to capture any
> notes - for example some services preclude this option (shipping media)
> where it may be desired to seed the archive. 
> 
> For clouds I would also like to dig into the Service Level
> Agreements/guarantees - for archive/preservation my feeling is that
> "generic" cloud storage (I am not including DuraCloud in this) does not
> offer the assurances. 
> 
> "What data durability assurances do cloud providers need to offer for
> you to feel comfortable using the cloud for an offsite copy" (I ask
> because Amazon, for example, claims 11x9s or 9x9s durability but I've
> yet to see a guarantee in writing.
> 
> Gail
> 
> 
> Gail Truman
> Truman Technologies, LLC
> 
> Protecting the world's digital heritage for future generations
> www.trumantechnologies.com
> facebook/TrumanTechnologies
> 
> 
> 510 502 6497
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [NDSA-INFRASTRUCTURE] Feedback for Digital Storage Survey
> From: "Padilla, Jose" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Fri, February 22, 2013 1:14 pm
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> Sorry about that. Here is the storage survey with the revisions made
> thus far.- Ricky
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The NDSA infrastructure working group list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Padilla, Jose
> Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 4:09 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [NDSA-INFRASTRUCTURE] Feedback for Digital Storage Survey
> 
> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We've gotten some useful feedback and have already begun to apply some
> of it. Attached is the revised Digital Storage Survey. Further
> suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I apologize for this email
> being so extensive; below are a few points we would like Working Group's
> feedback on:
> 
> § Question 1: A suggestion was to add "Solid State Drives (SSD)" as an
> option.
> 
> § Question 12: A possible change in wording to "more storage" could be
> "The capability to extend storage capacity." This could clear some of
> the ambiguity that was mentioned in the feedback. Does the WG feel this
> removes the ambiguity while still asking the same question?
> 
> § Questions 19-20: Ask whether the organization uses external/cloud
> storage systems. A suggestion was to add a question which asks "how do
> you use" external/cloud storage. First of all, is the WG interesting in
> adding this question? Is there way to structure this question without it
> being a free-answer question so the results gathered will be easier to
> evaluate?
> 
> § Suggested new question: "What technologies are you using to reduce
> your storage costs?" This question could have check boxes or a menu of
> options, with two possible choices being "data-duplication" and
> "compression." If the WG is interested in this question then what are
> some other options we could add?
> 
> I apologize again for the wordiness of this message, but thank you all
> for taking the time to read it through. If you have any ideas on how we
> should move forward please let us know.
> 
> Thanks,
> José "Ricky" Padilla
> 
> 
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