When you read the specs sheet of your new laptop or your new server or a storage system, the words “Flash, NVMe, or even No moving parts” keep recurring and seem to be the new buzz. We are being promised a lot of performance with read and write speeds that are five times or 10 times faster than what we currently have. To what extent is this really true? Let’s dive in.
The most common unit used to measure the performance of storage drives is IOPS (input/output per second). This is a great unit because it provides a simple way to know how much data can be read/written onto the drive at any given time (measuring speed and latency). This means that a drive with 100 iops is slower than a drive with 1000 iops. So, if you have a machine with a drive that gives you more iops, that machine is indubitably faster. Is that all there is to know about drives then?
Before I can provide an answer, let’s look at the different type of drives that are available.
This is the most commonly used drive type at the moment, commonly abbreviated HDD or just Hard Disk or Hard Drive. HDDs use platinum disks to store computer information (bits 1s or 0s) in a magnetic form. Each platinum disk called platters is divided into circular “disks” called tracks further subdivided into smaller chunks called sectors. Sectors are then labelled, and a journal maps data location to the corresponding sector. This is called an Address which is used to retrieve/overwrite/delete the data when needed. On top of each platter there is a head; the head converts computer information into magnetic form (and vice versa) and is primarily responsible for reading and writing the data; the head is fixed on an actuator arm to move it around. Also, when an address is sought the platter rotates to position itself for the head. This means the rotational speed of the platter and the speed of the actuator arm affect the speed of the drive as they determine how fast the address is accessed. HDDs fail often because of the head and dropping an HDD permanently damages it, especially when the head scratches the platter because of the shock (the head never touches the platter it hovers over it to read the magnetic data).
Figure 1 – HDD Components (left) and Tracks and Sector (right)
We looked at HDDs with their seek time and rotational time which affect the data access. Now let’s look at Solid State Drives called SSDs or Flash Drives. Data on SSD is stored in a semi-conductor much like it is stored on your typical memory or pen drive. This means the data is accessed from a grid (the address) similar to columns and rows. That means we are getting read of all the mechanics that must happen to access addresses and just retrieving them using electrical access. This is one of the reasons SSDs are much faster than HDDs. There are two main types of SSDs i.e. SATA accessed and NVMe accessed. NVMe drives are faster than SATA drives as the former connection was built specifically to access faster SSD drives.
Figure 2 – NVMe (left) and SATA SSD (right)
Also note that SSDs come optimized for intensive read, intensive write or mixed purposes depending on the intended purpose. SSDs do not fail often because there is no mechanical moving components.
Are SSDs the best to store any and every data then? Well not necessarily. Here is why:
IOPS can be categorized using attributes such as random or sequential coupled with large or small. The type of storage required for small random iops is not necessarily adequate for large sequential iops. Storage manufacturers advise putting large sequential iops on HDDs and small random iops on SSDs. For more information on the type of iops you will be using, kindly check with the application vendor.
Well SSDs are the new thing and as usual, they are more expensive. It would be a complete waste to buy NVMe SSDs to store archive files or CCTV data. But it would be the best prospect for your most critical application database. It is now up to you to determine what is worth the price. I recommend you check how much each TB is costing you per Dollar ($) and you will be able to measure which application requires it or not.
SSD read and write speed average 100 times that of HDD; making the choice to go for one or another depends on the application or intended workload. Find the right balance and you will optimize cost whilst improving on responsiveness and workloads availability.
Apotica deploy hybrid cloud solutions for customers and is uniquely positioned to advice on your workloads against your storage needs (scoping and sizing). You can request for a free consultation here. To enquire about any equipment or software, call us on +233.54.431.5710 or write to sales@apotica.net.
Apotica, headquartered in Accra, Ghana brings together the best information and communications technologies to help clients grow, compete and serve their customers better.
Matilda, a Chartered Accountant, joined Apotica in May 2023. With over 12 years of experience in banking, insurance, pensions, accounting and finance, she is responsible for the company’s financial control, strategic planning, management reporting, and overall financial performance.
She holds a BSc degree in Business Administration (Accounting) from the University of Ghana Business School and an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the same institution. Matilda is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana.
Matilda has attended the Executive Education course in Strategic Management at the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands and participated in other leadership seminars around the world.
Peniel Korley is Head of Marketing for Apotica, designing and implementing comprehensive marketing strategies to create awareness of the company’s business activities.
Peniel joined Apotica in April 2019 and has helped build our market presence through an adept combination of traditional marketing and digital marketing techniques, executing and monitoring corporate promotion campaigns, and conducting market research to help us stay abreast of trends.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Ghana and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the University of Ghana Business School. He’s a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
As Head of Projects, Sylvester Kyeremeh is responsible for coordinating people and processes to ensure that our client projects are delivered on time and produce the desired results. He leads this function within the confines of our quality management and information security management systems.
Sylvester joined Apotica in 2017 as a Systems Engineer, before moving on to join our project management practice a year later. His calm and collected approach to interpersonal engagements, impressive sense of planning, and excellent communication skills continue to receive the plaudits of our customers.
Sylvester received his B.S. degree in Computer Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. He’s a Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Cisco-certified professional, an ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, and a member of the Project Management Institute with PMP and Scrum Master qualifications.
At 25, Millicent is currently the youngest head of department at Apotica, taking up this role in August 2020. She’s responsible for managing all aspects of risk to the organization, employees, clients, assets, reputation, and interests of stakeholders. Millicent also works with the leadership of the organization to embed and maintain a risk-aware culture in the organization.
Before joining Apotica, she worked as a broadcast journalist at Radio Universe – a popular media house in Accra. Millicent holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has attended the Executive Education course in Personal Leadership at the Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands.
She’s a Certified Governance, Risk, and Compliance Professional (GRCP) and a qualified ISO 9001 Lead Implementer.
Elom Kutsienyo is the Chief Technology Officer at Apotica. A technology enthusiast and Apple nerd, he is responsible for the development and maintenance of our excellent technical services capabilities and enabling our engineering teams to become adept at industry best practices relating to enterprise solutions design, deployments, and support.
Since taking up the CTO role in August 2019, he has strategically grown our product offerings through strong channel partnerships with leading ICT vendors. Elom’s extensive experience in product sales, project management, service delivery, and field engineering also helps as he oversees company webinars, product demos, proof-of-value activities, and technical proposals for clients.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Telecom Engineering from Ghana Technology University College and has attained several professional qualifications including the coveted Cisco CCIE certification as well as certifications from Microsoft, VMware, NetApp, HPE, and Nutanix.
Clifford leads the Customer Experience practice at Apotica which encompasses our consulting, technology, support, and learning services.
Prior to his position at Apotica, Clifford was the senior manager of IT Infrastructure at Stanbic, a leading commercial bank in Ghana. He has also previously held roles in field engineering, service delivery, and customer support at organizations including Huawei, IBM, Tech Mahindra, and Zenith Bank.
Clifford is PMP-certified and holds a Bachelor’s in Information Technology, as well as several industry certifications from Microsoft, VMware, and Amazon.
Dzigbodi Amekoudi oversees company business in Benin and the countries in French West Africa. As Country Manager, his primary responsibility is business development, which involves helping to define and introduce the right go-to-market strategies and making sure our business operates profitably in the territory. He’s also responsible for establishing operating budgets and managing company employees in his region.
During his tenure, Dzigbodi has led Apotica’s expansion into other countries including Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry, Mali, and Niger. Additionally, he works with our technical services leads to ensure successful post-sales delivery of customer projects.
Dzigbodi started his career in engineering and project management, before joining Apotica as a key accounts manager in January 2020.
He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Telecommunications from Ghana Technology University College and a Master of Science degree in International Management from Franklin University Switzerland. He’s a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
Emmanuel Nketia is responsible for managing all sales functions at Apotica and oversees other departments, including marketing, operations, and client renewals. An excellent salesman and negotiator, he brings with him 20 years of experience in logistics, accounting, business development, and customer relationship management.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. He’s also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, and an MBA Marketing candidate at the University of Ghana Business School.
Emmanuel has attended the Executive Education course in Strategic Management from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands and participated in other leadership seminars in the USA.
At Apotica, we are on a mission to help clients grow and serve their customers better. As CEO, Felix Nkansah works closely with our Sales, Services, and Operations leadership to identify customer and industry transitions and determine our strategies to address them.
Felix joined Apotica in January 2017 and brings more than 18 years of experience across executive leadership, systems engineering, customer support, and sales functions with some regional conglomerates and information technology companies.
He has a background in computer science and holds expert-level professional certifications in networking, security, and systems design.