INFRASTRUCTURE EXPLAINED

Build around the data journey.

Connect the application need to its storage, network, protection and operating model.

01 / STORAGE

Separate capacity from performance.

Logical data is the information you need to keep. Provisioned capacity also allows for protection overhead, snapshots, growth and free space. A single capacity figure cannot describe latency, IOPS or sustained throughput.

Model	Typical fit	Question to ask
Block	Databases and virtual disks	What latency and IOPS does the application require?
File	Shared directories and collaborative workloads	How many files, clients and metadata operations?
Object	Archives, media and large datasets	Which API, access and retention requirements apply?

02 / CONNECTIVITY

Plan the path, not just the destination.

Record source and target locations, data volume, available bandwidth and the period available for transfer. Effective throughput is lower than line rate because of protocol overhead, competing traffic and source or target limits.

For hybrid environments, also examine data access patterns, egress charges, residency requirements, network routes and failure behaviour. Use a measured pilot to validate migration assumptions.

Estimate a transfer window

03 / RESILIENCE

A copy is only part of a recovery plan.

Define the recovery point objective (RPO: tolerable data loss in time) and recovery time objective (RTO: tolerable disruption). Replication can also replicate unwanted changes. Independent backups, controlled access, immutable retention where appropriate and tested restoration address different failure modes.

Document restore sequence, dependencies, key access, recovery network capacity and a named owner. Test application usability after restore, rather than checking only that files exist.

04 / GOVERNANCE

Know what can move, and who can use it.

Classify data, record its origin and agree access rules before making it available to analytics or AI systems. Include retention, deletion, encryption keys and audit evidence. Residency and compliance requirements need review for each deployment.

05 / ILLUSTRATIVE WORKLOADS

Make the requirements specific.

Enterprise applications

Capture latency targets, peak demand, maintenance windows and consistency requirements.

AI & analytics

Measure ingest, metadata and read patterns. Define data permissions and lineage before retrieval.

Media & engineering

Describe concurrent users, file sizes, collaboration and remote access requirements.

Archive & recovery

Balance retrieval time, retention, independent copies and restoration cost.

FROM INFORMATION TO ACTION

Start with a better infrastructure brief.

Bring capacity, data movement and recovery assumptions into one conversation.

Open the planner