Information is vital. It requires careful transmission, storage and protection. However, the ‘cloudy skies’ of data storage can be tricky to navigate.

Cloud storage services use virtual infrastructure to achieve the scalability and elasticity needed for cost-effective, multi-tenant services. Indeed, cloud storage technologies have rapidly caught on, and are being adopted to support individuals and businesses alike. Whether it’s storing computer and smart phone data, such as apps, photos and device settings, or replicating and backing up big data.

Many newer storage systems include data replication, and no longer require specialized hardware. Because of the optimization and built-in cost savings from virtualization and database systems, it has become more affordable for enterprises to replicate their highly valuable data assets.

WANs Need Reliability and Performance to Move Data

The very nature of disaster protection means data replication and backup are being conducted between two or more geographically separated sites, using WANs to move data between locations. Unfortunately, this can be expensive, and fraught with performance and reliability challenges. Some of the causes are unreliable packet delivery, congestion and high bandwidth consumption.

This is where SD-WAN excels at solving problems related to data transmission reliability and slow network performance. Third-party cloud storage providers hosting data from customer-premise storage systems can take advantage of Mosaic SoftWave SD-WAN as-a-Service, with embedded network optimization, and multi-layered security that runs on a global network of distributed cloud gateways. By doing so, both enterprises and cloud provider’s benefit, by lowering networking costs, and ensuring fast and reliable data transmissions.

Latency and Packet Loss are Thunderous Problems for the Cloud

WAN transmission requirements for cloud storage are different than WAN connectivity for remote offices and mobile workers. They both deal with challenges associated with distance between sites where latency can affect the time it takes to transfer data. However, as opposed to office communications, where traffic flow changes throughout the day, data replication and backups are typically comprised of large data chunks crossing the WAN within fairly constrained timeframes. And they are typically done at night, or after working hours.

As such, limited bandwidth, and slow data transmissions caused by congestion and distance, can impair WAN transmission quality, limiting successful data transmissions. For example, cloud storage services that use shared WANs can experience packet delivery problems, where IP packets get dropped, and delivered out of order. When this happens, packets need to be reordered and retransmitted. This lowers throughput and reliable delivery of the data.

SD-WAN Brings Clear Skies to Data Backup and Replication

Mosaic SoftWave SD-WAN as-a-Service helps cloud storage services overcome congestion, latency, and reliability problems. We address these challenges in real-time, and easily scale to support large data volumes. Cloud storage operators need more than data reduction to handle big data traffic. They also need to overcome latency. Mosaic uses technologies, such as quality of service to prioritize traffic, and prevent dropped and out of order packets with our globally distributed cloud gateways.

Cloud storage operators are seeking to alleviate the pitfalls of moving data for storage replication and backup. Mosaic clears the dark skies to help avoid data transport woes, by dramatically reducing transfer times and reliably backing up data – anywhere in the world.