Storage Guardian Upgrades to StorONE for Leaner, More Efficient Data Storage

For years, managed service provider (MSP) Storage Guardian has delivered managed backup, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience services to its customers through a nine-cabinet storage array. Over time, however, that array showed its age. Performance dropped, it was no longer covered under service contracts, and its ROI fell to the point where it was no longer a valuable business asset.

That’s when Storage Guardian began searching for a replacement system that would provide hybrid benefits, greater capacity, improved performance, stronger ROI, and a smaller footprint within its data center, said Omry Farajun, president and CEO of Storage Guardian, in an interview with ChannelE2E.

After reviewing products from three storage vendors, Storage Guardian selected StorONE to help modernize its data storage systems. The upgrade brought performance levels that enable the company to better serve customers with expanded services, Farajun said. StorONE’s all-software approach supports all storage use cases and protocols, including multiple disk types on the same volume, whether on-premises or in the cloud, according to the vendor.

"The storage challenge we faced was having only four to six petabytes on our NetApp system, which no longer met our current business requirements,” Farajun said. “We were looking for a hybrid solution that combines the performance benefits of SSD pools with the capacity of high-density storage.”

To evaluate the three vendors, Storage Guardian ran a diagnostic scan to measure IOPS (input/output operations per second) and analyzed its storage usage patterns based on customer needs, explained Farajun. “Based on the results, StorONE was the only solution that met our performance benchmarks and aligned with our requirements.”

With StorONE, Storage Guardian shrank its storage footprint from nine cabinets to just two, reducing floor space and electricity use, which translated into significant cost savings, he said.

“As a service provider, our goal was to consolidate resources in a way that allows us to remain competitive while delivering strong value to our clients,” said Farajun. “StorONE’s approach aligned perfectly with those objectives.”

As its previous array aged out of support, the risks to customer data and operations became clear, he added.

“Our hybrid storage approach, combined with StorONE, has allowed us to scale effectively and compete with hyperscalers in a cost-efficient way,” said Farajun. “As a small ISV developing software on the Veeam platform, competing on price per petabyte was not strategic for us. StorONE enabled us to maximize both performance and cost-effectiveness, supporting our growth and competitiveness.”

Keeping Up to Date Is Critical for MSPs: Analyst

Storage Guardian’s modernization move is a smart strategy, said Jack E. Gold, principal analyst with J.Gold Associates, LLC.

“Many companies and service providers don’t do enough to ensure their operations are efficient by current standards,” said Gold. “They often avoid updating or replacing systems, arguing that ‘things are working, so why mess with it.’”

That mindset can be counterproductive, he said. “For service providers, efficiency means increased profits and the ability to grow the business without adding underutilized equipment. It’s not just about cutting electrical costs, which are a major part of overhead. It’s also about reducing equipment load to make systems more reliable.”

All companies, including MSPs, should periodically review their critical systems, Gold added.

How often should they do this?

“It depends on the company, but I recommend looking at operational efficiency annually, and at least every two to three years,” said Gold. “While upgrades carry costs, they must be weighed against improvements to determine if ROI is achieved.”