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What is Object Storage?

Gurbir Singh

Nov 17, 2022 / 4 min read

Table of Contents

Object Storage Benefits
What is Object Storage in the Cloud?
Use Cases

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Definition

Object storage is a way to store unstructured data using a structurally flat architecture that separates data into objects. Unstructured data types include email, videos, photos, web pages, audio files, sensor data, and other media types. Objects contain data, metadata, and unique identifiers that applications can use for easy access and retrieval.

Gartner estimates that by 2026 enterprises will triple their unstructured data capacity stored as file or object storage compared to 2022.

Object storage is increasingly used for workloads beyond secondary storage use cases, such as cloud-native applications and analytics archives. It provides a level of scalability that is impossible with traditional files or block storage methods.

Object Storage Benefits

For organizations of all sizes, object storage can offer the key to increasing productivity in the age of remote work. Object storage also allows organizations to break free from proprietary and expensive storage platforms. Other benefits include:

Scalability

Object storage's flat architecture allows you to scale without suffering from the same limitations as other storage architectures. Object storage can scale to exabytes of data by adding new devices.

Reduced Complexity

Object storage does not contain folders or directories, eliminating much of the complexity of hierarchical systems. Because there are no complex trees or partitions, retrieving files is easier.

Searchability

Object metadata can be found and navigated without needing a separate application. Additionally, it has a greater degree of flexibility and customization. An object can be tagged with attributes and information, such as consumption, cost, and policies for automated deletion, retention, and tiering.

Object Storage Benefits | Synopsys Cloud

Resilience

Data can be stored across multiple devices and geographical locations using object storage. As a result, disaster recovery strategies are supported, outages can be addressed, and data loss can be prevented.

Cost Efficiency

With object storage, large amounts of data can be stored at a lower price than other storage options. The object storage model allows you to control costs even if you have a large amount of data. With object storage, you can start small and scale as you grow. This reduces waste, both in terms of extra headcount and unused space.

Security

Object storage architecture provides built-in data protection using erasure coding and replication technology. Data can be striped across multiple drives or nodes as needed with erasure coding to achieve data security. As a result of erasure coding and configurable replication, data protection is robust and efficient.

What is Object Storage in the Cloud?

Object storage’s scalability has made it perfect for managing unstructured data in cloud infrastructure. What is object storage in the cloud? It is an on-demand cloud storage service.

In most cases, objects are stored in the cloud, which makes them easily accessible from anywhere. In contrast to block storage, object storage has few limits to its scalability, and it is more cost-effective to store large data volumes.

The major public cloud services, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, use object storage as their primary storage.

Use Cases

Consider the following use cases for object storage in the cloud:

Cloud-Native Applications. Use object storage as a data store to build and migrate to cloud-native applications.
Data Analytics. Store a large amount of data of any type in the cloud. Perform data analytics on this data to gain valuable insight into customers, operations, or markets.
Distributed Content. Manage distributed data throughout its lifecycle.
Internet of Things (IoT). Manage machine-to-machine data cost-effectively while integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics to make sense of it.
Rich Media Storage and Delivery. Optimize storage and distribution costs for rich media, such as music, videos, and images.
Backup and Archiving. Reduce backup and archiving costs while maintaining immediate access to data.

Object storage in the cloud offers many advantages, but choosing the right cloud provider is essential to ensuring always-on uptime and accessibility while balancing speed and cost. Data should be encrypted both in transit and at rest by the provider. Permissions and specific-user access should work the same way as on-premises.

Object Storage Use Cases | Synopsys Cloud

Synopsys, EDA, and the Cloud

Synopsys is the industry’s largest provider of electronic design automation (EDA) technology used in the design and verification of semiconductor devices, or chips. With Synopsys Cloud, we’re taking EDA to new heights, combining the availability of advanced compute and storage infrastructure with unlimited access to EDA software licenses on-demand so you can focus on what you do best – designing chips, faster. Delivering cloud-native EDA tools and pre-optimized hardware platforms, an extremely flexible business model, and a modern customer experience, Synopsys has reimagined the future of chip design on the cloud, without disrupting proven workflows.

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Synopsys technology drives innovations that change how people work and play using high-performance silicon chips. Let Synopsys power your innovation journey with cloud-based EDA tools. Sign up to try Synopsys Cloud for free!

About The Author

Gurbir Singh is group director, Cloud Engineering, at Synopsys. He has a demonstrated history of leadership in the software industry. In his current role, he leads the development of the Synopsys Cloud product, which enables customers to do chip design on the cloud using EDA-as-a-Service (SaaS) as well as flexible pay-per-use models. Gurbir has run organizations to develop cloud SaaS products, machine learning applications, AI/ML platforms, enterprise web applications, and high-end customer applications. He is experienced in building world- class technology teams. Gurbir has a master’s degree in computer science, along with patents and contributions to publications.