Service Overview
General storage services include Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Block Storage (SAN fiber channel) for campus departments and units for an annual fee. Most storage offerings listed below include backups with a primary and disaster recovery (DR) copy. For special storage requirements beyond what is listed please contact oit_storage@help.ncsu.edu to discuss options.
Service Offerings
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
NAS includes support for Windows (SMB) and Linux NFS shares. This service is intended to replace the need for standalone file servers for Windows and Linux client systems. File shares are created by OIT and co-managed by OIT and the campus department/unit IT staff.
- Features include
- File system snapshots up to 7 days
- Replication by request and for an additional fee
- Encrypted at rest
Snapshots will consume a small percentage of the customer’s storage quota. Total snapshot storage consumption depends on the rate at which the data changes and number of snapshots created.
SAN (Block) Storage
The SAN (Block) Storage service is primarily used to support the VM hosting service for directly attached VM disks and related VM hosting rates. This service is also available for co-location partners that need to maintain server infrastructure in OIT supported Data Centers. The appropriate tier of SAN block storage listed below is determined by the peak IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) that a specific application service needs. OIT-PCS will work with customers to determine the tier based on performance monitoring and historical experience. However, adjustments will be made as necessary based on actual consumption reporting. OIT does utilize Quality of Service (QoS) to protect neighboring VMs and not impact the performance of other applications.
- Bronze (Block-Capacity)
- Best suited for general desktops and lightweight services
- Workloads not exceeding 500 IOPS and less than 30% writes
- Silver (Block-Standard)
- Best suited for web and application services
- Workloads not exceeding 900 IOPS and less than 50% writes
- Platinum (Block-Performance)
- Best suited for highly transitional applications (databases/etc)
- Workloads exceeding 900 IOPS or 50% write operations
Storage Rates (FY23-24)
Storage rates include the shared cost of infrastructure, equipment, equipment maintenance, primary and DR backups, and FTE effort supporting the service.
| Storage Type | Annual per TB rate | Annual per GB rate | Cost per GB/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAS with backup | $170 | $0.1660 | $0.0138 |
| NAS (replicated & backed up) | $300 | $0.2929 | $0.0244 |
| NAS (no backups) | $150 | $0.1465 | $0.0122 |
| Bronze (Capacity) | $375 | $0.3662 | $0.0305 |
| Silver (Standard) | $500 | $0.4883 | $0.0407 |
| Platinum (Performance) | $850 | $0.8301 | $0.0692 |
Data Protection (Backups)
Backups are included in current storage offerings and consist of weekly Full backups with Daily incremental. The standard backup consists of a primary and disaster recovery copy. Backups are for accidental deletions and disaster recovery, and held for a minimum of 28 days as per campus data Record Retention policy. https://policies.ncsu.edu/regulation/reg-01-25-12/
Data-at-Rest Encryption (D@RE)
Requirements for D@RE have increased on campus for most data classification types and research grants. A primary goal of D@RE is to prevent data from physically leaving the data center either through failed drive replacement or theft. In agreement with OIT Security & Compliance and OIT Assistant Vice Chancellors the strategy consists of two options utilizing storage arrays with built-in encryption capabilities or drive retention with proper disposal policies of failed drives. Please see storage technical details for D@RE offerings for OIT storage services.
Special Requests
For needs beyond general storage offerings listed, including bulk storage purchases, building location specific storage solutions, replication options, or longer backup retention requirements, please contact oit_storage@help.ncsu.edu to discuss your needs.
Storage Costs & rate refresh
OIT Storage rates are calculated through detailed analysis of all costs to manage the service. This includes storage array cost and maintenance of infrastructure amortized over a five year life span, connectivity cost, and average staff-FTE cost in supporting the service. OIT annually evaluates the storage costs in an attempt to provide the best cost and offerings to help meet the IT strategic goals. Please see historical rates for past rates.