Thinking beyond simply saving space
Frequent flyers know how much space they can gain just by squeezing the air out of their luggage. They can pack for a week-long vacation in the same bag others will over-stuff with clothes for a simple overnight trip. Atoms, like suitcases, are mostly empty space. If you were to remove all the empty space between the atoms of every person on earth, the whole human race would comfortably fit (or maybe uncomfortably fit since we’d be squished on an atomic level) in a space smaller than a sugar cube. In all matter there is a vast amount of empty space, space that really isn’t being used for much.
In data storage, a similar effect is possible, albeit to a much smaller extent. While you couldn’t compress all the data from a mainframe into a 4GB USB-drive, there is still plenty of storage space to be gained by compressing data properly. Additionally, by focusing compression on archived data or other storage that is rarely accessed, a greater degree of efficiency can be achieved.
Data compression is the most effective way to save on storage space and network bandwidth. Compression software works by removing redundancies in files and sets of data. The compression removes duplicates of data sets and then refers back the original data set as needed. Data compression is also accomplished through various algorithms such as the Lempel–Ziv–Welch and through other data management techniques.
Data compression on the mainframe has a number of benefits:
Reduce the need for new hardware. IT departments operating mainframes are all too familiar with the pressures and expectations of doing more with less. In this case, to store more data without new hardware. Software that can compress files up to 95% fulfills that need to do more with less.
Improve database performance. Data queries and database performance can be greatly accelerated by using available memory in the most efficient way possible. Compression frees up drive space and closes up memory gaps, reducing the time needed to locate data on a drive.
Speed up backups. Compressed files transfer faster and use less bandwidth than their uncompressed counterparts. A good compression strategy thus supports an effective backup plan. Not only does compression of files save space on the mainframe, it also saves space on all on-and off-site backup systems.
Provide more secure storage. Compression software that encrypts compressed data additionally ensures that the stored files are secure.
When pondering all these benefits, there are also a few drawbacks to consider. Compressed data has to be decompressed before it becomes usable. This adds a step of additional processing in order for the compressed data to be accessible. As such, compression is not always the idea way to handle frequently used data. It is more useful for archives and files that should be kept but are not frequently viewed.
Another factor to consider is lossless vs. lossy compression. Lossless compression will not sacrifice any of the original data in the compression process, but will not be able to reduce the size of the data as substantially. On the other hand, lossy compression will make the files much smaller, but the compressed files (especially images, audio, and video files) will be of much lower quality.
Despite the drawbacks, data compression is a highly effective way to save on storage space and bandwidth resources on your mainframe. Start a free trial of MegaZip, ASPG’S mainframe data compression software, to see how you can more efficiently manage data capacity and security on your system.
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