The Sarbanes Oxley Act was one of those historical events that changed the face of business forever. In its wake, many companies were left confused, wondering which types of data needed to be saved under the Sarbanes Oxley Act and which types fell outside of the scope. In order to avoid potential problems, most companies have adopted an all inclusive data storage approach, holding onto all data that flows through the company.

For most companies, the passing of the Sarbanes Oxley Act means a complete overhaul of their current data storage processes and a switch to smart, scalable, extremely safe methods of data storage. This article offers some points to consider when choosing data storage solutions designed for growing small to medium sized businesses.

Both tape storage and disk storage can be perfectly secure and sound solutions for complying with the Sarbanes Oxley Act. However, tape storage and disk storage are very different types of storage and the decision to choose one type of storage of the other is as individual as the company itself.

Tape storage is best suited for doctor's offices, insurance companies, dentists, and other businesses that need to keep records of customer data. Even though there may never be a need to access the stored data, keeping it safe and archived is essential for being prepared for lawsuits, investigations, or general reference.

The reason that tape storage is a favorable medium for this type of business is that it is inexpensive to store massive amounts of data on tape media before having to purchase new hardware. Retrieving data from tape storage often isn't as fast as with disk storage, but that isn't too large of concern in terms of Sarbanes Oxley compliance. The Sarbanes Oxley Act requires that businesses produce documents within 48 hours which is perfectly feasible with tape storage.

Many companies that have been using disk storage are finding that they are quickly running out of room with all of the excess data being stored to meet Sarbanes Oxley requirements. However, this doesn't mean that disk storage isn't an optimal solution for many types of businesses. The biggest benefit of disk storage is that disk storage archiving doesn't require a backup window and that data is quick and simple to retrieve. Today's disk storage equipment is built to be scalable so that companies can afford to grow.

The most prominent problem businesses face following the Sarbanes Oxley Act is the issue of constantly shrinking storage space. The Sarbanes Oxley Act requires that all financial documents be saved - and that includes email correspondence. The storage of all of this additional data has really put a strain on some companies that are outgrowing their data storage needs every 6-12 months or are having difficulty organizing stored data. Luckily for most small to midsized businesses, large amounts of disk storage space is now affordable and designed for scalability to grow with the company.

NetApp and EMC, traditionally manufacturers of disk storage devices for large corporations, have recently brought to the market robust storage solution for small to medium sized businesses. The NetApp Storevault S500 and EMC's Clariion AX150 allow companies to add blocks of storage as needed so that companies don't need to shell out big bucks for storage space they don't yet need. HP and Dell are expected to release disk storage products to compete in the SMB market very soon, meaning more options and affordability for growing businesses.

Though Sarbanes Oxley has been a source of stress for many organizations, the requirement to store and organize data is good for business beyond just compliance. In today's information age, a company's data is often its most important asset. Sarbanes Oxley encourages businesses to get their business practices organized and documented which almost certainly leads to a healthier company.