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The hidden cost of overuse and misuse of data storage
Most organisations are storing far more data than they use and, while keeping it “just in case” might feel like the safe option, it’s a habit that can quietly chip away at budgets, performance, and even sustainability goals.
At first glance, storing everything might not seem like a huge problem. But when you factor in rising energy prices and ballooning data volumes, the cracks in that strategy start to show.
Over time, outdated storage practices, from legacy systems to underused cloud buckets, can become a surprisingly expensive problem.
Mike Hoy, Chief Technology Officer at UK edge infrastructure provider Pulsant, explores this growing challenge for UK businesses:
More data, more problems
Cloud computing originally promised a simple solution: elastic storage, pay-as-you-go, and endless scalability. But in practice, this flexibility has led many organisations to amass sprawling, unmanaged environments.
Files are duplicated, forgotten, or simply left idle – all while costs accumulate.
Many businesses also remain tied to on-premises legacy systems, either from necessity or inertia. These older infrastructures typically consume more energy, require regular maintenance, and provide limited visibility into data usage.
Put unmanaged cloud plus outdated on-prem systems together and you’ve got a recipe for inefficiency.
The financial sting of bad habits
Most leaders in IT understand storing and securing data costs money. But what often gets overlooked are the hidden costs: the backup of low-value data, the power consumption of idle systems, or the surprise charges that come from cloud services which are not being monitored properly.
Then there’s the operational cost. Disorganised or poorly labelled data makes access slower and compliance tougher. It also increases security risks, especially if sensitive information is spread across uncontrolled environments.
The longer these issues go unchecked, the more danger there is of a snowball effect.
Smarter storage starts with visibility
The first step towards resolving these issues isn’t deleting data indiscriminately, it’s understanding what’s there.
Carrying out an infrastructure or storage audit can shed light on what’s being stored, who’s using it, and whether it still serves a purpose.
Once that visibility is at your fingertips, you can start making smarter decisions about what stays, what goes, and what gets moved somewhere more cost-effective.
This is where a hybrid approach of combining cloud, on-premises, and edge infrastructure comes into play. It lets businesses tailor their storage to the job at hand, reducing waste while improving performance.
Why edge computing is part of the solution
Edge computing isn’t just a tech buzzword; it’s an increasingly practical way to harness data where it’s generated.
By processing information at the edge, organisations can act on insights faster, reduce the volume of data stored centrally, and ease the load on core networks and systems.
Edge computing technologies make this approach practical. By using regional edge data centres or local processing units, businesses can filter and process data closer to its source, sending only essential information to the cloud or core infrastructure.
This reduces storage and transmission costs and helps prevent the build-up of redundant or low-value data that can silently increase expenses over time.
This approach is particularly valuable in data-heavy industries such as healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing, where large volumes of real-time information are produced daily.
Processing data locally enables businesses to store less, move less, and act faster.
The wider payoff
Cutting storage costs is an obvious benefit but it’s far from the only one.
A smarter, edge-driven strategy helps businesses build a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable digital infrastructure:
• Lower energy usage — By processing and filtering data locally, organisations reduce the energy demands of transmitting and storing large volumes centrally, supporting both carbon reduction targets and lower utility costs. As sustainability reporting becomes more critical, this can also help meet Scope 2 emissions goals.
• Faster access to critical data — When the most important data is processed closer to its source, teams can respond in real time, meaning improved decision-making, customer experience, and operational agility.
• Greater resilience and reliability — Local processing means organisations are less dependent on central networks. If there’s an outage or disruption, edge infrastructure can provide continuity, keeping key services running when they’re needed most.
• Improved compliance and governance — By keeping sensitive data within regional boundaries and only transmitting what’s necessary, businesses can simplify compliance with regulations such as GDPR, while reducing the risk of data sprawl and shadow IT.
Ultimately, it’s about creating a storage and data environment that’s fit for modern demands. It needs to be fast, flexible, efficient and aligned with wider business priorities.
Don’t let storage be an afterthought
Data is valuable - but only when it's well managed.
When storage becomes a case of “out of sight, out of mind,” businesses end up paying more for less. And what do they have to show for it? Ageing infrastructure and bloated cloud bills.
A little housekeeping goes a long way. By adopting modern infrastructure strategies, including edge computing and hybrid storage models, businesses can transform data storage from a hidden cost centre into a source of operational efficiency and competitive advantage.
For more from Pulsant, click here.
