From email and instant messages to web-based video and rich images, unstructured data is growing astronomically year after year. In fact, IDG predicts that by 2020, 93% of all data in the digital universe will be unstructured. This unprecedented growth in unstructured data is breaking the capacity of many file servers and network-attached storage (NAS) systems, thus presenting significant challenges to organizations (especially in regards to the cost and administration of storing ever-increasing quantities of data). So what can organizations do to keep up?
The good news is there are emerging enterprise storage technologies that give organizations the ability to cost-effectively organize, manage, and search high volumes of diverse and unstructured data. One potential solution is object storage. Object storage overcomes many of the limitations of traditional storage systems by using a structurally flat data environment where the file data and metadata are combined and stored together as a single object. This offers massive scalability because there is no hierarchical structure of folders needed to keep track of file attributes (such as file names, types, permissions, creation/access times, etc.).
We recently spoke to Jon Toor, the Chief Marketing Officer at Cloudian, an innovative leader in enterprise object storage systems, to discuss object storage and to help shed light on what enterprises need to consider when choosing an object storage platform. Toor also shared how the company’s newest offering, the Cloudian HyperFile, can help companies realize the full benefits of object storage.
Q: Please tell us a bit more about Cloudian. What challenges does the company seek to address with its solutions?
Jon Toor, the Chief Marketing Officer at Cloudian
A: We introduced our flagship product, Cloudian HyperStore, in 2011. This year we added file services with HyperFile. Our mission is to provide infinitely scalable, easy-to-use file and object enterprise storage systems so our customers can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and derive the greatest value from their data.
Q: For those who are unfamiliar with the technology, can you offer us an overview of object storage in the simplest of terms? How does it differ from other types of cloud storage?
A: Cloudian offers both file and object storage systems that are used in enterprise data centers. Object storage is a technology that stores files, but in a way that makes the platform infinitely scalable. Both files and objects are unstructured data, such as images, media files, and documents. The difference is that files are accessed via normal file protocols, such as SMB(CIFS) and NFS, while objects are accessed via protocols such as the Amazon S3 API. Either way, the storage system resides on-premise, in the enterprise data center.
Q: Which customers use object storage, and what type(s) of data are they storing?
A: Object storage is used for unstructured data. It can also be used as a backup target for data protection apps backing up data of all kinds. Ideal use cases for this technology include media and entertainment, bioinformatics, engineering financial data, analytics data and so on.
These verticals require large amounts of data of all types: 4k/8k, 360-degree and 60fps video, data needed for AI and machine learning, engineering CAD drawings, financial data, genomic and other scientific data, and any data that needs to be archived for future use. Because retrieval from HyperStore adds latency, HyperFile is, in general, best suited for applications which are less latency-sensitive.
Q: In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, what role does object storage play?
A: Training an AI solution involves exposing it to vast amounts of data to allow it to discover patterns and form suggestions in response to those patterns. Ensuring the solution evolves over time requires a vast amount of data, too. Object storage is an economical and efficient way to store and deliver that data.
Q: Can you offer some tips on how organizations can carefully choose the best object storage platform for their business?
A: Make sure the platform is available both as a pre-configured appliance or as software-defined-storage. That gives you the flexibility to either acquire complete solutions that are sold and supported by a single vendor, or to deploy on the servers you choose. Also, make sure the system can start small and scale seamlessly, with the ability to add nodes of any size as your needs expand. Finally, make sure the protocol support (S3 API, SMB/CIFS, NFS) is proven compatible across a wide range of applications.
Q: Please tell us more about your enterprise-class, scale-out file service Cloudian HyperFile. What are its key features and highlights?
A: HyperFile is a scale-out NAS controller that provides a POSIX-compliant, scalable enterprise file services platform. When deployed in conjunction with HyperStore, customers can get all the scale, performance, data security and economic benefits of object-stores for file services.
HyperFile includes the most important capabilities of enterprise NAS, including snapshots for recovery of inadvertently deleted files, WORM (write once, read many) for data immutability, and high-availability with active/passive controllers. Data access is supported via NFS v3, SMB (CIFS), and FTP protocols. Active Directory and LDAP controls integrate with existing management frameworks to manage user and group access.
Q: To further clarify, how is Cloudian HyperFile different from the Cloudian HyperStore?
A: HyperFile is deployed on HyperStore – HyperStore is the object storage platform, and HyperFile is the controller that allows HyperStore to be used for file storage. The basic version of HyperFile is shipped pre-loaded with HyperStore.
Q: How can enterprises have a smooth and seamless data migration from existing NAS systems to Cloudian HyperFile?
A: Making the move from NAS requires no downtime; a data migration engine within HyperFile supports non-disruptive migration from existing NAS solutions. Migration occurs as a background task, with no interruption to application access other than the time it takes to switch IP addresses at the point of deployment – in other words, a few seconds.
Q: With so many cyber threats emerging on a daily basis, how does Cloudian protect its users and approach data security?
A: Cloudian products integrate a number of features that enhance security such as encryption for data at rest and data in flight, plus access controls that integrate with existing management frameworks. Cloudian can also help protect against ransomware and other malware attacks. The embedded WORM functionality can be used to make data unchangeable, ensuring that it cannot be corrupted.
Q: Object storage is a relatively new market segment that has seen steady growth. What are some of the biggest trends you have seen this year? And how do you see the object storage market evolving over the course of the next five years?
A: Three big changes in object storage are, first, the increased support found in enterprise applications. Almost all data protection applications now support object storage as a backup target, for example. Most media asset managers now support it, as well.
Second, IT managers increasingly see the possibilities for object. It takes time for new solutions to gain mindshare, but that presence is now growing fast. This becomes a virtuous cycle: increased adoption leads to more application support, which in turn drives further adoption.
Third, object storage will be the glue that ties together the on-premise and cloud data centers. These two environments each have their strengths, and savvy IT shops will make the fullest use of both. But to make these two environments work together, we need a common storage type that will facilitate seamless file transfer. Object storage will fill that role.
Forward-thinking players in this space already have solutions that can tie together Amazon, Microsoft, and Google clouds, as well as on-prem storage. Over the coming months and years, we will more and more use cases that capitalize on this flexibility to deliver value for the business.
About Cloudian
Cloudian is a Silicon Valley-based software company that specializes in enterprise-grade smart data storage. The company launched the HyperStore object storage solution in 2011 with the mission of enabling service providers and enterprises to simplify how data is being stored and managed. Today, leading companies such as Amazon, Lenovo, Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Quanta, offer Cloudian’s innovative unstructured data management products, along with other strategic reseller partners worldwide.