Category Archives: Cloud Storage
Dell EMC VxRail hitches ride on Enterprise Hybrid Cloud – TechTarget (blog)
Dell EMCs VxRail turned one today, and the vendor marked the anniversary by adding the hyper-converged platform to its Enterprise Hybrid Cloud package.
What storage tech will (or wont) set data centers ablaze in 2017? Discover the trends making our experts storage short-list. Additionally, diagnose your DR in light of todays data capacity limitations.
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Dell EMC claims over 1,000 customers for VxRail through the end of 2016, with more than 8,000 nodes, 100,000 CPU cores and 65 PB of storage capacity shipped in the system. VxRail is EMCs first successful hyper-converged appliance, following a short, failed attempt with a Vspex Blue product launched in 2015.
Like Vspex Blue, VxRail is based on Dell-owned VMwares vSAN hyper-converged software. It also runs on Dell PowerEdge servers, although VxRail originally incorporated Quanta servers until the Dell-EMC acquisition closed last September. VxRail launched just after VMware upgraded vSAN to version 6.2, which added data reduction and other capabilities that improved its performance with flash storage. Dell EMC VxRail senior vice presidentGil Shneorson said 60% of VxRail sales have been on all-flash appliances.
Were definitely seeing the combination of hyper-converged and all-flash taking off in a meaningful way, he said.
Now VxRail is an option for Dell EMC Enterprise Hybrid Cloud(EHC) customers. EHC is a set of applications and services running on Dell EMC hardware that provide automation, orchestration and self-service features. The software includes VMware vRealize cloud management, ViPR Controller and PowerPath/VE storage management, and EMC Storage Analytics.
Other EHC storage options include EMC VMAX, XtremIO, Unity, ScaleIO and Isilon arrays sold as VxBlock reference architectures with Dell PowerEdge servers. EHC is also available with VxRack Flex hyper-converged systems that use Dell EMC ScaleIO software instead of VxRail appliances. Data protection options include Avamar, RecoverPoint and Vplex software and Data Domain backup hardware.
Along with the Dell EMC VxRail option, the vendor is adding subscription support and encryption as a service to EHC. Dell EMC does not break out EHC financials, but Dell EMC senior vice president of hybrid cloud platforms Peter Cutts said its revenue was in the hundreds of millions of dollars last year.
Adding a Dell EMC VxRail options lets EHC customers start with as few as 200 virtual machines.
This gives customers the ability to start smaller, configure EHC as an appliance and go forward in that direction, Cutts said.
For now, organizations who want to use VxRail with EHC need to buy a new appliance. Cutts said the vendor is working on allowing customers to convert existing VxRail appliances to EHC but that is not yet an option.
Using VxRail as part of EHC makes sense as vendors begin to position hyper-converged systems as enterprise cloud building blocks. Hyper-converged market leader Nutanix now positions its appliances that way, emphasizing its software stacks ability to move data from any application, hypervisor or cloud to any other application, hypervisor or cloud. Nutanix is VxRails chief competitor.
Weve seen requests for more data center-type features and functionality, Shneorson said. VxRail is being put into data centers in much larger clusters than we originally anticipated. Were seeing a shift from an initial focus on remote offices and test/dev to mission critical data center use.
But unlike Nutanix, Dell EMC still also sells traditional storage. So Shneorson admits hyper-converged is not a universal answer because not every organization wants to scale their storage and compute in lockstep.
Its a matter of economics, he said. The advantage of hyper-converged is you can start small and grow in small increments. But some customers environments are already large and predictable in growth. By using shared storage you can get any ratio of CPU to disk. With hyper-converged, there is always a set ratio of CPU to disk. If you want massive amounts of storage with a small amount of CPUs for example, you would be better served by a traditional architecture.
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Dell EMC VxRail hitches ride on Enterprise Hybrid Cloud - TechTarget (blog)
Cloudian, Panzura expand cloud data archiving options – TechTarget (blog)
Cloudian and Panzura have come up with new cloud data archiving products to help organizations move on-premises data to the cloud.
Cloudians new HyperStore 4000 is a 7U scale-out object storage enclosure that stores up to 700 TB and includes two separate compute nodes per chassis. It can be configured as a three-way cluster for data availability and the system has built-in, hybrid cloud tiering. Like Cloudians 1U HyperStore 1500 appliance, the 4000 can store data on premises or in the Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google public clouds. It also can tier data to the Cloudian public cloud.
What storage tech will (or wont) set data centers ablaze in 2017? Discover the trends making our experts storage short-list. Additionally, diagnose your DR in light of todays data capacity limitations.
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Jon Toor, Cloudians chief marketing officer, said the appliance is aimed largely at the entertainment, video surveillance and genome sequencing industries, or as a replacement for tape archives.
Panzura launched a new cloud data archiving appliance as part of its Freedom Archive platform, and is packaging that with its Freedom NAS and Freedom Collaboration file sync products. The vendor said its Panzura 5500 Series Flash Cache can support up to 1,200 active users. The Freedom Archive virtual appliance that launched in late 2016 runs on VMware vSphere and supports up to 500 users.
Panzuras products all integrate on-premises storage with the public cloud. Freedom NAS stores active data in local cache while moving colder data to the cloud. Freedom Collaboration stores data in a central cloud repository and makes all files read and write accessible on each.
It takes the archiving piece and adds additional functionality as the company grows into the cloud, said Barry Phillips, Panzuras chief marketing officer.
Scott Sinclair, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, said Panzuras encryption makes it a good fit for protecting sensitive information that organizations are reluctant to move off-premises for cloud data archiving.
The cloud offers a number of benefits, but some businesses are reluctant to leverage public cloud resources for sensitive information, Sinclair said. With FIPS 140-2 certification and AES-256 bit encryption to secure at rest and in-flight, Panzura is working to alleviate any potential security concerns.
There are other hybrid cloud solutions that offer encryption. The success in storing sensitive data in the cloud requires more than the right technology. It also requires trust, Sinclair said. Some businesses have already benefited by moving digital archives to the cloud, while others remain reluctant. Panzura has the right technology to find success in this space. The question is whether they can convince those businesses still questioning the cloud to make the move forward.
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Cloudian, Panzura expand cloud data archiving options - TechTarget (blog)
Apple, Microsoft and Amazon offer fairer deal on cloud storage – PCWorld
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Apple, Microsoft and Amazon have agreed to give cloud storage subscribers fairer contracts after intervention by the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority.
Such cloud storage services are typically used to store photos, videos, music or digital copies of important documents.
If the services shut down or vary their capacity or prices without notice, customers can lose their data, or be held hostage.
The CMA asked the storage service providers to give adequate notice before closing, suspending or changing services, and to allow customers to cancel their contracts and receive a pro-rata refund if they didn't accept service changes.
The regulator last year obtained similar undertakings from Google, Dropbox and five other cloud storage providers.
The CMA estimates that three in 10 British adults store personal data in the cloud, the majority of them using free services.
The cloud storage providers made the changes to their terms and conditions voluntarily, thus avoiding enforcement action by the CMA. The regulator said it was ending an investigation into cloud storage begun in December 2015.
Amazon's European subsidiary, Amazon Media EU, agreed among other things to ensure that price increases do not take effect during a consumers fixed contract term, and to clearly and narrowly define the circumstances in which Amazon may suspend or terminate the contract or service.
Apple subsidiary Apple Distribution International said it would give consumers 30 days to remedy "non-material" breaches of contract before their service was cut off, and would allow them to cancel within 14 days after renewal of a fixed-term contract.
As for Microsoft, it said it would provide advance warning if it intended to shut a OneDrive user's account for going over their storage allowance, and generously promised not to shut OneDrive accounts for inactivity as long as they were fully paid up.
That last will come as a relief to anyone using their OneDrive account to back up infrequently changed data.
Peter Sayer covers European public policy, artificial intelligence, the blockchain, and other technology breaking news for the IDG News Service.
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Apple, Microsoft and Amazon offer fairer deal on cloud storage - PCWorld
Tech giants to support government drive for fair cloud storage contracts – Digital By Default News
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have committed to providing cloud storage users with fairer contracts, following action by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The three companies are the latest cloud storage providers to improve their terms and conditions following the CMAsreview of compliance with consumer law in the sector. Last year, the CMA secured separate commitments from JustCloud, Livedrive and Dixons Carphone, and BT, Dropbox, Google and Mozy to make changes to their contract terms.
Andrea Coscelli, CMAacting chief executive, said: We are pleased that Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have joined seven previous companies in working with the CMA and agreeing commitments to improve their terms and conditions and, as a result, cloud storage users will benefit from fairer terms which will help them make the right choices when using cloud storage services.
A summary of the separate changes to terms and conditions agreed with each company can be found on the case page.
The CMA has worked with the industry to improve compliance with consumer law. The latest agreed changes bring to an end the CMAs consumer law compliance review into the cloud storage sector. The CMA remains interested in unfair terms and conditions, particularly in the digital economy. Companies in the cloud storage, and other technology-driven sectors, are urged to keep their terms and conditions under review and to continually improve the fairness and clarity of their consumer contract terms.
Increasing need to move from legacy solutions paves the way for consumption-based models
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Tech giants to support government drive for fair cloud storage contracts - Digital By Default News
Brit watchdog spanks Microsoft, Amazon, Apple into promising fairer … – The Register
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have committed to providing cloud storage users with fairer contracts after a crackdown by the UK's Competition Markets Authority (CMA).
The companies are the latest cloud storage providers to improve their terms and conditions following the CMA's review of compliance with consumer law in the sector.
Price hikes and last-minute service tweaks prompted the CMA to open its investigation at the end of 2015. So far the regulator has secured changes to the contract terms from JustCloud, Livedrive, Dixons Carphone, BT, Dropbox, Google and Mozy.
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have separately agreed to make changes to their respective terms and conditions.
This includes: adequate notice to customers before significant changes are made to the service; cancellation rights and pro-rata refunds if customers don't want to accept significant changes; and adequate notice before the service is suspended or cancelled.
Andrea Coscelli, acting chief exec of CMA, said: "People rely on cloud storage to keep things such as treasured family photos, music, films and important documents safe, so it is important that they are treated fairly and should not be hit by unexpected price rises or changes to storage levels."
She said as a result millions of cloud storage users will benefit from fairer terms which will help them make the right choices when using cloud storage services.
Cloud storage is used by one-third of British adults in a personal capacity, said the CMA.
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Brit watchdog spanks Microsoft, Amazon, Apple into promising fairer ... - The Register
What is the cloud? Is it cloud storage, cloud backup, cloud sync, cloud computing? – Hometown Focus
By Dustin Miller
HTF Columnist
EVELETH What is the cloud? The simple answer is it is a bunch of servers on the Internet networked together to provide you your services and storage from the Internet instead of your hard drive. Different servers will have different functions, such as processing your requests or storing your data. Most people use the cloud for somethingand many dont even realize it.
If you have your phones being backed up to Google or Apple, you are using cloud storage. They give you some storage space to back up your files from your phone in case disaster happens; you will then, hopefully, be able to restore your phone fairly easily with minimal data loss.
There are many different types of clouds out there as well. There is cloud storage, cloud backup, cloud sync and cloud software. Google Drive is a cloud computing service, which allows you to edit documents and spreadsheets all online. This service is entirely online-based and even allows you to save files on your account. You dont even need a computer to use thisthere are apps for most smart phones and tablets.
Dropbox is an example of a cloud sync application. You upload files and then the files will be transferred to all other dropbox installations that you have installed or users you are sharing the folder/file with. Of course, depending on the size of the file, this can take a little bit of time. This service is primarily used for sharing your files with other computers or people.
Cloud storage places such as Apple iCloud or Amazon Cloud are mostly used to back up your files and documents, and store them online. Many of your off-site storages will use a cloud-based storage as well. This gives you a backup of all of your data in the event something happens to your computer.
Is the cloud secure? Should I store personal data on the cloud? This depends. Some cloud services will encrypt your data, but always make sure it is encrypted before you do store any personal information up there. All the main cloud companies have many security measures in place to protect your data, but on the Internet (as with anything) there is always that chance it can end up in the wrong hands. Of course, using a strong password will also help keep your data safe.
When deciding if you want to use the cloud, you also need to see who actually owns the material once it is uploaded. You may give up some of your rights to that file on some cloud servicesso always be sure to check their terms and conditions. I, personally, like the cloud for storing some of my files that I like to access from multiple locations. I mostly use Google Drives storage for many of those files. I also use online backup for some of my critical documents in case of a computer crash.
Dustin Miller is a general partner of Cold Snap Technology in Eveleth, MN. Cold Snap Technology can be reached at 218-744-1210 or visit http://www.coldsnaptech.com.
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What is the cloud? Is it cloud storage, cloud backup, cloud sync, cloud computing? - Hometown Focus
Self-Storage Operator Right Move Offers Tenants Free, Unlimited Cloud Storage With VaultDrop – Inside Self-Storage
Right Move Storage LLC, a real estate firm specializing in the acquisition, development, management and operation of self-storage facilities, is offering new tenants at its owned and managed properties free, unlimited cloud storage through VaultDrop LLC. Customers can use the service to store documents, music, photos and videos for sharing with friends and family. They can also use it to receive their storage invoices and other information, according to a press release.
This is a ground-breaking idea, said Darren Kelley, president of Right Move Storage. "It was first presented to me by A.J. Esmailzadeh, co-founder of VaultDrop. We began working together to offer storage owners a unique product, which creates incremental revenue and profit for the owner, while also providing an amenity to help them gain and retain customers."
In addition to being a value-added benefit to renting a unit, the add-on service has created more interaction between tenants and facility managers, Kelley said. "Since implementing VaultDrop across our self-storage portfolio, our properties are realizing two to three additional rentals per month and generating incremental revenue, much like our tenant-insurance program, he added. We see this as a competitive edge."
VaultDrops free unlimited cloud storage will also be offered to all registrants of theInside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, April 10-13, where the company will give a Vendor Presentation titled, The Next Great Ancillary Product: Cloud Data Storage. Show attendees who take advantage of the offer will enjoy free storage through April 31, 2018. Upon expiration, they can continue their subscription for $4.99 per month. Additional free offers may also be available at that time.
Launched in 2016, VaultDrop provides secure, unlimited cloud storage, according to the release. Accounts are encrypted with contents divided and stored across multiple independently operated servers.
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Houston, Right Move Storage operates as Right Move Self Storage. It manages storage properties in California, Louisiana and Texas. The company is seeking acquisition and development opportunities nationwide.
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Self-Storage Operator Right Move Offers Tenants Free, Unlimited Cloud Storage With VaultDrop - Inside Self-Storage
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft pledge to support government push for fair cloud storage use – ComputerWeekly.com
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft are finally throwing their weight behind a government-backed push to get the cloud storage community to roll out fairer terms for users.
What to move, where and when. Use this checklist and tips for a smooth transition.
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed that the trio had committed to altering their contract terms to protect users from unexpected price hikes or service terminations.
In a statement, the CMA said all three had separately committed to changing their terms and conditions to ensure users get adequate notice of any significant changes to their services.
Also, if users are not happy with the changes these providers plan to introduce, all three have offered to give pro-rota refunds.
Andrea Coscelli,acting CEO of the CMA, said that, given how reliant consumers are becoming on cloud storage services, providers had a duty of care to ensure they treated users and their data with respect.
People rely on cloud storage to keep things such as treasured family photos, music, films and important documents safe, so it is important that they are treated fairly and should not be hit by unexpected price rises or changes to storage levels, said Coscelli.
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have joined seven previous companies in working with theCMAand agreeing commitments to improve their terms and conditions.
As a result, millions of cloud storage users will benefit from fairer terms, which will help them make the right choices when using cloud storage services.
The likes of Dropbox and Google, and a number of lesser-known providers, have pledged their support for the CMAs review of the cloud storage market, which began in November 2015.
The initiatives aim is to assess how the terms and conditions offered by the cloud storage provider community complies with consumer rights laws.
This followed numerous headlines and reports about cloud storage firms raising prices, cutting the amount of free capacity they offer or shutting down with little warning to customers.
Notable by their absence, until now, have been Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, given that their services are relied on by millions of cloud storage users across the world.
Securing the support of these three means the CMAs review of the cloud storage sector is now complete, the organisation confirmed.
TheCMAremains interested in unfair terms and conditions, particularly in the digital economy, the CMA said in a statement.
Companies in the cloud storage and other technology-driven sectors are urged to keep their terms and conditions under review and to continually improve the fairness and clarity of their consumer contract terms.
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Amazon, Apple and Microsoft pledge to support government push for fair cloud storage use - ComputerWeekly.com
How Data Storage is Changing – and What It Means for MSPs … – Talkin’ Cloud
Brought to you by MSPmentor
Data storage is changing. What was true five years ago about the way you managed databases and storage systems may not hold true anymore.
Keep reading for a primer on data storage today.
Once upon a time, data storage was pretty simple. From the early 1990s through the 2000s, most data lived in simple relational databases, like MySQL and PostgreSQL.
They were hosted on traditional servers using magnetic disks.
Each type of relational database had its special nuances.
But in general, if you knew one relational database, you could learn to work with another one easily enough.
And when it came time to choose which type of database to use for your business or customers, there was not much to think about, because each of the databases worked in more or less the same way.
Today, however, the data storage world has grown much more complicated. It is changing radically as a result of the following trends:
What do these changes mean for MSPs?
First, they mean that you need to know much more about storage than you did in the past in order to choose the storage solutions that best meet the needs of your business and your customers.
At the same time, however, the increasingly complex world of data storage also presents an opportunity.
By becoming experts in the storage options outlined above, MSPs can provide good service by helping clients to understand data storage questions that many consumers can no longer answer for themselves.
There's opportunity in complexity, especially for MSPs.
Originally posted here:
How Data Storage is Changing - and What It Means for MSPs ... - Talkin' Cloud
Thinking Outside The Box: Why Cloud Storage Services Are A Bad Fit For Managing Brand Assets – Business Solutions Magazine
By Leslie Weller, Director of Marketing, Canto
The popularity of cloud-based storage and sharing tools has skyrocketed over the past five years. Businesses and consumers use Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox for sharing files, collaborating on documents, and coordinating projects in real time.
These services, however, are not one-size-fits-all. They might not be suitable for businesses in industries that adhere to more restrictive standards like finance and healthcare. Marketers and agencies could find them to be poor fits as well, especially when managing a growing number of brand assets (such as photos, videos, and graphics).
When it comes to organizing images, videos, and other media files, marketers eventually realize sometimes after trial and error a service like Box cant meet their needs. Marketers need a digital asset management (DAM) system designed for managing visual content, not a simple tool that simply sends files to and from the cloud. Following are five reasons marketers should avoid Box, Dropbox, and other cloud storage tools for managing brand assets.
Bottom Line: DAM Supports Better Productivity For Managing Brand Assets
When all is said and done, your digital assets are valuable to your company for one main reason: theyre created to help the company meet business goals by generating revenue through marketing, advertising campaigns, and more. The easier it is to manage and organize your creative assets, the easier it is to stay productive. While Box, Dropbox, and other cloud storage services are commonplace, they arent designed for brand asset management (and may actually inhibit productivity). By relying on SaaS-driven DAM technology to manage, store, and use creative assets, marketing teams will benefit from the increased productivity and streamlined workflows for asset management.
Leslie Weller, director of marketing for Canto, has a deep respect for the way technology connects people with the things they value most. She joined Canto to help marketers, brand managers, product managers, and content managers understand there is a better way to make use of their organizations massive amounts of digital content. Weller earned a masters of business administration degree from California State University, San Marcos and a bachelors of science degree in sociology from Brigham Young University.
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Thinking Outside The Box: Why Cloud Storage Services Are A Bad Fit For Managing Brand Assets - Business Solutions Magazine