DataDirect Networks unveils ‘major’ advances to its WOS Object Storage Technology

DDN has announced a significant update to its WOS object storage platform, adding next-generation software features and capabilities that now make WOS the most complete and versatile object storage platform in the industry.

The shift to object-based storage is accelerating quickly as a means of solving today’s unstructured data storage challenges. According to the February 11, 2014 Gartner report on the Critical Capabilities for Object Storage, “The explosion in unstructured data, which is growing at 40 to 60 percent on a yearly basis in most enterprises, has catapulted object storage as an inexpensive, scalable, self-healing, multitenant platform for storing petabytes of data.”[i]

Available immediately, the WOS 360 full-spectrum object storage update enables users to build a highly reliable, infinitely-scalable and efficient storage pool for all their unstructured data needs. The WOS 360 update redefines the architecture of scale-out storage infrastructures through a broad set of sophisticated new data protection, archive, collaboration and distribution capabilities designed specifically to meet the five key object storage requirements of customers today: scalability, accessibility, efficiency, reliability and performance.

With the latest WOS 360 technology, a single object storage platform can support the complete lifecycle of unstructured data. It has never been easier or more cost-effective, for users to tune storage and data protections options to meet the requirements of any data set, in any location and with any storage architecture as IT needs change.

New scale-out advancements in the WOS 360 update include Global ObjectAssureTM which builds on DDN’s existing data protection schemes and provides customers with the broadest data protection capabilities available.

Scale out options can now leverage single data center, multiple data center for data protection and data sharing, as well as long-term retention archive storage with the introduction of the new WOS Archive Node hardware option.

In addition to these latest software and hardware platform updates, the company is also accelerating the growth of its partner ecosystem with a new application integration program called WOS Connect. This partner development program enables seamless integration and compatibility testing with WOS technology, as end users and application providers integrate object storage into their environments.

Modern Large Scale Applications Require Modern Scale-Out Storage Repositories
Today’s data intensive applications require a new approach to storage that addresses the five key requirements customers consider when defining the architecture of their scale-out storage infrastructures: scalability, accessibility, efficiency, reliability and performance.

While traditional tiered storage architectures reduce the overall TCO of storing data, for large scale environments where multiple locations, data types or applications may coexist in a single infrastructure, this paradigm is increasingly impractical, prompting users to consider less complex and more efficient alternatives to the file system approach.

WOS 360 addresses these challenges as a platform that is uniquely enabled through an underlying NoFS (No File System) architecture. Unlike most object storage platforms which still have a POSIX file system layer on the disk level, WOS technology was designed as a true object storage platform, with a flat, single layer address structure where objects are stored in a contiguous group of blocks so that disk operations are minimized, performance is maximized and disks are used at full capacity.
Broad Range of Data Protection Schemes Provides Users with Choice and Flexibility to Adapt to Changing Business Needs

With preservation, retention and deletion of data a critical requirement, WOS 360 offers the industry’s broadest range of object storage protection schemes, ranging from smart replication to the company’s ObjectAssure erasure coding offerings. Unlike traditional dispersed erasure encoding techniques that limit the choice in number of sites or data protection levels, WOS technology is the only platform that provides local, replicated and globally distributed erasure coding, affording customers full flexibility to select the protection scheme that best meets their needs. Data protection mechanisms are policy-based and can be set up as granularly as per object.

With the latest WOS update, DDN introduces Global ObjectAssure, a new kind of distributed erasure coding, designed for multi-site deployments where customers require very low-cost infrastructures for very large data sets. Global ObjectAssure, with local and global data protection capabilities, is designed for use cases in which low network overhead and high levels of data durability are key decision criteria.

In addition to the new Global ObjectAssure capability, DDN continues to offer the following data protection schemes within WOS technology:
o Replication - allows for the highest levels of performance and data durability, and is typically implemented in content delivery and data collaboration scenarios where speed of access outweighs the increased cost of storing multiple complete copies of the data.
o Local Copy ObjectAssure - reduces storage overhead while maximizing durability for single-site deployments. This schema is often used as an alternative for traditional RAID for cost-efficient storage of frequently accessed and modified data. Often, an additional copy is stored on tape.
o Replicated ObjectAssure - offers data protection and disaster recovery by copying data to a second site. WOS object replication is highly WAN optimized, lowering the network overhead by up to 30 compared with traditional object storage replication strategies. This deployment scenario is typically selected for large object, multiple data center environments typically scene in web, content and cloud service environments.
WOS 360 and New DDN Archive Nodes Lower the TCO of Scale-out, Archive Infrastructures

To meet customers’ need to continually lower the overall cost of storage, DDN is also introducing the new, low-cost WOS Archive Node. For organizations looking to build large scale active archives, the Archive Node in combination with Global ObjectAssure helps drive down costs of the object storage environment even further.
WOS Connect Partner Program Accelerates Ecosystem Build Out, Providing Users with Increased Value

DDN is also accelerating its partner ecosystem build out by connecting application and solution partners to deliver more value to customers. The WOS Connect program breaks the dependence on traditional file systems by enabling end users and partners to integrate with native RESTful APIs.

WOS Connect further enables DDN partners to deliver integrated technology solutions supported by joint sales and marketing programs. In addition, the WOS Connect onboarding program helps educate and enable partners with valuable go-to-market training and tools.