A Deep Dive on StorNext 6 – Part 1: FlexTier

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][mk_dropcaps style=”simple-style”]S[/mk_dropcaps]torNext 6, the latest generation of Quantum’s shared storage and data management solution, is absolutely loaded with exciting new features. So, I thought we’d pick off a few of them one at a time to explain how beneficial they can be to your media workflow.

Our first deep dive is on FlexTier®, a technology that extends StorNext access to public and private clouds. Besides having a cool name, I wanted to hear exactly why it is a “must have” for content creators. Naturally, I went to Greg Holick, our director of cloud storage solutions at Quantum and our resident FlexTier guru. Below are a few highlights from our discussion about FlexTier and why it’s a real game-changer.

Rebecca: Why is FlexTier such an important component to StorNext 6?

Greg: FlexTier provides StorNext 6 users with access to the cloud using their public cloud or object storage solution of choice. It does this without the need to use an API to drive integration with public or private clouds. All of the user’s applications will continue to work, so it makes the transition a seamless and user-friendly experience.

Rebecca: What are some of the key benefits for media workflows?

Greg: With FlexTier you get the same automatic data movement to and from the cloud that StorNext provides with other tiers, so the cloud becomes a tier just like primary storage, object storage or archive. Like I said before users can keep working like they have before but there is complete flexibility in the public cloud vendors you can use—Amazon, Microsoft or Google—as well as for your private cloud, such as Scality Ring, IBM Cloud Object Storage, Netapp StorageGRID, and Hitachi HCP. You can even support multiple clouds. It’s truly a cost-effective solution for managing your data.

Rebecca: What are some of the cool features that come with FlexTier?

Greg: FlexTier is a policy-based tiering system. Basically, we keep all of your most recent data on your local cache and the rest is protected in the cloud. You can route your data to the buckets you want, when you want. And you own your bucket, which makes managing data easy. With FlexTier you get support for major public and private cloud vendors and have a secure transition to the cloud. Because StorNext is one of very few cloud gateways that supports tape, cloud, object storage and disk as targets, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Rebecca: Can you give us an example of how FlexTier benefited one of our customers?

Greg: I’ll give you two. One of our StorNext customers, leveraging Lattus™ object storage for nearline protection and access, wanted off-premise data protection just in case they experienced site loss. With FlexTier they are happily using Amazon—problem solved. Another customer is now using FlexTier with Amazon S3 for nearline data protection and Amazon Glacier for their finished assets in a media workflow. These are two successful use cases of FlexTier with two happy customers.

Rebecca: What’s the future of FlexTier?

Greg: This is a big investment area for Quantum, and there is definitely more to come. One thing I can share is that we’re adding more public and private cloud targets as we speak.

Check out our web site for more information about FlexTier and StorNext 6. Also, stay tuned for the next post in the Deep Dive into StorNext 6 blog series. If you’d like to talk with a storage specialist about how FlexTier can benefit your specific workflow, please contact us here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]