Cleversafe Software V2.1
Provides software options for customers using industry standard hardware
This is a Press Release edited by StorageNewsletter.com on July 6, 2010 at 2:44 pmCleversafe Inc. announced the
release of Cleversafe software version 2.1. The latest release delivers
on the key requirements necessary for service providers to easily manage
cloud storage as part of their overall service offerings while
providing new flexible deployment options for customers.
For service providers that need tightly integrated software solutions
for cloud storage, Cleversafe software delivers the foundation for
superior cloud services with the flexibility necessary to offer a
multitude of services for customers today.
Key new features include the following:
- Advanced APIs: Integration with existing service provider
systems through enhanced API enabling billing systems, CRM solutions,
and management consoles to easily integrate with Cleversafe Dispersed
Storage™ systems. Additional API enhancements include vault usage
metrics, storage container auditing and SNMP event alerts for
at-a-glance system diagnostics on the health of their storage system. - Enhanced Security: Active Directory authentication with
service providers’ systems for customer access as well as service
provider administrator permissions for the management system. - Verifiable Performance: Cleversafe’s ObjectOMeter tests
performance related to the client SDK to ensure throughput of data and
information within the cloud independent of network performance and
application layers.
Cleversafe is also announcing a program to offer Cleversafe software
on certified third-party storage systems. This program allows
customers to leverage their existing relationships with storage vendors
while working with Cleversafe for software support which addresses the
security challenges of the cloud, as announced in March. Additionally,
by utilizing industry standard hardware platforms, customers can feel
confident that their Dispersed Storage network operates seamlessly with
their existing IT infrastructure. Cleversafe will also continue to offer
bundled Cleversafe Dispersed Storage hardware and Cleversafe 2.1
software.
Cleversafe software is java-based and accessible through standard
interfaces, making it a viable option for customers that need a highly
secure, highly portable solution for their storage needs. Cleversafe
also leverages industry standard components such as Intel x86 processors
and Seagate SATA drives for easy integration with existing data
center infrastructures. Cleversafe software also continues to solve the
problems of traditional perimeter security – which does not work in a
virtualized or public cloud infrastructure. Customers value the approach
of how securing the confidentiality of data shifts from securing the
perimeter to transforming data into unrecognizable slides which have
been proven to be inherently secure.
“Service providers have taken center stage in cloud storage
deployments in supplying reliable, cost-efficient IT storage and
services. Our goal with Cleversafe 2.1 is to provide rock-solid security
that can overcome multiple simultaneous failures and the ability to
meet the demanding SLAs expected in cloud storage deployments,” said
Chris Gladwin, CEO of Cleversafe. “And, with the new functionality
we’re now offering that underscore ease-of-use, flexibility and
cost-control, customers can leverage our software with Cleversafe
Dispersed Storage solutions or with certified third-party storage
solutions depending on their needs.”
As part of the strategy to offer customers more flexibility in
configuring their Dispersed Storage network, Cleversafe now offers three
separate software licenses (street pricing shown):
- Accesser
2.1– dispersed storage router, per CPU socket, $4,200 - Slicestor
2.1 – storage nodes, per spindle pricing: 4 spindle license $3,800; 12
spindle license $10,200 - Manager
2.1 – management system, per CPU socket, $7,000
Starting price for a configuration for 64 TB raw capacity (based on
using 2 TB drives) is $43,400 for software licenses only, and $73,000
for bundled hardware and software, both at street pricing. Pricing
includes a Manager appliance, two Accesser routers, and eight Slicestor
storage nodes.
“Organizations continue to seek reliable, secure, and efficient ways to
store their data,” said Noemi Greyzdorf, Research Manager, Storage
Software, IDC. “Cleversafe delivers scalability, security, and adherence
to SLAs in the data center. It also arms service providers with
expanded integration capabilities offering ease of use and key insight
into system health.”
Cleversafe’s Dispersed Storage technology has been in the market for
more than two years, seamlessly and securely divides data into slices,
and then disperses them to multiple storage nodes typically across three
or four data centers. Each individual slice is unrecognizable as data
and therefore inherently secure, whereas a defined threshold of slices
can be used to bit-perfectly recreate the original data. This approach
replaces costly replication with only a 30-60 percent storage expansion
and yet has even higher availability than four replicated copies.