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Storage newcomer Maxta came out of stealth mode Nov. 12 with a new software-defined platform that mashes virtualized and physical storage into one single-pool view.
That in itself isn’t necessarily news, because virtualization by definition provides single views into pools of data storage, among other things. However, there are always trade-offs, and Maxta says it has solved for them.
Maxta’s new platform removes hardware configuration problems that most storage suppliers encounter in virtualized data centers, all the while maintaining enterprise-level storage features that include deduplication, snapshots, cloning and compression. Those important tools are often lost in the virtualization shuffle.
Plugs in to All Server Virtualization Levels
Maxta founder and CEO Yoram Novick told eWEEK that Maxta Storage Platform can work with any hypervisor in its implementation of enterprise storage. It fully integrates with server virtualization at all levels from user interface to data management, while supporting all deployments of virtual data centers, including private, public and hybrid clouds, he said.
Because it is software only, Maxta turns standard servers into a converged compute and storage solution. This results in greater simplicity, economics and availability over conventional external storage arrays, Novick said.
“The storage business simply hasn’t been able to catch up with development in virtualized servers. The complexities and high costs of traditional enterprise storage are magnified in the virtual data center,” Novick said. “Therefore, for quite some time, storage has been the biggest pain point in the data center.”
A large number of IT managers certainly can attest to that statement.
Converges Compute, Storage on Standard Servers
Maxta’s platform converges compute and storage on standard servers, using both server-side flash and disk drives to optimize performance and capacity, Novick said. Maxta’s software supports all server virtualization capabilities that depend on shared storage and delivers enterprise-class data services, capacity optimization and scale-out of storage and performance, according to Novick.
“After being told repeatedly that expensive storage arrays are the only way to support enterprise applications in virtualized environments, IT organizations finally have an alternative to storage arrays that significantly reduces complexity and cost,” Novick said. “Maxta has broken the code for integrating storage and compute into a converged virtual data center.”
“Maxta offers all the critical features that enterprise users are typically demanding of the storage infrastructure in their virtualized environments. But, rather than being just another rack or cabinet-based storage system, the Maxta solution can essentially be seen as a server-based storage app; as such it’s a perfect fit for an increasingly converged, and yet heterogeneous, world where easy-to-deploy and use software management is crucial from both operational and economic viewpoints,” said senior analyst Mark Peters of Enterprise Strategy Group.
MxSP delivers high-level snapshot and clone technology. It also supports an unlimited number of VM-level snapshots and zero-copy clones instantly without performance degradation, providing data protection without impacting production applications and instant provisioning of new VMs using VM templates. VM-level replication provides fast and affordable high availability and disaster recovery.
Novick previously founded Topio, a provider of platform-agnostic enterprise-level data replication solutions and served as Topio CEO from its inception until it was acquired by NetApp.
Maxta, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., has raised $10 million in seed capital from Andreessen Horowitz, a Tier 1 venture capital firm that provides seed, venture and growth-stage funding to new technology companies.
For more information, email the company here.