Storage, archiving and data protection specialist Quantum announced Q-Cloud Protect is now available as a cloud-based appliance running on top of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace infrastructure.
Protect is a virtual deduplication appliance that works with the company’s DXi systems to provide a hybrid-cloud backup and disaster recovery solution, and is designed for companies with single sites looking to protect their business against localized disasters, as well as companies seeking a hybrid-cloud approach to backup and disaster recovery.
With Q-Cloud Protect, data can be stored in deduplicated form in one of Amazon’s Availability Zone data centers and recovered in the event of a disaster.
“Companies have a need to protect their business against localized disasters by leveraging the cloud,” Eric Bassier, product marketing director for Quantum, told eWEEK. “There is a cloud mandate for IT departments of all sizes, and we think disaster recovery is a great place to start.”
The biggest stumbling block businesses face when adopting a cloud storage strategy is really deciding where to begin, Bassier said.
“Most companies are interested in using the cloud, though security and lack of control can be a concern,” he noted. “However, for many companies, just figuring out the right place to start can be challenging. We believe that archive storage and storage for disaster recovery are two really practical use cases to start with, since the data is rarely accessed.”
The platform uses the company’s patented variable-length deduplication and replication engine to replicate data from an on-premises deduplication appliance to Q-Cloud Protect. Currently available in the Amazon Public Marketplace, Q-Cloud Protect will soon be available in the AWS GovCloud and C2S environments.
In addition, Q-Cloud Protect provides deduplicated off-site storage in Amazon’s cloud, protecting businesses against localized disasters.
“We view the cloud as just another tier of storage, a tier that has pros and cons, but it’s great for certain applications,” Bassier said. “Cloud storage will continue to become more and more commoditized as more large players enter the market, so costs will continue to come down. The adoption of the cloud will continue to grow, and we believe for most companies a ‘hybrid’ cloud storage approach will ultimately prevail. So companies will have some storage on-premises and some in the cloud, driven by their applications and business workflows.”
In October 2015, the company launched Xcellis workflow storage, a high-performance storage system engineered to optimize demanding workflows.
At the heart of the new system is the Xcellis Workflow Director, a converged compute, network and file system controller that integrates and streamlines the functionality of a StorNext environment.