eWEEK is willing to bet that you have never been offered free hyperconverged, software-defined storage software before Sept. 30, 2016.
Maxta, which specializes in software-based hyperconvergence for enterprise storage systems, on Sept. 30 announced the general availability of a free download of its MxSP software for qualified organizations in the United States, Canada and select European countries.
The free download is made available through the company’s month-old freemium licensing model, an industry first in the hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) segment—which makes eWEEK’s bet a sound one. The new licensing model offers a simpler, more economical approach for enterprises to evaluate, test and quickly deploy HCI in their IT environments, the company said.
Approved registrants will receive a perpetual, transferable license to a fully featured version of Maxta MxSP software free of charge, enabling them to configure and deploy a three-node HCI cluster with a maximum storage capacity of 24 terabytes.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company also announced the introduction of the Maxta Community, an online site for registered users of MxSP software and MaxDeploy appliances. The new site provides a forum for users to ask questions, seek expert advice from Maxta, engage with peers and access self-help resources.
MxSP software helps IT teams of any size transform their complex, costly virtualized infrastructure into an agile, efficient architecture by converging traditionally separate compute and storage tiers. The result, Maxta claims, is simpler management and significant cost savings by eliminating the need for expensive and complicated storage area networks and storage arrays.
Maxta software-based HCI solutions offer freedom of choice in servers, storage and virtualization platforms, eliminating vendor lock-in and creating better flexibility than hardware-centric HCI appliances.
MxSP-enabled clusters can support any x86-based server including all-flash or hybrid storage configurations. Clusters may be scaled up or scaled out in increments as small as a single storage device or server at a time. Compute-only nodes may also be added to scale computing power independently of storage capacity.
Free MxSP licenses may be non-disruptively upgraded to a premium license, enabling unlimited capacity scaling and the ability to add server nodes. Premium licenses include full software maintenance, product enhancements and access to 7X24 Maxta support.
MxSP software licenses may be transferred without additional charge, offering lifetime value by eliminating the need to pay again for software when replacing or upgrading servers.
To register for a free MxSP license, go here.