Start-Up Nasuni Unveils Virtual NAS File Server

Nasuni unveiled its gateway to cloud storage, the Nasuni Filer.

This is a virtual NAS file server that runs on VMware and leverages the resources of the cloud to simplify file storage and protection. Targeting the mid-market, Nasuni’s solution eliminates the need for incremental storage hardware, and the resulting capital expense, to manage unstructured file growth. When it comes to primary or nearline storage, companies are looking to save money while maintaining control.

Nasuni’s Storage-as-a-Service technology, coupled with unlimited cloud capacity, allows companies to use and pay for only what they need, when they need it. Included in the Nasuni solution are advanced caching, snapshot and deduplication technologies and key management to simplify file access, storage and protection, while eliminating hardware acquisition and installation. Now in beta, the Nasuni Filer can be downloaded on the company’s web site. There is no charge for cloud storage during the beta period to facilitate end-to-end evaluation of all Nasuni is offering.

Nasuni’s virtual NAS file server delivers automatic file storage provisioning with built-in file protection for enhanced security. It includes advanced caching, snapshot and deduplication technologies to simplify file access, storage and protection. Nasuni partners with leading cloud storage providers to combine online storage for offsite file protection and backup with local caching for performance. The Nasuni Filer runs on VMware and can be used as primary storage instead of, or in combination with, traditional file servers. Full Windows CIFS Shares, ACL and Active Directory support enable the Nasuni Filer to fit into existing environments where it can be used to consolidate a NAS cluster into a single device or to support an existing application, such as a content manager or an image server. Those not ready for a complete transition to all-in-one cloud storage can use the Nasuni Filer for keeping second copies offsite for disaster protection.

“We see the cloud, with its undeniable efficiencies of scale, as the future for all file storage,” said CEO and co-founder Andres Rodriguez. “We want to knock down the barriers that are keeping ordinary business users away from taking advantage of cloud storage. We make the cloud simple and we make it secure. We increase the performance and we give our customers a choice of cloud providers.”  

Features of the Nasuni Filer include:

Automatic provisioning
As a gateway to unlimited storage in the cloud, Nasuni allows for unlimited capacity expansion, and automatically adjusts to increasing or decreasing storage needs. By managing the complexity of provisioning, users gain a virtual storage device that never fills up and is never underutilized, reducing or eliminating the need to acquire more hardware. The user is charged only for is the storage capacity used.

High-performance caching
The Filer’s large cache keeps copies of working files in the user’s local storage for fast access. Changes to these files are deduped, compressed, aggregated, and sent to the cloud, keeping the cloud storage file set up-to-date while minimizing storage space. Cloud traffic is WAN optimized for top performance and actual storage used is minimized.

Synchronous snapshots with fast restores
Nasuni captures the entire file system hourly and saves snapshots to the cloud, where they remain offsite yet accessible. Snapshots are deduped to minimize capacity usage. Administrators can roll back to any point in the life of a file, directory, or file system with a few clicks using Nasuni’s easy-to-use interface. Nasuni’s file security and simple restores render additional backup/restore schemes unnecessary for most businesses.

End-to-end encryption
The Filer encrypts data at the customer site using the industry’s highest level of security and key management (OpenPGP with AES-256), or any other standard the customer selects, and the data remains encrypted in the cloud for total protection. Files are never visible to Nasuni or to cloud vendors and the customer retains control of decryption keys, which can be escrowed with Nasuni or a trusted third party.

Choice of Cloud Vendors
Customers can choose among several cloud providers with a simple click of the mouse, and set up multiple volumes in a single gateway sending different files to different clouds. Similarly, customers can send the same set of files to different clouds for redundancy.

Post Beta, Nasuni’s Storage-as-a-Service solution includes an easy-to-install downloadable virtual appliance and a pay-as-you-go pricing structure with a flat monthly fee, or annual plans, plus capacity usage. Customers will receive a single bill from Nasuni for simplicity. Setup and connection is simple and takes less than 15 minutes, on average. Initially, Beta program users will be offered for Iron Mountain or Amazon S3 storage, with additional partners to follow over the next 60 days.

“Nasuni’s vision of bringing simple but secure cloud storage access to the mid-market complements Iron Mountain’s core strengths,” said Ramana Venkata, president of Iron Mountain Digital. “We have been protecting and securing customers’ data remotely since 1995 and our Archive Services Platform offers ISVs such as Nasuni a secure platform to build applications and store mission-critical data. Not only will Nasuni’s customers have the confidence that their data is protected by Iron Mountain, but they will also have the ability to leverage our other services to help them extract and leverage intelligence about the stored data.”

“Moving to the cloud can help companies avoid the cost of an expanded infrastructure, including equipment, power and management,” said Laura DuBois, Research Director, IDC Storage Software. “Nasuni’s approach is a minimal investment and minimal disruption that addresses swelling volumes, simplifies file management, and addresses data security objectives.”

Now in beta, the Nasuni Filer can be downloaded on the company’s web site. There is no charge for cloud storage during the beta period to facilitate end-to-end evaluation.