New Snapshot Retention Functionality in Nasuni Filer

Nasuni announced a Nasuni Filer that allows IT administrators to set and automatically enforce policies governing how long data stored in the cloud can be recovered after it is deleted. The new snapshot retention feature allows organizations to enjoy the benefits of a cloud-backed file server – including automated data protection, full redundancy and infinite scalability – while also gaining full control over the permanent deletion of data to help mitigate compliance, legal and security risk.

The architecture of the cloud is different from traditional IT infrastructures, in that the cloud continually replicates data, making multiple copies in multiple locations. As a result, data stored in the cloud is inherently more protected and does not need to be backed up elsewhere. Through the use of snapshots that capture the entire file system and patent-pending caching technology, the Nasuni Filer takes advantage of this aspect of the cloud to ensure that deleted file server data can be recovered from any point in time. These snapshots are small, because Nasuni de-duplicates and compresses them, so customers can retain an unlimited number of snapshots without greatly increasing the amount of cloud storage used. If a file is accidentally deleted, the file can always be recovered from the cloud through the snapshot that captured it.

Nevertheless, IT does need to delete files permanently from the cloud to minimize the amount of data they store and to reduce liability, security and legal risk. When files are deleted from the Nasuni Filer, those files will remain recoverable from the cloud as long as snapshots that contain those files remain. However, with the latest version of the Nasuni Filer, customers can establish policies that will delete snapshots based on their age or the number of snapshots stored in the cloud. Once the last snapshot that contains a deleted file is retired, that file is deleted irrevocably.

Gesmer Updegrove, LLP, a Boston-based law firm that provides legal advice to support the growth of technology companies through acquisition or IPO, relies on Nasuni for storage in the cloud. The firm stores a variety of files in the cloud, from case files that sometimes need to be permanently purged to billing records that need to be kept for at least seven years. Gesmer Updegrove LLP chose Nasuni in large part because it offered end-to-end encryption and could guarantee secure deletion of files in the cloud.

"The Nasuni Filer brings all of the benefits of the cloud to the file server: low cost, complete reliability and unlimited capacity for future growth," said Stirling Thomas, IT director at Gesmer Updegrove. "With the new snapshot retention functionality, the Nasuni Filer now enables us to age files and delete them permanently, a capability that is critical to law firms like ourselves, who need assurance that deleted files are truly gone."

The new version of Nasuni Filer
also includes the following enhancements:

• New file heuristics: Nasuni now provides detailed information on file type and size;
• Volume management: Customers can now set policies and preferences on a per-volume basis, which allows them to set snapshot schedules and retention policies according to the needs of different groups within the organization; and
• Enhanced charting: Charts are now easier to read with more information.

"We thought long and hard about how to provide safe deletion of data," said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of Nasuni. "The Nasuni Filer needs no additional backup. Unlimited snapshots combined with the 100 percent reliability of the cloud means our customers no longer need backup. The new Snapshot Retention Policy creates a safety window of time that protects the IT administrator against unintentionally deleting data while ensuring that unwanted data can be permanently removed from the cloud."