NAS Comes to Cloud With SoftNAS

Every business needs reliable data storage, but not all can afford the hefty price tag that comes with dedicated NAS devices.

SoftNAS, LLC has solved the problem with the beta release of SoftNAS, a software-deployed, cloud-based virtual storage appliance that uses the hardware companies already own to securely store mission-critical data.

SoftNAS will turn both new and outdated hardware into NAS. No dedicated machines are required: it is a software download that runs within cloud computing environments like Amazon EC2 or on companies’ existing virtual servers, including VMware ESXi/vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V.

"Business-class NAS has traditionally required proprietary hardware appliances, making it out of reach for many cloud computing customers, IT departments, small and mid-sized businesses, and government agencies," Bill Hood , founder and CEO of SoftNAS. "Now SoftNAS allows those organizations to turn their familiar, existing hardware and virtual servers into enterprise-grade NAS without paying a premium for big data brand names."

SoftNAS allows unlimited file sharing and features disk aggregates – multiple disk drives combined to form a chunk of storage space – that function like volumes or file systems. RAM caching gives users fast access to stored data, while deduplication ensures the same data is not saved more than once. The mix of features actually serves to increase cloud storage capacity and system speed.

Like other NAS systems, SoftNAS employs copy-on-write file system technology to retain snapshots of old data whenever new data is saved. To safeguard data without impacting performance, SoftNAS takes snapshots of specified volumes or file systems at scheduled intervals. The snapshots take up no extra disk space, but they allow users to recover data from any point in the past. And all the while, data is checked and validated in the background for data integrity without downtime.

"SoftNAS is a simple way for smaller businesses to have world-class data storage and security without the expense of a dedicated IT staff or a bunch of new hardware," said Hood. "We are excited to introduce the concept of cloud-based virtual storage in a software download and encourage businesses, IT departments, government organizations and anyone else who needs enterprise data storage to become beta users of SoftNAS."

In public beta release, SoftNAS will be available in February 2013.

To download SoftNAS (registration needed)